Free The Lure of Love by Mona Ingram Page A

“Yes, I own about a quarter of a mile to the south and slightly over a
mile to the north. Back when my grandfather bought it everyone thought he was
crazy. This was a remote area in those times, but he was obviously a man of
vision who could see that there was only a limited amount of waterfront. Why?”
    “Because I’d
like to build several spa buildings on that property.” She edged forward on her
chair. “I visualize them as being all natural wood and decorated in a soft,
muted colour scheme. They’d be connected by covered walkways so guests could
move comfortably from one treatment area to the other. That stand of trees is a
perfect buffer between the main lodge and the spa area. I see meandering paths
leading through the trees from the lodge to the spa.”
    Jamie looked
at her like she’d grown an extra head. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
    “Yes.” Brooke
opened a file. “I started looking into this shortly after I arrived. Since then
I’ve been in touch with a design firm that specializes in spas, the one that
did the West Coast Spa, actually. They’ve done some preliminary sketches and
given me a rough estimate of constructions costs plus what it would cost to
equip the buildings. They even advised me on how to estimate the cost of
running services to the buildings…power, water, all that stuff. It won’t be
cheap, but I’ve allowed a generous amount.”
    Jamie
frowned. “How could you begin to estimate something like that?”
    Brooke looked
up quickly, then went back to the plans. “I asked the design firm how to
proceed. They pointed out that you’d eventually need permission from the
planning department, so I talked to them. They said they don’t anticipate any
problems with what I outlined, and they put me in touch with some local people
who were very helpful. By the way, they recommend upgrading our power service,
but I’ve covered all that.”
    She turned to
Leeza. “If we do this right, it could be a winner. Leeza, you could come up
with a special spa menu, offering healthy selections for those people who
really get into it.”
    Leeza shot a
quick glance at Jamie and then looked back at Brooke. “Do you really have that
kind of money?”
    “Yes, I do.”
She looked from one to the other of her friends. “I was talking this over with
Billy last night and he asked a couple of interesting questions.” She laid a
hand on Jamie’s arm. “I hope you don’t mind that I talked to him. He’s got a
good business head.”
    Jamie shook
her head, too stunned to talk. “The first thing he mentioned is that a Spa is
at odds with the concept you’ve got going here of a family resort. But I
pointed out that there’s no reason why the two things can’t co-exist, as long
as the spa is located on the south side of the Lodge. This building will act as
a barrier between the campground and the Spa.”
    “The other
thing he mentioned was that I’d be putting up these buildings with my money on
your property. It’s not as if I could pick them up and take them away if we have
a disagreement. We’d have to have a lawyer draw something up of course, but I
told him that it’s doubtful we’d disagree when it comes to important decisions.
We’d make those based on what’s good for the Lodge and the Spa.” She held up
her two forefingers and danced them back and forth. “The one supports the
other, and vice versa.” She sat back in her chair. “What do you think?”
    Leeza was
staring at her. “I know it’s not polite to ask, but how in the world can you
come up with money like that?”
    Brooke paused
for a moment, her thoughts far away. “I suppose you deserve to know.” She told
them about her step-mother, and the investments that had made her a rich woman.
    Jamie
couldn’t speak, but Leeza voiced her thoughts. “I don’t understand how you
managed to stay so nice.”
    Brooke
smiled, but it was a sad smile. “It’s not as if he kicked me out with nothing.
Lots of people are much