Read Online A Baby for the Boss by Maureen Child - Free Book Online
Authors: Maureen Child
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town. People come here looking to relax, throw a little money down a rat hole...” He looked at her. “They’re not interested in being snubbed because they smoke. Or if they can’t find a slot machine anywhere on the premises.”
“Good points.” He was always thinking and she shouldn’t have been surprised to know that he’d done his homework on the previous owner’s failures and come to his own conclusions. Mike Ryan always had a plan. “So, you’ll have gambling?”
He gave her a fast grin. “Not a regular casino, no. But we’ll have some custom-made slot machines if people are interested. Based on the game, of course.”
“Of course.” She smiled and looked up at him. He was so tall, so broad shouldered. His dark hair ruffled in the wind and his blue eyes were narrowed on the distant view, as if he was staring off into a future that lay waiting for him to conquer it.
Oh, she really had to stop.
“Still,” Mike said, grabbing her attention again, “the River Haunt isn’t going to be your standard hotel. It’s being designed to appeal to gamers—not gamblers.”
“Gamblers like games, too.”
“Yeah,” Mike said. “But they’re more interested in risking their money for the chance of a big reward. A gamer wants to beat his time, beat the game.” He turned and looked back up the rise to the hotel that now belonged to Celtic Knot. “The people who come here are going to be looking for the experience. The opportunity to pretend they’re a part of the game they love. Gambling doesn’t have anything to do with that.”
“But you’ll have a few slot machines just in case.”
He winked at her. “Doesn’t hurt to cover all bases.”
Pleasure rushed through Jenny at that friendly wink. She liked this. They were talking. About important things, and he hadn’t taken a single shot at her yet. No insults, no disapproval. Maybe it was being away from their everyday routine, but whatever the reason, she was enjoying it. And maybe, she thought, these two days with Mike wouldn’t be as hard as she’d thought they would be.
“I’m guessing you’ll have smoking rooms, too, then,” she said with a smile.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’m not going to cut anyone out of coming to the hotel.” He shook his hair back when the wind tossed it across his forehead. “It’s ridiculous for any business owner to discriminate against possible customers.”
“Agreed,” she said. Half turning, she looked back at the hotel sitting at the top of a low rise.
It was old, but sturdy. Paint that had once been a deep brick red had faded in the sun until it looked almost pink. The building sprawled across the property but Jenny knew that compared to the rich new hotels farther downriver this place was small. Only a hundred and fifty rooms, the soon-to-be River Haunt hotel would be exclusive and that would appeal to the gamers who would flock here.
There was a wide porch that swept along the front of the building, and floor-to-ceiling windows provided a great view of the river and the purple smudge of mountains in the distance. The now pink paint was peeling and the plain boxlike structure wasn’t exactly appealing, but she knew that Mike would be changing it all up. The rehab wouldn’t go fast, but she could imagine it all as it would be in a few months.
Like the setting of the “River Haunt” game, the main building would be made to look like a weathered, deserted cabin. A cabin where ghouls, ghosts, zombies and other assorted supernatural beings assembled and tormented the gamers who fought to defeat Donn, Lord of the Dead.
The guests at the River Haunt hotel would be treated to rooms and suites decked out with top-of-the-line gaming systems, flat-screen TVs and enough gaming tokens and symbols to make them feel as though they were a part of their favorite game. The latest Celtic Knot hotel was going to be huge.
“It’ll be a lot of work,” Jenny said thoughtfully.
“It will.”
She
“Good points.” He was always thinking and she shouldn’t have been surprised to know that he’d done his homework on the previous owner’s failures and come to his own conclusions. Mike Ryan always had a plan. “So, you’ll have gambling?”
He gave her a fast grin. “Not a regular casino, no. But we’ll have some custom-made slot machines if people are interested. Based on the game, of course.”
“Of course.” She smiled and looked up at him. He was so tall, so broad shouldered. His dark hair ruffled in the wind and his blue eyes were narrowed on the distant view, as if he was staring off into a future that lay waiting for him to conquer it.
Oh, she really had to stop.
“Still,” Mike said, grabbing her attention again, “the River Haunt isn’t going to be your standard hotel. It’s being designed to appeal to gamers—not gamblers.”
“Gamblers like games, too.”
“Yeah,” Mike said. “But they’re more interested in risking their money for the chance of a big reward. A gamer wants to beat his time, beat the game.” He turned and looked back up the rise to the hotel that now belonged to Celtic Knot. “The people who come here are going to be looking for the experience. The opportunity to pretend they’re a part of the game they love. Gambling doesn’t have anything to do with that.”
“But you’ll have a few slot machines just in case.”
He winked at her. “Doesn’t hurt to cover all bases.”
Pleasure rushed through Jenny at that friendly wink. She liked this. They were talking. About important things, and he hadn’t taken a single shot at her yet. No insults, no disapproval. Maybe it was being away from their everyday routine, but whatever the reason, she was enjoying it. And maybe, she thought, these two days with Mike wouldn’t be as hard as she’d thought they would be.
“I’m guessing you’ll have smoking rooms, too, then,” she said with a smile.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’m not going to cut anyone out of coming to the hotel.” He shook his hair back when the wind tossed it across his forehead. “It’s ridiculous for any business owner to discriminate against possible customers.”
“Agreed,” she said. Half turning, she looked back at the hotel sitting at the top of a low rise.
It was old, but sturdy. Paint that had once been a deep brick red had faded in the sun until it looked almost pink. The building sprawled across the property but Jenny knew that compared to the rich new hotels farther downriver this place was small. Only a hundred and fifty rooms, the soon-to-be River Haunt hotel would be exclusive and that would appeal to the gamers who would flock here.
There was a wide porch that swept along the front of the building, and floor-to-ceiling windows provided a great view of the river and the purple smudge of mountains in the distance. The now pink paint was peeling and the plain boxlike structure wasn’t exactly appealing, but she knew that Mike would be changing it all up. The rehab wouldn’t go fast, but she could imagine it all as it would be in a few months.
Like the setting of the “River Haunt” game, the main building would be made to look like a weathered, deserted cabin. A cabin where ghouls, ghosts, zombies and other assorted supernatural beings assembled and tormented the gamers who fought to defeat Donn, Lord of the Dead.
The guests at the River Haunt hotel would be treated to rooms and suites decked out with top-of-the-line gaming systems, flat-screen TVs and enough gaming tokens and symbols to make them feel as though they were a part of their favorite game. The latest Celtic Knot hotel was going to be huge.
“It’ll be a lot of work,” Jenny said thoughtfully.
“It will.”
She
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