Last Chance Motel 1 (Last Chance Romance Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

surely didn’t want anyone to know that she thought the Last Chance Motel might be her last chance.

9
    T he landscaping crew arrived at eight sharp and began working immediately. Eva almost wore her legs out keeping tabs on the six-man crew.
    Most of the flowering trees were saved, but she had all of the fruit trees removed as they attracted scorpions which she had discovered that morning when she shook two out of her shoes. All but four of the mature banana trees were kept.
    After lunch a crane arrived to trim the palm trees. By three the crew was doing the last of the cleanup when Mike pulled up in his jeep.
    Eva tried not to show that she was peeved. He was supposed to be at the motel by one.
    Mike jumped out of his jeep and upon seeing Eva yelled, “Sorry, but got held up.” Not waiting for a response he began helping the crew with the last of the cleanup and then went over the job with the head gardener. All the plants had been trimmed, pruned, mulched, and watered. All ground debris and broken glass was gone.
    A truckload of sand had been brought in. Local stone replaced old chipped brick for the sidewalks and solar lights flanked all the pathways, whether stone or sand.
    Eva had to admit that the grounds looked great and the lush greenery provided a needed privacy screen from busy Highway 1.
    The guests would have both beauty and seclusion needed for a restful vacation.
    She had recovered her good spirits when she wrote out the check for the invoice Mike handed her. Determined to pay as she went, Eva didn’t want anyone hounding her for payment of goods.
    Before they left, Eva made a deal with the head gardener about coming once a month and keeping the grounds in good condition.
    “Looks nice,” commented Mike, standing beside her.
    Eva didn’t respond but she had to agree with him.
    “Sorry again about being late. I’ll make up the time.”
    “I was working by eight this morning. I hardly want to work twenty-hour days just because you’re not putting in your time.”
    “Look, lady. I said I was sorry. It was unavoidable, but I will make up the time. You don’t have to follow me around, peeking over my shoulder. Just give me a list of jobs and they will be done in record time.”
    “Okay. Here you go,” groused Eva, thrusting a folded list at him.
    Mike looked at the long line of tasks to be done. “When do you want all this done?”
    “Tonight.”
    Mike’s mouth dropped open. “You gotta be kidding. This would take a four-man crew a complete day and the sun’s going down soon.”
    “I need all the broken sashes taken out of the bungalows. You know the glass and door man is coming tomorrow. We need to get the bungalows sealed up before we can proceed or we’ll be repairing raccoon and water damage all the time. Plus, if I find one more snake curled up in a bathtub, I’m going to lose my mind.”
    “That snake was harmless.”
    “I don’t care. I don’t like snakes or scorpions or anything else that slithers and stings, and neither do paying guests. Can you do the list or not?”
    Mike put the list in his pocket. “I’ll get ’er done.” At that moment, Mike’s employee showed up and Mike grabbed his toolbox and joined him.
    Eva stormed off to the office. She didn’t understand why Mike irritated her so. Maybe he couldn’t get to the motel on time due to an unavoidable situation. She’d had many crises at job sites in her career. She should understand that some things happen which could throw the day off.
    She threw herself in the recliner and stared out the sliding glass door. Eva needed to get her emotions under control. She was sure she was taking her anger at Dennis out on Mike. They both were of similar age. Both had an easy way about them. Both were good-looking. Both were hardworking. She hoped that’s where the similarity ended. Eva realized that she was being unfair.
    To make up for her bad behavior, she called a pizza joint in town and ordered two large pizzas, salad, and