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All the Mavericks agreed. Then Will rapped the table. “Okay, Dane. You’re putting in a major effort with all our women, trying to get them to work with you. But what we want to know—” He waved a hand at his brothers. “—is when we’re going to work a deal with you.”
Chapter Nine
It was the opening Dane had been waiting for. “We have a proposal for you.” He looked to Cammie, the most important team member. “Why don’t you tell everyone what we’ve been thinking?”
“Well…” She sounded a little nervous, and Dane urged her on with a smile. “The idea came to us after talking with Harper. We’d like to create a resort for people with different abilities. Not disabilities, but different abilities,” she stressed. “No matter where a person is on their path, they always have something special to offer. We want to create an environment where their specialness can blossom.” She grew more eloquent as she described what was essentially her project. “We think of it along the lines of St. Jude’s. None of our guests will have to pay. Everything will be fully funded by donations. It’ll be a place for parents as well as children. We’ll have learning, we’ll have relaxation, we’ll have games. We want to foster teamwork through sports, and perhaps one day a month, we’ll have a big competition.”
During her pause, Dane added, “The difference between us and the St. Jude’s model is that our resort won’t be doing research or anything medical. Everything will be therapeutic.”
Cammie took over again. Damn, but she was amazing, captivating the Mavericks.
“We want them to have sun, sand, swimming, and fun, so a location near water.” She put a hand to her chest, taking ownership. “I like the feel of a lakeside resort.” Her confidence increased as she presented all their ideas. “We’re not distinguishing by age. Some guests will be young, some in their teens, some adults. Parents and caregivers will have a place for their children or charges to go where they can all interact with each other, do fun things, like flying behind a speedboat with a parachute.”
“Parasailing,” Sebastian supplied for her.
She pointed a finger. “Right. This will be a place where they can live their best lives for a week or two. But we recognize that parents need to be taken care of as well. In many cases, they’ve been through hell, and we’ll offer a host of activities to help them relax as well as their kids.”
Will thumped the table and raised his hands in the air like a gold medal winner. “How did you know that’s exactly what we were going to propose?”
Cammie smiled, almost shyly. “Maybe it’s all coming out of the discussions that Dane and I had with your significant others. Especially Harper. She and her brother are an important part of this.” She waited a moment as Will nodded.
“And you’re all an important part as well.” She indicated them all with a sweep of her hand. “We’re going to need all of you to find ways to help fund this and to use your expertise in bringing it to fruition. Everyone here has something to offer. That’s why we think it’s a perfect project for this newly merged group.”
Every man in the room glowed with enthusiasm. They were into this. And while Cammie gave Dane part claim to the project, it was really all her. She turned him speechless with her ability to spark the Mavericks’ interest. He was so damn proud of her. She had everything together, even after the ordeal she’d been through with her uncle.
Daniel didn’t need to fake his eagerness. “Lake Tahoe would be perfect for this. There are beaches for sports, the lake for swimming and kayaking, and woods for hiking. And in the winter, there’s snowshoeing, skiing, and a ton of winter sports.”
Holding up her hand, Cammie said, “But we wouldn’t want to be right on top of the big casinos or ski resorts. Our place needs to be relatively on its own.”
Daniel tapped the table. “I know the area well. Let me think about it, look around, see what I can find. And in the meantime, we can make our plans for building.”
“I’m sure we’ll find the perfect place.” Color bloomed in Cammie’s cheeks. She was loving this—the planning, the suggestions, the buy-in.
Gideon jumped in. “This is a good use of the foundation’s extra cash too.”
“We’ve got several ongoing projects,” Cal added. “But as Gideon says, we have funds that aren’t allocated yet. I don’t want to take away from what our veterans and foster kids need, but there is surplus.”
Grinning, Gideon bopped him lightly on the arm. “We’ve got all these foster kids needing summer jobs, and even during holiday breaks.” He looked at Dane, then Cammie. “They could be like camp counselors. It would be great experience for them. It might even help some of them find a path in life.”
