Page 1 of Text You Up

One

Fionna

Trash.

I kept an eye on the window, hoping that the RV that had pulled in five minutes ago was the last one for the night before I could check out and head home. I’d worked at the park for two years and I never minded the job. At least not until my snooty ass sister called me trash. Trash. Single forever because you’re trash. For working in a motorhome park and being perpetually single? Not to mention that fact that I even had a job while her lame ass was living off our estranged dad’s money—at least my estranged dad. Not Eliza. She was living the great life pretending it was everything it actually wasn’t.

What a loser. I hated her.

I sat up taller. I was proud of this place. My gaze flitted across the couches I’d found at a secondhand store and all the framed photographs of the mountains and lakes. The décor that was all about RV’s and camping, I had found and decorated. It had been my idea to provide free coffee and a bottle of water to the check-ins. I continuously hauled in the firewood bundles as well as kept the brochures stocked. I made sure there were plenty of ice cream and popsicles in the freezer for all the kids.

I was happy to be here. It didn’t make me trash just because I wasn’t putting my schooling to use. Big deal. Two years of culinary arts. Not like I would be making millions doing that anyway. Plus, Eliza was just a spoiled bitch. She’d been that way our entire lives but ever since our rich dad came back into the picture, she’d gotten much worse. Eliza had always thought she was the best thing since dessert but riding on our dad’s fancy suit jacket had turned her into a gold digger.

The occupants of the RV rolled out and headed toward me. Eight people fit in that thing? The bell rang as the first female entered. In two seconds, my lobby went from peace and quiet to rambunctious chatter. They were all young—my age, which would put them in their mid-twenties.

“Howdy.”

A tall, thin guy stepped up to the counter holding his wallet and phone. He set both on the counter. “I have a spot for tonight.”

I smiled, trying to make him feel welcome. “What’s your name?”

“Dag Daniels. What’s yours?”

“Fionna.”

His hair was this wild mixture of brown and blonde, that lay skewed in a million directions. Bed hair…but hot. It was hard to keep my gaze focused on him like I wanted because his three guy friends behind him were messing with the brochures that I’d just straightened. Two girls stood behind Dag messing with his shirt collar. Driving him crazy if the look on his face was any indication. I can totally see why they want your attention.

“Dagger?” I asked.

“That’s me.”

I unclipped our site map that I’d had with his check-in stuff and unfolded it. I took my red pen. “This is where we are now. And your site is D45 so it’s easiest if you head down this road, come around here and then you can pull through.”

“Alright.” His gaze flitted to mine, and it was like the sea parted and sunlight shined down upon us. His mouth curved up into this wicked half-smirk, half-grin. “Thanks, Fionna.”

Instead of taking one second to say my name, he drug it out into five seconds and my toes curled at the way he made it sound so sexy. I swallowed. “With the six extra guests, it will be one-hundred and twelve dollars.”

He set his phone aside and withdrew a credit card from his wallet. He met my gaze and handed me the card. Our fingers touched and instead of letting go, he held onto the card a second longer than necessary. Butterflies spiraled out of control in my lower belly. Was he flirting with me? In my peripheral vision, I spotted his two blonde road companions who were messing with him before. I had assumed they were coupled up. Four guys. Four girls.

The two girls were obviously coupled up with the other two guys.

“You gonna scan it?” Dag’s mouth tilted up like he might know what I was thinking about. Sure enough, he’d let go of the card and I was simply holding it and staring off into space.

I tried not to giggle at my silliness and slid his card through the card reader, got his receipt and handed it back to him. “If there’s anything you need, I’ll be here for another fifteen minutes. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait till morning.” I glanced at all his friends. “Quiet hours start at eleven.”

He tilted his head at me. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Do you have a restroom we could use really quick?” It was one of the girls that was part of the couplings.

“Charlie, seriously. We’re going to be hooked up in fifteen minutes. You can’t wait?”

I smiled. “It’s fine. Go through that door and there are bathrooms and showers down the hall.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Come on, Maria. Dag, wait for us.”

Dag rolled his eyes. “It’s space D45. You guys can walk together.”

They all left my lobby and I tried to settle back into the peace and quiet before they’d showed up. Be still my crazy heart. Dag was great to look at and he flirted with me. I almost had the nerve to dial up my prissy sister and tell her that someone hit on me. But the reality was that it hadn’t equated to anything more than that and she would ask, and then she would just be right.

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