Page 61 of Challenged by the Single Dad

“Haunted cabin?” Chloe asked, her brows raised as she unsuccessfully dodged raindrops and followed Bennett down the one-lane, grassy roadway to the cabins.

“Don’t listen to her,” he said, shooting a glare at his partner. “Cabin Five has had a fewminorhiccups over the last few months. But nobody has died there or anything.”

“No, but somebody did dieunderthe pub,” Vica added, earning snorts from the other two women. Bennett glared at her. “What? Too soon? Come on Bennett, if we can’t laugh about this shit, all we can do is cry. And now that I’m part of an amazing family like this, I refuse to cry.”

Brooke leaned into her. “He deserved to die anyway. So … let’s just laugh about it.” Then she let out a maniacal laugh fit for an evil queen.

They reached the cute little one-story, square-shaped cabin with a big, brass number four on the door. “Here we are,” Bennett said. “I hope you like it.”

“As long as nobody breaks in and uses my shower, I’m sure it’ll be great,” she said, waiting for him to unlock the door.

“You’re going to talk to Hawke about what happened, right?” Bennett asked. “Because that shit’s not right.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I know he’s one of the firefighters. So he’s been away from the campsite. But there was a lot of commotion last night, and this morning, over all of it. People left in droves.”

Bennett’s head bobbed. “Yeah. We heard. Let us know if you want any of us to come with you when you talk to Hawke. He’s a great guy, but if you want backup or support, we’re all here for you.”

She smiled, appreciative of how quickly this amazing family had embraced her as friend and rallied behind her. She hadn’t even been homeless one day because of their generosity and kindness.

“We can get her settled,” Brooke said to Bennett. “You go … do what you need to do.”

Bennett smirked. “All right then. I have many things to do.” That last bit was said with sarcasm. He pecked a kiss on Justine’s cheek, then took his leave.

Chloe didn’t have much stuff, so it took no time at all for her to unpack.

The cabin was adorable inside, with a full kitchen, a very nice bathroom, and a queen-sized bed. And the best part—if she concentrated—she could hear the waves lapping down at the shore. Not only was she working directly on the beach now, but she was living on it too.

“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” Justine asked her. “I don’t have to work until three this afternoon at the clinic if you want to hang out.”

“I’ve got work to do, unfortunately,” Vica said with a pout.

Brooke nodded. “Me too.”

“Oh, you guys don’t have to babysit me. Now that I have a kitchen that I’m not sharing with anybody, I can properly go grocery shopping and start cooking. So I might do that. I also need to go talk to Hawke.”

“Are you going to take Bennett up on his offer to take one of the guys with you?” Vica asked. “I would. Not that you’re not strong and capable, it’s just … it’s nice to have backup. And they know Hawke.”

Immediately, Chloe wanted to ask Dom to join her, but she needed to steer clear of him now. Which was going to be impossible since he was her boss and they worked together.

“I don’t know yet. I know he’s working this afternoon …”

“Who is?” Brooke asked.

Oh crap.

“I mean … uh … aren’t they all working this afternoon?”

The women all adopted sly, suspicious looks in their eyes.

“Yes … but you were referring to someone specific.” Brooke’s eyes widened. “Did you mean Dom? Do you have a crush on Dom?”

Vica and Justine both grinned.

“I’m not in high school. Aren’t adults past ‘crushes’?” she said dismissively, only to realize she was probably just digging herself a deeper hole.

“Mostly, yes,” Justine said. “Which means, it’s not a crush. It’s a full-blown attraction. A lustful desire.”

“A never-ending filmstrip of dirtier and dirtier thoughts racing through your mind,” Vica added with a playful brow bob and smile. “Rampant fantasies of naked bodies writhing in pleasure.”

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