Page 39 of Jagger

“I don’t know Danger Falls very well, but I have a feeling there’s not a huge Russian population.”

She laughed and guided me down the hallway. “Not a single person. I want to be in the CIA traveling the world.”

“Including Russia.”

“Oh, I would love to visit Moscow.”

“You do realize it’s dangerous. Right?”

“As my papa always told me, you only live once. Only with risks both physical and emotional can we reach the sweetest rewards.”

Her words of wisdom made me think about Jagger all over again. He was the most infuriating man I ever met and likely ever would. His coldness after the night we’d shared had beensomewhat expected, but not to the degree I’d been forced to experience.

“What’s it like here?” I asked, trying to ignore my thoughts and improper visions so I could find my way in a town I didn’t know.

“At the resort or in Danger Falls?”

“Well, both.”

“Danger Falls is the kind of place where our grandmothers grew up. Everyone is polite. Few people lock their doors. Everyone waves. Sadly, everyone knows your life story. And unless you like the outdoors, it’s boring as hell,” Jenny admitted. “I can’t wait to get out of here. But since you have a family, the town will be good for Cally and her daddy.”

“No daddy. Just the two of us.”

“Oh, that explains it.”

Wrinkling my nose, I glanced at her. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Hey. Confess.”

She laughed and at least I could feel a little lighter than before. More hopeful. Waiting tables was an honorable profession and could be very profitable.

“That’s why Mr. Grumpy Fox was looking at you that way.”

“Grumpy Fox?”

“Jagger. I mean Mr. Fox. With three of them it’s tough to be polite. They can be… difficult.”

She was choosing her words carefully around me.

“I don’t know if I could handle three of them. Jagger is the grouchiest man I’ve ever known.”

“Oh, he’s a bear. Don’t catch him when he hasn’t had his first cup of coffee. That’s my first warning to you.”

“What’s a second one?” I asked.

She scrunched up her face as if unsure. “I know. Be careful what you say at Poppy’s Diner. The gossip girls are wicked when it comes to sharing every single thing you say, good or bad.”

“Then I’ll eat somewhere else.”

“Then you’ll miss the best cherry pies in the entire world. Yummy.”

Jenny’s enthusiasm made me feel at ease. “Well, I’ll just keep my mouth shut then.”

She smiled as we rounded a corner. “Do you know which restaurant you’re going to be working?”

“No clue.”

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