Page 12 of Falling for the Grumpy Orc
The name cuts through me like a freezing gust of wind. Bernice sucks in a sharp breath, her amber eyes widening in her slim face. Her forest-green skin pales until it looks like she's seen a ghost.
Evelyn must see the ripple of tension between us because she presses on, barely able to suppress her excitement.
“Mrs. Marwick at the hardware store told me she saw him chatting her up just this morning in her establishment. He was all over that poor girl with talks of asbestos and mold remediation and how costly it was all going to be. Practically wagging his tail, he was.”
“That bastard,” Bernice mutters, loud enough to make the pixies at the other table stop giggling and glance over their shoulder.
I grip the edge of the table tightly. Bogdan Ashvale is a snake. The kind of contractor who cuts corners so aggressively, he leaves buildings teetering on stilts and clients drowning in regrets. And Cassidy, with her wide eyes and too-bright smile, has no idea what she’s getting herself into.
“I can almost picture his swagger when he walked away from that girl,” Evelyn says, and now she’s looking directly at me. “Like he already owns the place. He probably thinks he can bleed her dry, then force her to sell at a loss.”
I push my plate away, appetite gone.
“That’s not my problem.”
Bernice leans forward, her voice suddenly low and steely. When her fingers close around my wrist, I know I'm in trouble.
“You know what that man is capable of,” she hisses, her lips sticking to her tusks as she speaks, a sure sign that emotions overwhelm her. “So why are you letting him ruin the only thing this Cassandra girl’s got going for her?”
“Cassidy,” I correct under my breath, not knowing why I feel the need to. "Her name is Cassidy."
"Cassidy, is it?" Bernice's shrewd eyes see right through me as I squirm on the booth like a teenager. "She left that much of an impression on you?"
“Too bad she's going to be gone soon,” Evelyn Primrose teases. “And without a penny to her name, I’d wager.”
I slide out from the booth, then drop a small stack of bills on the table without looking at either woman.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Oh, I’m sure you will,” Evelyn Primrose murmurs behind me, smugness dripping from every syllable.
The crisp air outside hits me like a slap as I step onto the cobblestone street. Somewhere in the distance, seagulls cry over the waves, their sharp voices barely carrying over the muted hum of town activity.
I pause by my truck, the engine still warm from the drive over. My fists clench and unclench as Cassidy’s stubborn, determined face shoots back in my mind. She's the kind of girl Bogdan Ashvale would chew up and spit out without hesitation.
With a growl low in my throat, I yank open the truck door and climb inside.
The lodge isn’t my problem. But Cassidy Perkins just might be.
Chapter Six
Cassidy
Ifeellikemyorgans are about to dissolve inside my body and my brain might just melt inside my skull. I grip my pen tighter as Bogdan Ashvale looms over the small table where we've spread out his paperwork, his massive frame nearly blocking out the light.
The orc contractor showed up at my door this morning with a folder full of estimates and a smile that's just a little too wide. The kind of smile that doesn't reach his eyes. But maybe it's just me and he's simply a helpful man trying to preventa disaster.
Maybe Gerralt Banesman was right after all. Maybe I really have no idea what I'm doing.
Sunlight streams through the bay windows, casting long shadows across the newly cleaned foyer floors of the Saltwater Lodge. The scent of lavender and lemon cleaner lingers in the air, a small victory from my cleaning rampage over the past week. At least I can say I know how to wield a mop, even if my life choices seem questionable at best lately.
"Look, sweetheart." Bogdan taps a thick finger against one of the many documents scattered across the surface. "You've got asbestos in your walls, lead in your pipes, and a foundation that's barely holding firm. If you think cutting corners now will save you money in the long run, you're dreaming. This place is a lawsuit waiting to happen."
My stomach churns as I stare at the figures on the page. The numbers blur together, making my head spin.
"It's just that I didn't think the condition of the building was this bad." That's the understatement of the decade. The final number at the bottom of his contract is three times what I budgeted for the inn's complete renovation. I would have to borrow a massive amount just to tide me over until spring. And that's if there's no surprise when he finally gets started.
I really need Jason to sign those papers now. I won’t even be able to pay the deposit on the repairs without it.
