Page 81 of The Jinglebell War
He lets me go and gets up. I miss him immediately, but I do fully enjoy the view of his bare ass as he crosses the room to the bathroom.
After he’s cleaned up the condom, he comes back to bed and curls up around me, holding me tight in his arms. “Want to get up? I can make breakfast.”
“I’ve got to be at a meeting in two hours. I’d rather stay in bed.”
He kisses the back of my neck. “We’ll make the most of the end of our vacation.”
I smile, glad he understands. “Exactly.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Garrick
“Hey, Garrick,” Lindsay says as I step inside headquarters, stomping the snow off my boots. I’m just back from a snowmobile tour with two families of four, but my brain is still fully in bed with Blue, even though it’s been four hours since I left her there. “You got a minute?”
“I’ve got a sunset snowshoe in an hour, but I’m free until then.” Given the opportunity, I’d be back in bed with Blue in a heartbeat, or anywhere with her. I’d hang out at the garbage dump just to spend more time with her.
I can acknowledge I’m a tad bit obsessed with my former enemy. And that the more time passes, the more I like the idea of a future with her. No matter what it looks like.
Since I can’t be with Blue, it’s good to be back at work. Good to be where my focus needs to be on keeping my clients safe and enjoying being outside, rather than dealing with my family drama in Sugar Valley. “Let’s talk in my office.”
Lindsay leads the way and takes a seat in front of my desk. She waits until I’m seated. “Horizon Solutions called this morning. They’ve included ten more employees on their trip.”
I scrub a hand down my face. “That’s double the group they’re supposed to have. We’re going to have to come up with ten more snowmobiles before then.”
She nods. “There’s more.”
“Hit me.”
“They want to camp overnight. Something about needing more time for their employees to really bond.”
I groan. “That’s gonna mean more tents, sleeping bags rated for temps that low, and another guide to help.”
“We could tell them they need to buy their own gear.”
“We’re going to have to. Most of them barely have experience hiking, much less camping.”
“At least they’re paying for the extra ten people.”
I could tell them we can’t do it, but these are the sorts of clients I need to put Evergreen Expeditions on the map. Especially now that I might have a kid on the way, I need to buckle down and really focus on making this business earn good money. The kind of money corporate trips make.
Problem is, I’m going to have to go into a bit of debt to get the snowmobiles and other gear we need for this corporate trip.
It’ll be worth it, though. Horizon Solutions has a long reach and they’ve promised they’re going to blast pictures and good reviews of Evergreen Expeditions on all their socials. I have to keep them happy no matter what it takes.
My phone vibrates and I glance at it to see a message from Blue with the subject line, Festival Planning Meeting. Shit, I don’t know when I’m going to fit that in.
“Boss.” Lindsay looks nervous, her cheeks pink, her eyes wide. “There’s more.”
I lean back in my chair, attempting to look nonthreatening, and put her at ease. “Shoot.”
“I’m giving you my two weeks’ notice.”
I sit bolt upright. No. This cannot be happening. “Whatever they’re offering you, I can…” Well, I can’t actually afford to pay her any more. “I can give you more shifts. We can talk about that summer program for kids you want to do.”
Her eyes go glassy and she sniffles. “It’s not you. It’s the park service. They’ve offered me a job. In Tennessee.”
Shit. She’s wanted to be a park ranger since she was like two years old, and her family is back East. I’ve got nothing to compete with that. I’m so screwed. “You know you’re the best guide on staff. We’re going to miss you.”
