Page 28 of No Such Thing as Serendipity
As we climbed the stairs, which were constructed from the same logs as the building, Emma elbowed me. “You could have at least spoken to her.”
“Huh?” I’d been so focused on checking out the peeling paint and rotting wood on the railings that I hadn’t heard what she’d said.
“The woman. You could have said something to her.” Emma leaned toward me. “She’s kinda cute.”
Cute?I glanced over my shoulder and watched as she shut the passenger door and walked around to the driver’s side. She wore a simple pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt that hugged her slight frame. Her long brown hair was windblown, giving her an outdoorsy look. The color on her cheeks and nose also spoke of time outside.
I waited for her to close the van door before I said, “Kinda old, don’t you think?”
“Old?” Emma crinkled her nose. “She might be three or four years older than you.”
“See? Old.”
“You’re impossible. Just because the women you date are barely out of high school doesn’t mean a woman your age can’t be attractive.”
I didn’t think her exaggeration deserved a response, so I didn’t give her one.
We’d reached the door to the lodge, but Emma made no move to open it since she was busy giving me a disapproving look.
“I didn’t think you brought me here for a hookup.” Not that I was opposed to a vacation rendezvous, but not with that woman. I glanced at the van that was bouncing down the path toward the exit. I supposed she was attractive enough, in a girl-next-door kind of way, but I couldn’t see her on my arm at a formal event.
Fuck.I wasn’t planning on finding anyone here to incorporate into my real life. All I wanted was relaxation and sister time. Then I’d be refreshed and ready to throw myself into furthering my career. Although, I’d be down for a little tension release since it’d been a while.
Emma still hadn’t spoken as she continued to study me. “What?” I asked, getting frustrated by her silence.
She opened her mouth to speak but then shook her head.
“What?”
“Nothing. Let’s just go inside.”
I grabbed her arm before she could open the door. “Just tell me.”
“This is our first day,” she said without elaborating.
Was I supposed to understand? By her expression, I was. I nodded, deciding to go along with her. “Yeah, you’re right.” I had no clue what she was right about, but it seemed to appease her.
She pushed the screen door to enter but stopped when her fingers poked through the mesh. Once she extracted her thumb and forefinger, she tried to smooth the mesh over the hole.
“Don’t worry about that,” the white-haired woman behind the counter said. “I’ve been having problems with that darned door.”
“Wow, this place is beautiful,” Emma said, staring up at the high ceiling.
I glanced at the scuffed hardwood floor that bordered on gray, which wasn’t as beautiful as the honey-colored ceiling. The yellow stained walls needed a coat of paint or three, but I wouldn’t ruin Emma’s joy.
Emma grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the front desk. “Hello!” Emma called as she dragged me along. When we reached the rough wood counter, she said, “I’m Emma, and this is my sister, Blake.”
The woman glanced at a spreadsheet on her desk. “Emma Fulton and Blake Saunders?”
“That’s us,” Emma responded.
“Perfect.” The woman gave us a warm smile. “And my name’s Vera Voss.”
“Oh.” Emma put her hands together against her chest. “You own Blissful Breeze.”
“That I do. Been here since the late eighties.”
I glanced at the furniture, which appeared to have been around for as long as Vera. It was another thing I needed to keep to myself.
