Page 6 of Ms. Fortune
I greeted the cute couple from the deck last night and told them to help themselves. I wanted to ask if they’d noticed anything strange before making a run from the rain. The husband had had his camera pointed into the valley during the electrical storm. I wondered if there was even the slightest chance he’d captured something. I didn’t get the chance because, a moment later, the angry woman who had shut the door in my face, and her frustrated-looking companion, appeared and demanded I check them out early and refund their full stay.
A few more guests started to wander in, saying that everything smelled good while casting curious eyes at the angry couple. I ushered the disgruntled visitors toward the small alcove that operated as a front desk. I didn’t want their negativity to impact the people who were looking for a nice breakfast and hadn’t been bothered by the short power outage.
The woman kept grumbling about how this was the worst vacation she’d ever been on and how awful the accommodation was. She ranted about the quality of the room and bemoaned that there wasn’t twenty-four-hour room service. She insisted they’d been scammed and the website was misleading. The guy with her just shook his head apologetically and gave me a helpless look.
I plastered a pleasant smile on my face and sent a text to Risky, asking him to come and help the guests load up their car. I’d sent Dex—my teenage neighbor—home after the storm and told him to take the day off since he had been stuck at the lodge so late.
I scrolled through their reservation and lifted an eyebrow. “I’m happy to cancel the rest of your stay and remove last night’s charges from your bill. The power outage was an inconvenience for everyone, and I sincerely apologize. However”—I met the woman’s furious gaze with a placid one of my own—“there wasnothing wrong with the other three days you stayed with us. I won’t be able to refund those without cause.”
The woman stomped her foot and practically leaned over the counter. “No way! The room was filthy. The food was awful. There was nothing to do here other than be outside and look at the scenery. This is the worst establishment I’ve ever seen, and I’ve traveled the world.”
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
I turned my head and watched Risky come through the front door. He made his way over to stand next to me, his odd-colored eyes locked on the noisy woman. All it took was a single look, and the woman across from me went from rabid dog to docile puppy. The man she was with pulled her back toward him and audibly gulped.
There was no denying my not-so-handy-man had a certain presence about him. If I hadn’t known exactly how inept he was, I might have been as intimidated as the rest when he turned that pointed gaze on me as well.
“I’m personally taking care of housekeeping and food and beverage at the moment. I know for a fact that your room was spotless and that you only ate breakfast with us here at the lodge the last couple of days. You went into town for most of your meals. If the food sucked elsewhere, that’s not my problem.”
I tapped on the screen of the computer and let my smile turn sharp. “It says here the credit card used to book the room belongs to you, sir. Do you want to argue the refunds I’ve offered, or do you think they’re reasonable?”
“I, uh …” The man gulped again, his eyes fixed on Risky, who crossed his arms and copied the angry woman’s combative stance. “No. Refunding yesterday and the rest of our stay is fine. Thank you.”
“Jeremy! What are you doing?! We need to get all our money back.” The woman shifted her ire to her partner. “I told you Iwanted to stay in that cute little town. I don’t know why you booked this stupid place.”
The man finally lost a bit of his temper and snapped, “You told me you wanted to stay in the mountains and have anauthentic experiencebecause that’s what your followers wanted.This place has rave reviews and is LITERALLY on a mountainside. If you wanted to stay in the city and pretend to visit the mountains, that’s what you should’ve said, Amber.”
I printed out a receipt for him to sign while they continued to argue. The woman left with the retort that she was going to leave the worst review she could think of on as many sites as she could find. Her words trailed off when Risky shifted his weight and silently urged them to move forward.
I chuckled as she swallowed her word mid-tirade and allowed herself to be herded out the door. I left notes in their reservation to never rebook them, and to expect a chargeback from the credit card company. Having disgruntled guests was nothing new. I remembered my grandmother doing her best to placate people for years, even allowing them to berate her for the weather conditions—like she’d had control of the snowfall year to year. My grandfather had preferred to keep a low profile. But just like Risky had done today, he never hesitated to move troublesome people along if they didn’t get the hint.
Everything about this lodge held cherished memories from my childhood. I would never let any outsider ruin that. A grumpy guest was part of the job and part of building my legacy here.
I checked on the guests still eating breakfast and refilled any items that were running low and needed refreshing. I offered the adventurous couple advice about nearby hiking and helped an older couple with directions to the nearest mountain that offered gondola rides to the top.
By the time I got back to the kitchen, Banner had put the baby to sleep and started to help with the pile of dishes I’d left in the sink. I hugged her neck and kissed her cheek in gratitude.
Banner finally laughed, even though it sounded forced and weak. I shoved my hands in the soapy water in the sink and grabbed the closest plate to scrub.
We tackled the chore in silence until Banner quietly asked, “Have you ever been in love?”
I stilled and shot her a surprised look out of the corner of my eye. “Why do you ask?”
“You said the heart tends to make you blind when you love someone. It sounded like you were speaking from experience. You never talk about what happened after you left for school. It’s like your life is a total blank from when you left Blue River until you returned.”
I paused, and my spine involuntarily stiffened. Like everyone, there were parts of my past I wasn’t proud of and definitely didn’t want to relive, regardless of how close Banner and I were. “Love is a word that gives me hives when I think about it.” I gave myself a shake to loosen the tension that had coiled around my whole body. “I’ve always tried to avoid it.”
Banner gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. “Seriously?”
I nudged her with my elbow and told her I would finish cleaning up. “My parents’ relationship madelovesomething toxic and terrifying. I’ve always thought I would end up the same way if I fell for someone seriously since I’m a product of their obsession.” I convinced myself it was better for me to stay unattached and remain alone.
“But your grandparents had a lovely relationship. You spent more time with them than your mom and dad. Why do you assume you’ll end up like them instead of the couple who raised you and taught you everything you know?”
I shrugged and pulled the drain on the sink. “My grandparents feel like the exception, not the rule.” I gave her an explanation she would understand since she’d known me forever. “Plus, you know my luck.” I didn’t tell her I already knew how wrong things would go if I allowed even a hint of romance into my life.
“Don’t you worry that you’ll end up alone?” Banner pressed her hands to her cheeks. Her fingers were shaking, and there were fresh tears in her eyes. Whatever she’d used to pull herself together today was unraveling.
She had enough of her own emotional trauma. There was absolutely no need to delve into mine.
