Page 25 of Wild in the Woods
Screw him. He’d been messing with her one way or another since she’d broken things off. The only reason she tolerated it was because they had to work together. Finding a new job was always in the back of her mind but her dad had been so supportive when she landed this one, that she was hesitant to quit. Besides, her parents were miffed that she refused to take Rudd back. Her father was happy with Rudd’s apology. Her mother said all men make mistakes. Her sister was too busy to have an opinion on Lulu’s love life.
Oh, that’s right. Her sibling with the amazing career, and spouse, and stuff.
Taking out her phone again, she opened her vlog channel and smiled whimsically. She’d spotted a few boutiques downtown yesterday. She could do a boutique tour for her channel and pick out the most stylish clothes at each. Her viewers would love to see what high fashion she might find in this mountain town— if they were still around to watch. Her subscriber number hadn’t dropped by much but that didn’t mean people were waiting around for her to drop new content. She wasn’t relevant anymore.
She closed out the tab and put her phone away.
“Can I get you anything else, sweetheart?”
The female voice caught Lulu’s attention. The woman behind the bar sported the same burgundy vest and white shirt the other bartender had been wearing. She was very attractive, maybe late forties, full figured with silver-blonde hair that hung to her waist and large, expressive brown eyes. Something about her was strikingly familiar.
Her skin was glowing and so supple that Lulu couldn’t help gawking. “What do you use on your skin? It’s amazing! Retinol, some kind of custom formula?”
The woman laughed and pressed a hand to her chest. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Lulu gushed. “You’re stunning.”
The bartender gave a conspiratorial bump of her eyebrows and leaned in so she could whisper in Lulu’s ear.
“Vaseline. I rub a good amount all over my face before I go to sleep. It’s a bit sticky but it does the trick.”
Lulu gave her a, ‘you’re kidding’ look and glanced at her name tag before leaning back on her stool.
Her heart flipped.
The woman’s name tag said, Bunny.
No way. Fox had been serious about his mother’s name? That explained why she looked familiar. It was her beautiful, soulful eyes, the ones she’d passed to her son.
“You’re young enough that you don’t have to worry about wrinkles and age spots,” Bunny said wistfully. “I wasted my youth, took it for granted. But you… you look like a professional young lady who’s got her life together. What do you do for a living?”
“Oh, I –” People tended to be put off when they found out she was a reporter. There was a misconception that she was always digging for a story, and it prevented people from being candid with her. Bunny was Fox’s mother. He’d likely tell her about the magazine, and Lulu didn’t want her to feel as if she’d been used or misled.
“I work for a magazine.”
“A fashion magazine, right?”
Bunny filled a glass of ice water, attached a lemon wedge to the rim and set it in front of Lulu. “You’re so stylish and chic, I just assumed. I bed you could really help me put some professional outfits together. Need them for college. Can you believe I’m going to college for the first time at my age?”
The woman’s warmth and friendly tone put Lulu at instant ease. It was like talking to an old friend.
“What are you studying?”
“I’m getting a certificate as a tax preparer.” She smiled lovingly. “I never had the chance when I was younger. My boys said it was my time, now that they’re grown. And they split the cost of the tuition and paid my way for me. I can’t let them down, can I?”
Oh, that was so sweet! She melted a little inside.
“You won’t. I have a feeling your boys will love you even if you decide accounting isn’t for you.”
Bunny winked. “You’re right.”
Lulu slid the glass closer and picked it up for a drink. Fox had paid for his mom to go to college?
He was the captain of a volunteer search and rescue organization, and he offered free outdoor
survival classes to kids?
Who was this man?
