Page 10 of Roughing It

“Zara asked me if I had availability. My grandparents are in town,” he finishes.

My heart sinks a little because I really don’t want to lose more staff, but I’m definitely not going to beg any of them to willingly risk getting trapped in a storm. “I underst—”

“So I told her hell yes.”

My mouth pulls down, and I roll my eyes. “Very funny.”

He grins, and it’s nice because it took so long for him to feel comfortable treating the staff like they were more than just people he was forced to clock in and out with. And it had taken twoyearsfor him to feel comfortable enough teasing me.

“Trust me, I’d rather be trapped in a cave than stuck with them all weekend,” he adds. “Last time, my grandma tried to set me up with this woman who was pushing forty.”

I try not to grimace and feel like an old man. It’s not Phoenix’s fault that he’s barely twenty-one and practically a fetus. “Well, you know you’re welcome to hang here as long as you need. Zara get you a key for your room?”

He nods and taps his pocket. “I’m all set.”

Just then, the kitten pops up again, and Phoenix makes a small noise of surprise. “Oh my god, is that a…”

“Yes,” I say with a sigh. “Found her in the barn. Last one of the most recent litter, I guess. I’m going to keep her until this storm passes.” I say this mostly for myself because damn it, I cannot have a kitten. No matter how cute it looks as it puts its paws on the edge of my pocket and peers around.

Phoenix looks at it with wide eyes like those stupid anime cartoons he loves so much. “Girl or boy?”

I hardly think it matters, but I also didn’t go poking around down there, so I shrug. “It’s a calico, so it’s probably a girl. Anyway, do me a favor and do a staff roundup in the next ten minutes. Find out who’s staying and going and have Zara text me a personal supply list. I’m leaving in about half an hour.”

Phoenix gives me a salute, then reaches out to scratch the kitten under the chin. She immediately starts to vibrate with purrs, and I take a step back because I can’t allow any more cuteness.

“See you,” Phoenix says, then hurries off.

I make my way down the hall, through the little wind tunnel that connects the staff lodging to the main building, and then up the stairs. The elevator is usually fine, but things always seem to get stuck when I need them to work most, and I don’t have time for that. I’m not quite winded as I get to the third floor, but the way my heart is pounding tells me I probably should have been spending more evenings hiking instead of sitting on the kitchen bench and testing René’s dessert creations.

I don’t really have regrets, but it is a reminder that I’m getting older and my body is starting to require more upkeep every year.

There’s definitely going to come a point where my flecks of gray hair at my temples make me look ancient instead of distinguished. Forty-one is just a tough age when you’ve had one single failed relationship and no real explanation when dates ask, “So, why are you single?”

It’s not exactly a turn-on when I say that I abandoned a filthy-rich lifestyle to become a mountain man. Oh, I also have a brain injury from being in the military,andI have more than a little social anxiety, so being in public can turn me into a stammering mess.

Wanna hook up?

Rolling my eyes at myself, I step into my apartment and quickly set the kitten down on the floor. It’s surprisingly brave and immediately begins to scamper and sniff around. I have no doubt I’m gonna be scrubbing cat piss out of my rug later on, but I can deal with that. For now, I’ve got canned tuna and a little bowl for water small enough that it probably won’t drown itself.

She follows me to the kitchen, and I kind of hope she stays there because the tiles are easy to clean.

As I open the tuna, I glance out the front window of my living room, and I can see the clouds off in the distance. They’re puffy and pale gray, just a precursor to what’s behind them. We’ll get rained on tonight, but it’ll be a light sprinkle compared to what’s coming, and it means I still have time to finish all the prep.

Glancing down, I see the little kitten giving me one of those wide-eyed plaintive looks, and I scowl. I have no time to get all up in my feelings about a cat.

It nudges my shin.

Damn it.

I mash the tuna in the bowl, then fill another one with water, setting them down in the far corner near the fridge. The kitten goes and begins to eat with tiny grunting noises that I can barely make out. The thing must have been starving.

Turning away so I don’t do something stupid like put her back in my pocket and take her with me, I head into the living room for my coat. My keys are in the pocket, and I curl my fingers around them as I hurry out the door and lock up so no one wanders in and lets the cat out.

Everyone’s busy with the tasks they’ve been given to prep for the storm, so I quickly head down to the massive carport that had once been a grain silo, where my truck is waiting. It starts with a heavy rumble, and I pull onto the driveway, my tires gripping the muddy ground and sliding just a little before I get traction.

There’s hardly any traffic on the road, which means I get to the general store without delay, and I breathe out a sigh of relief. I pull into my usual spot and glance over at a Range Rover parked at the far end. It definitely looks way too high-end for anyone living around here, and a small part of me panics. It’s probably one of the lodge guests, or…

Hell.

---