Page 13 of Making New Plans

Growling, I shut off the water and toweled dry. Even if she were attracted to me, she didn’t want to be. She’d made it pretty clear that she didn’t want me here and didn’t care for my plan.

But if I didn’t take what I wanted from life, no one was going to hand it to me.

I got dressed quickly, checking my phone for the time. Damn, I had three minutes and two text messages. I opened the messages, skimming the one from my cleaning lady back home. She’d agreed to send me more clothes. I read the one from my boss more carefully.

Gunderson: Your requested time off is approved as long as the Smithson project is wrapped up. Enjoy your vacation.

I blinked and read it again. That was it? No questions, no arguments? I wasn’t top dog at the firm, but I was one of the leading partners and had significant contributions in several projects. Before boarding my flight here, I’d sent over the designs for the Smithson project that I’d been working on for months. A perfunctory “thanks” was the only response I’d gotten. And now this. They probably figured it’d be easy enough to have one of the junior partners step in for me. Probably Evans. Grade-A ass-kisser. Whatever.

I tapped out a confirmation that the Smithson project was good to go and nearly cracked the screen hitting the send button. Noticing it was now two minutes past seven, I slipped my phone into my pocket and left the room.

Chloe looked up from the front desk as I tramped down the stairs as if she could sense my foul mood. I halted in front of the desk, my arms crossed over my chest, daring her to continue our conversation from the beach. My boss had left me in the mood to set somebody, anybody, straight.

Instead, she heaved a sigh and continued reading the guest ledger, like I was a problem she dreaded dealing with. For some reason, that pricked me harder than her anger.

“So, what first, Chloe? Training videos? Reading documentation? Ah, I know, scrubbing the toilets as a hazing ritual?”

Her eyes darted upward, and she tapped her lips as if seriously considering it. “You know, I was going to force you to inventory every single roll of toilet paper in the lodge, but now that you mention scrubbing toilets, you might as well do both at once.”

Then she almost blinded me with a sunny smile. My arms dropped of their own accord, and I couldn’t help leaning forward as if basking in the rays of her smile. Words deserted me. My perpetual glare must’ve still been etched on my face because her smile wilted. My gaze lingered on where it had been.

“Obviously, I’m kidding,” she said, flipping through the pages of the ledger. “You’ll be helping me with checkouts and room checklists this morning. Come around to this side and try not to scare off the guests.”

Dark clouds shifted over my mood once more, but I did as she commanded. Except I wasn’t sure how not to scare off the guests. My expression was my expression. Any time I tried to fake a different one, I looked constipated, which was definitely worse than scary in my opinion.

She fidgeted with her guest book and mounds of sticky notes while I stood behind her. Waiting, waiting… This was ridiculous. She wanted me to stand here all day watching her work? I opened my mouth to question her when a middle-aged couple bumbled down the stairs with their luggage. Chloe’s audible sigh of relief made me scowl harder.

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Heffler! How was your stay?” she chirped.

I winced.

“Oh, lovely, dear. As always.” Mrs. Heffler rested her large purse on the front desk. “Tell Mable her breakfast scones were especially delicious this morning.”

“I certainly will.” Chloe assembled their checkout documents and a pen while Mr. Heffler came up behind his wife and nuzzled her neck.

“Oh, Thomas, stop it!” Mrs. Heffler swatted at her husband, her cheeks pink.

I almost threw up in my mouth.

But Chloe positively beamed at them. “Did you two have a nice bonfire out at the beach last night?”

Mr. Heffler nodded vehemently. “Yes, yes. Thank you so much for setting that up for us. It was a bit chilly, but you were right about the fire keeping us warm. Well, it wasn’t the only thing keeping us warm.”

My mouth dropped open as they giggled at each other like two teenagers. So not only had Chloe not been kidding about what people did on that beach, she was pimping it out to them?

The two Viagra poster children signed their paperwork and left with cheery waves and promises to return soon.

A thick silence blanketed us the moment they left. Chloe jotted a few notes in the ledger, then on a sticky note, then in a monstrously full planner.

“Should I be taking notes as well?” I asked, my voice dripping sarcasm. “Lesson number one learned: Find ways for guests to get it on, and they’ll surely come back.”

“Actually,” she said, finishing off another sticky note with a flourish before facing me. “Lesson number one is: Make sure each and every guest has their own magical experience. Each guest wants something slightly different. I find out what and make it happen so that they leave a little less stressed and a lot more willing to come back.”

She stood up, ripped the pink sticky note off the pad, and slapped it onto my chest. “Here’s your first training document. Maybe I’ll even make up a video for you after your hazing ritual.”

My chest felt like a drum my heart was beating against, pounding in my ears. I reached up and grabbed the note, never taking my eyes off her. She was making fun of me. I knew that. But why was it turning me on? I should be pissed. I should berate her for her lack of professionalism, like I would any of the junior partners at the firm. But I only wanted to taste that sassy mouth of hers.

Her phone buzzed, drawing those wicked blue eyes off me. I glanced at the note, which read word for word what she’d just told me. Soundlessly folding the note, I slipped it into my pocket without her noticing.

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