Page 10 of Making New Plans

“Hey!” She smacked my arm playfully. “That one we watched a few weeks ago had some good parts, right?”

Sarah, Rose, and I chorused, “No!”

She rolled her eyes. “Amateurs. Well, don’t worry, I brought over a chick flick, a thriller, and a drama.”

After several minutes of arguing, bartering, cajoling, and threatening, we settled on the chick flick. One of those giant ensemble rom coms with short storylines, but I needed something light and fun.

We munched on our perfect pizzas, drank wine, and picked who we would like to kiss, marry, and kill. It got pretty heated. And was exactly what I needed.

But I couldn’t help thinking about which of the three categories Hunter Erickson fit into. Really only two options appealed. He had a mouth designed to kiss a woman into oblivion—the sensuous curves and full lips, not to mention the barely restrained intensity that shimmered around him. But I definitely couldn’t rule out any homicidal urges toward him either.

Hmm, choices, choices. Maybe I could kiss him then kill him so there were no witnesses? Kissing him probably wasn’t worth going to prison over. Good thing I would never, ever, possibly, maybe, find out.

4

Chloe

The next morning, I did what I did every morning: check my phone for any missed calls from the lodge. Since we didn’t have the budget for a night manager, I always left a sign on the front desk with my number for any guest with a problem. It was rare for them to call during the witching hours, but the few times they did were some of my least favorite experiences at the lodge. A husband thrown out of the room he was sharing with his wife after a fight they had involving the family poodle. And then another where a child had flushed the family’s toiletries and the mom desperately needed a plumber and new tampons.

A delightfully wicked thought entered my mind. Who better to take over night manager duties than my new intern who was already on the premises? I scribbled another note in the already-full planner I kept in my nightstand. Since I didn’t have any time to come up with a detailed training program for Hunter, all I had were notes that looked like a sugar-high toddler had scribbled them.

I flipped through my planner. Each section was labeled, filled with sticky tabs, and crammed with my handwriting. To be honest, I brought the thing with me shopping, socializing, and, to be really honest, the bathroom. My whole life in neon squares and bold ink.

Which was a lot currently. I had two families and a couple checking in today. I needed to hunt down Carter to fix our coffee machine. Then, later, I had a committee meeting to finish setting up the animal rescue event for Owen’s brother Louis. And at 7 a.m., in blood-red ink, I was supposed to meet with Hunter and start this whole gruesome training business. Which left me—I glanced at my alarm clock—96 minutes to get ready, drink a barrel of coffee, and give myself several pep talks on the walk over.

After a quick shower, I trotted downstairs to see Sarah already sitting at the breakfast counter eating cereal and reading what looked like a report from the Sugar Shack. She grunted a greeting at me, focused on her papers. I filled my soup bowl-sized coffee mug that Sarah had gotten me as a joke (joke was on her because I loved it) then ripped open a container of yogurt and ate standing up.

“Are you going to that meeting with the Event Planning Committee, Sarah?” I asked, alternating between coffee and strawberry yogurt.

She glanced up, her eyes refocusing on me as she took a sip of coffee. “Oh, that’s today? Shit, I guess so. I was going to help Carter with repainting his garage tonight, but we can reschedule.”

Sarah and Carter had been fierce friends since the last year of high school, when he’d moved to town. At first, they seemed to be falling for each other, but then something bad happened at prom. They had gone together, and Sarah was ecstatic. But then I lost track of her, and she showed up at my house later looking shell-shocked. She never told me what happened. Then we went to college, and Carter stayed behind in Tangled River—a situation that had never felt like a first choice for either of them. When we came back, they fell into being good friends again after a short period of awkwardness.

“Speaking of Carter,” I added, remembering another note in my planner. “I need him to fix the coffee machine at the lodge. I tried texting and calling him yesterday but no response.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Probably lost his phone somewhere in his tinker shop again. I’ll put a bug in his ear later, so you don’t have to make the trip.”

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

She smirked. “Only every time I give you coffee.”

“Well, I love you for a lot more than that.” I dug my planner out of my bag to make a small note next to Carter’s name. “But coffee first and foremost obviously.”

Sarah peered at my planner. “Did you ever think about not being on every single town committee?”

I held back a groan. It was an old argument. She knew about my parents and how pushy they were. Being the mayor’s daughter wasn’t easy. She also knew that I enjoyed these committee meetings. Well, most of them. When I was highly caffeinated.

“This event is special.” I shrugged. “Owen and Louis are really excited about it, and I ordered a bunch of Furry Family bumper stickers for them to pass out.”

“Uh-huh.” She pinned me with a stare. “Are you ready for today?”

“Yep. All good. I got this.” I closed my planner, not quite meeting her gaze.

“Hey,” she said sharply, making me meet her eyes. “You’ve been a boss lady there for a long time. Remember that. That lodge, the employees, and the guests need you, not him.”

I smiled, fidgeting with the strap of my bag. “I know, Sarah. But the way he gets under my skin. The way I get so agitated. What if I fail?”

Thoughts I couldn’t read flickered in Sarah’s eyes. “A lot of people have let you down in life, Chloe Higgins. Don’t let yourself be one of them. Don’t let him ruffle you. You’ve got this.”

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