Page 37 of Making New Plans

A thought occurred to me. “You three own your own businesses.”

Sarah snorted. “You’re realizing this now?”

I paused, letting Gina work some amazing fruity shampoo into my hair. “I guess I just never saw myself as the odd woman out. I manage a business, but you guys own yours. You’re the head boss, reporting to no one.”

Rose’s soft voice barely filtered through the gushing water. “What’s this about, Chloe?”

My chest tightened. “Nothing. Just thinking through some things is all. About what I want.”

Uncharacteristic silence reigned, but I refused to open my eyes. A question bubbled from my lips. “Were you all scared when you did it? Opened your own businesses?”

At once, the three of them chimed in agreement, talking over each other.

“Hell, yeah! I’d never been—”

“—puking the entire night before—”

“—thought I’d fail for sure—”

I waved my hand blindly to stop the chattering. “Was it worth it?”

A beat of silence. Then three confident yeses.

But it didn’t make me feel much better. If anything, I felt left behind. What did my future hold? I loved my profession, and I wanted to make Pine Grove Lodge a go-to tourist destination. But—damn him—a part of me hoped for a fuller life. Like the life I lived now was a picture of a picture. Close, but not the real thing.

“What brought this on?” Rose asked gently.

“No one. I mean, nothing.” Whoops.

“Yeah, Chloe, why are you here in the middle of the day? Shouldn’t you be at the lodge helping out with post-flood stuff?” Sarah’s voice had a definite grin to it.

Gina carried on. “With your hunky shadow, right? Is he at the lodge right now?”

I said nothing. She could waterboard me in this sink for all I cared. The girls switched tactics and started talking to each other.

“She was awfully flustered when she came in, did you notice?” Gina mused.

Sarah hummed in agreement. “Yep. Haven’t seen her that hot and bothered since we went to see that stripper movie.”

“This may be worse. I swear a little drool dripped from her mouth,” Gina added.

Sarah guffawed. “Gee, I wonder what may have caused that. You think she saw something or someone that affected her more than a handful of hot strippers in thongs?”

Gina chuckled. “Maybe like an uber-hot guy doing uber-hot guy things to her lodge?”

“You two, leave her alone! Look, she’s turning red.” A smothered giggle ruined Rose’s defense of me.

“Enough!” I cried then opened my burning eyes to see them smiling at me. While Gina blotted away the water, I threw up my hands.

“I couldn’t take it anymore, okay? He was in there, you know, shirtless and sweaty and stuff. And he kept staring. And it’s so unfair after he messed with my head so much.” I launched to my feet and flapped my arms in exasperation, looking like a drowned bat in my barber cape. “I can’t think straight! I don’t know whether to fight with him or—” The heat in my cheeks could probably evaporate the rest of the water from my face.

My three so-called friends gaped at me. Then they shrieked, “Or what?!”

Before I could react, Gina’s eyes widened at something behind me. “Crap, is that him?”

Gasping, I whirled around in time to see Hunter walking past, the rescue puppy Arwen at his side. His head turned almost in slow motion to look through the window, so, of course, I dove under Gina’s table as if sheltering from a tornado.

Gina gave me a pitying look. “Oh, honey. He definitely saw you.”

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