More laughing.
The dick.
“Connor…”
“Okay, okay. I get it. You don’t want to scare the poor girl. All kidding aside, I think it was rude as hell for her to leave us hanging, but she deserves to feel safe. So…put her on the phone.”
Axel hesitated for a moment, but when he looked at Maisie, he asked, “Do you want to talk to him like this or should I put him on video?”
“Video. Please,” she said quietly.
“Con? I’m switching over to video, okay?”
“Sure! Let’s do this!”
And while he switched it over, he silently prayed he wasn’t making a huge mistake.
Maisie took the phone from him and watched as a very handsome—and somewhat familiar—face appeared on the screen. She did her best to keep her expression neutral, but it was obvious that he didn’t know her.
“Hey, Ms. Quinn,” he began with an easy smile. “Sorry to hear that you’re stuck at the resort to ride out the storm.”
She fidgeted with her wet hair and knew she must look like a drowned rat. Forcing a smile, she replied, “I’m just thankful to have shelter. I drive an old truck that was giving me some issues—which is why I missed our appointment—and I fear I would have been stuck on the side of that winding road that leads to the resort right about now.”
“Then I’m really glad you made it because I was just telling Axel that there’s been reports of some downed trees along that road. Your truck could’ve been hit by one,” he said solemnly. “So really, it’s a good thing you were able to make it up to the lodge.”
Nodding, she swallowed hard. “Exactly.”
“I know it’s shelter from the storm and all that,” he went on, “but you are safe with Axel. He’s one of the best guys I know, and I don’t know if you’re local to Harbortown, but if you are, you can call anyone in town and ask about him. He’s as good as they get. With any luck, the storm will pass in a few hours and you’ll be on your way, but in the meantime, you don’t have a thing to worry about. You have my word.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
It would have sounded more believable if her voice wasn’t shaking, but she was choosing to believe that was because she was cold and her clothes were soaking wet.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t any proper furniture in the lodge yet. That’s why we were talking to decorators. But there’s enough that you can be comfortable while you’re there. And there’s plenty of food, so help yourself. Just know that Axel’s not a great cook,” he added with a wink. “Do you have any questions for me?”
Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “I’d really still like to interview for the job. I know it looks bad that I was late, but I had a legitimate reason. And Axel’s seen my truck. He would probably agree that it’s seen better days.”
She glanced over at him, and he didn’t look pleased that she was asking about the job.
“That’s got to be Axel’s call,” Connor told her. “I’m not there, and I’m not going to be back for several days. If he’s willing to go through with the interview, then I’ll back him up. But we had other applicants who were on time and presented some solid plans to us.”
“Oh.”
Before she knew it, Axel was gently taking the phone from her hands. “Thanks, Con. We need to go and get warmed up. We’re both soaked to the skin. I went down to the old storage room and grabbed robes and towels and stuff, but Maisie’s shaking like a leaf, so…”
“Got it. Stay safe, and I’ll call you when I know I’ll be driving back. Just know it probably won’t be until Tuesday since I’m losing so much time with the drive.”
“No worries. If things are as bad as you’re saying from the storm, I have a feeling we’ll be in cleanup mode when the crews get back on Monday. You won’t be missing anything important.”
“Alright. Well, again, stay safe, and good luck!”
Axel hung up and looked at her. “You okay?”
No. No, she wasn’t. Right now, she was freaking out inside. She was trapped in a semi-deserted resort with a strange man, her life was literally hinging on getting this job, and she just knew Axel was looking at her like she was a damn mess and not someone he wanted to see decorating his resort.
Dammit.
She nodded. “Just c-cold.” Her teeth were literally chattering.
