“That would be great, thanks.” She flashes him a grateful smile, and even though I know it’s nothing more than a friendly gesture, jealousy pinches at me.
I want all of her smiles for myself, even if that sounds utterly ridiculous. She works in hospitality. She’s going to smile at other people.
Rusty heads off in the direction of the dining hall, and Briggs mumbles something about checking on the horses before heading off in the direction of the barn, leaving Juniper and me alone.
She looks gorgeous today in her dark wash jeans and blue Forget Me Not Ranch T-shirt. Her hair is in a high ponytail, with little wispy bits framing her round face. I want to smooth the little wrinkle between her eyebrows away with my thumb and tell her not to stress about schedules and lists, but I know that would be insensitive. From what I’ve been reading, anxiety doesn’t care about logic, and she can’t always control what she gets anxious about.
Maybe I can help ease some of her worries by letting her talk through it.
“Walk me through what’s bothering you the most right now,” I say.
She lets out a long breath, clicking the pen in her hand three times before her shoulders slump. “If they were here on time, we would already be halfway through our registration and right on schedule for lunch, but since they’re not, we have to push lunch back, which means we have to push dinner back, which means we won’t have enough time to play games tonight before lights out—not that I think this group of white collar rich people will be into playing Doodle Duel Derby. Honestly, I’m stressed as fuck that they’re going to turn their noses up at everything we have planned, and that sounds judgy, but… I don’t know. I feel like this week is going to be difficult, and I kind of hope they don’t show up.”
“I think if they don’t want to play games, that’s their loss. Everything will be fine. They’re paying an exorbitant amount of money to be here, so it’s their problem if they want to waste it. I won’t tell you not to worry, but just know you’re not alone. I’m here to help however you need.”
Juniper blinks at me. “Thank you. That’s kind of you to say.”
She clearly doesn’t believe me, which makes me even more determined to prove her wrong.
Mr. Calhoun comes back to the porch with a pinch in his brow and a scowl on his face. “Add Mr. Dupont and the people on his team to the list of people who aren’t allowed to come back here,” he tells Juniper.
“What? Why? What happened?”
“Well, first of all, he didn’t answer. His secretary called to inform me that after thinking it through, Mr. Dupont and his team decided a ranch getaway ‘wasn’t their speed’ and they would be requiring a refund. I told her a refund wasn’t possible since they didn’t give us twenty-four hours’ notice. Hell, they didn’t give usanynotice. They just weren’t going to show up. Slimy bastards. His secretary said his lawyers would be in contact if we didn’t issue a refund, so we might not have a choice but to give it back. I don’t want a legal battle.”
“We haven’t spent any of it yet, so I’ll move it to a separate account. Should we be worried about backlash or review bombs? Or something worse?”
Mr. Calhoun shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t know what game they’re playing, but I don’t think they’ll do anything else. I’m sorry, Juniper. I feel awful that everyone worked so hard to prepare the ranch for nothing. Take it easy this week. Goout again on Friday if you want. We’ll have our kick-off barbecue on Sunday night and welcome the first real guests on Monday.”
“Okay, I’ll let everyone know. I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s not your fault, June-bug. Just remind me not to be so accommodating to demanding assholes in the future, yeah?”
Her pretty pink lips tip up into a small smile. “I can do that.”
“Good. I’m gonna go tell your mama the news. I know she was thinking about going to Vegas, and if she does, I might go with her.”
“Okay. Let me know what you decide.”
“Will do. See you around, Addison.”
I give him a nod, and he heads into the house.
Juniper groans, slumping down into her seat, her head tipping back. She looks so defeated, and I don’t know how to help her. A good ride always makes me feel better. Maybe that will help her.
“Come for a ride with me. I need another trail refresher.” That’s a lie. I know the trails, and she’s probably more than aware of that. I don’t know why the thought of going on a ride with her appeals to me, but I’m dying for her to say yes.
“I should stay here and get the paperwork done.”
But it’s not a no.
“You heard the boss. Take it easy. Everything is ready to go for next week. We can go around and update everyone on the situation, then take the horses for a ride since they won’t be getting one this week.”
Conflict flashes across her face. Is she hesitating because she doesn’t want to leave the ranch? Does she truly have that much paperwork to do? Or is she wary of spending one-on-one time with me?
She looks at her clipboard again, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she considers my offer. Finally, she nods. “Okay, let’s ride.”
After we made our rounds and told everyone that we wouldn’t have guests this week, Oakley and Landry supplied us with some sandwiches for our ride. Juniper goes to her place to change into well-worn jeans that look tailor-made to hug her deliciously thick thighs and a T-shirt that appears to have seen better days. She slathers herself with sunscreen and drops the bottle into a backpack.
