“Emergency preparedness,” Tess said. “Yes, that was one idea I wanted to try at The Outpost. Not sure I’ll get the chance now.”
“Did Moody give you a timeline?” Alex asked.
“Couple of months.”
“So you still have to do the campouts all summer?” Juliet said.
Tess nodded. “It’s possible the new owner will keep me on, so I don’t want to piss anyone off. Plus, I get paid extra for those. And if I’m gonna be unemployed, I better start saving.”
The subject changed to Alex’s upcoming wedding, and they spent the rest of the meal debating cake flavors and wedding favors.
Tess drove home, mulling over her options. Starting her own business had always been the dream, but she’d put that on hold after landing The Outpost manager gig.
It sounded like she had the summer to figure things out. And the only thing Tess loved more than a challenge was crafting and organizing a plan to meet that challenge.
CHAPTER TWO
Logan
Logan Fox sat at his meticulously organized desk in the middle of his meticulously organized office. He lined his mouse pad up with his keyboard, glanced at his watch, and wondered how late his brother—and business partner—would be this time.
Working with family was a catch-22. He and Cooper got along great, but familiarity sometimes got in the way of professionalism, which Logan thrived on.
Bright morning sunshine beamed in from the giant floor-to-ceiling windows as the Houston skyline sprawled beneath him. The light bounced off the mahogany desk, revealing a thin layer of dust on his monitor. Before he could deal with it, a younger version of himself pushed open his office door.
“Mornin’, Bro,” Cooper greeted, breezing in only five minutes late. “How was your weekend?”
“Not great,” Logan said.
“Wasn’t Monique’s birthday on Saturday?”
Logan nodded. “And we broke up on Sunday.”
“Ouch.” Cooper chuckled. “She fail the mixtape test?”
Logan grunted.
“Maybe it’s time to come up with another method to decipher motives.”
“I’m open to suggestions.”
They’d had this conversation before. Logan dated a lot but was having a hard time finding a woman more interested in him than in his wallet. The Mixtape Test—which had turned into a mix CD Test—was Logan’s way of finding out a woman’s true feelings. Reactions varied from fake enthusiasm to disappointment to physical violence.
“At least Monique didn’t chuck it at me,” Logan quipped, rubbing the battle scar on his forehead from his previous girlfriend’s disgusted rejection. “Dating’s hard. You might have married the last honorable woman.”
“Hah,” Cooper said. “I just met Annie when I was broke. Made it easier to know she loved me for me. Shoulda got hitched before you got loaded.”
“Too late for that.” Logan and Cooper owned many properties, but their main gig was an outdoor supply store franchise called Wilderness World. And with over two hundred locations across the United States, they did very well for themselves.
“Yeah. Being Houston’s most eligible bachelor must be such a burden.”
“We all have our crosses to bear.”
Cooper laughed. “Indeed. Well, I came to work. Your heart broken? Or can we get to it?”
“Easy come, easy go.” Logan shrugged. “Whatcha got?”
Cooper handed him a folder and sat in the soft leather chair opposite him. Before he spoke, Logan’s assistant poked her head in.
