“Sounds weighty.”
“The weightiest of weighty.”
“Go for it.”
“Okay, here goes... Would you have kissed me if I still had my beard?”
“I’m not sure I could’ve located your lips.”
His laugher filled the forest.
Chapter 23
Present day
Her time with Jonah at the trapper’s cabin earlier had left Lauren shaken. She was beginning to understand how she’d become so sidetracked this summer. He was charming and appealing in all the ways that mattered. She’d taken a misguided step, and before she knew it she was sliding down a slippery slope.
Upon her return to the resort, she poured herself into work. The guests had checked out, leaving the cabins vacant until the weekend guests arrived later today. She double-checked the cabins after the cleaners left and found that firewood needed restocking as well as other odds and ends that kept her on the move. Also, the same storm that had stranded Jonah and her at the shack had strewn debris all over the grounds. She gathered branches and twigs and hauled them to the burn pile. Then she swept the decks of the vacant cabins.
It was late afternoon by the time she finished. She’d missed lunch, so she returned to her cabin with Graham. After filling his dish with fresh water, she fixed herself a sandwich, her future job with Glitter heavy on her mind.
She hadn’t checked in with Olivia since her accident. And who knew when she’d last called the CEO prior to her concussion? She checked her watch. Friday afternoon wasn’t the ideal time to call a woman in charge of an event-planning organization.
But Lauren needed this. She needed a reminder of her dream. Needed to stay focused on her goals—and not on her all-too-appealing boss. She’d already been close to giving up everything for him once. She wouldn’t be so foolish this time around.
She wolfed down her sandwich, eager to speak with Olivia again, then tapped on the woman’s name in her Contacts. Her personal assistant, Shayla, answered the phone and notified Lauren that Olivia was in a meeting but that she’d have Olivia return her call.
“Tell her there’s no hurry,” Lauren said. “I’m just checking in.”
“Will do.”
Lauren ended the call and gave Graham some affection. She probably wouldn’t hear from the woman until next week. “Well, that’s a start, I guess. Let’s go clean off the deck, huh, boy?”
She grabbed the broom and headed outside with Graham. The mums in her window boxes were bright and happy from the rainfall. She swept the debris from her deck and furniture and decided the chairs needed a good cleaning too. She was almost done with the task when her phone vibrated in her pocket.
It was Olivia. That the CEO was returning her call so quickly made Lauren a little heady. Like maybe she was anticipating Lauren’s upcoming employment as much as Lauren was.
She answered the call. “Olivia, hello. How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. How are you?”
“Doing well.” She wouldn’t go into her accident/concussion. The whole traumatic-brain-injury thing was not a good look for a future employee. “The weeks are passing quickly. The job here at the resort is going very well—I think the Landrys are pleased—and I’m certainly learning a lot.”
“Well... I’m glad to hear it.” There was almost a question in her reply, as if she was uncertain why Lauren might be calling.
Maybe Lauren had reached out to Olivia shortly before her accident and it was too soon to call again. “Well, I don’t want to keep you. I knowyou’re busy. I just wanted to check in. January will be here before we know it.”
A long pause followed. So long, Lauren feared she’d lost connection. “Olivia? Are you still there?”
“Um... yes, I’m here.”
“As you can imagine, the signal out here isn’t the best. You can drop a call right in the middle of town even.”
“I’m afraid I’m a little confused, Lauren. When we spoke last...”
Trepidation niggled at the back of her neck. She wished she could remember that conversation. “Yes?”
“Lauren... I’m not sure why you’re checking in with me at all since you passed on the job.”
