“Oh, another one! You guys have been coming in all day.” She picks up a clipboard. “What’s your name?”
“Mira Maxwell.”
She eyes the sheet skeptically, and turns to grab one of the plastic keychains hanging on wooden dowels behind her head.
“You’ll be in room seven,” she says, handing me my key. “Each room has its own patio, but since yours is on the first floor, we highly suggest locking your door after every entry and exit.”
“Stragglers?” I joke, having watched too many true-crime documentaries.
“Bears,” she corrects. “With the heatwave they’ve been exploring a little bit further than usual. We can normally shoo them off before they make it to camp, but it’s always good to be vigilant.”
I mentally addCheck for bearsto my nightly routine.
“You’ll be in the Big Barn, which is about a half a mile down the ranch,” she continues, handing me a brochure and a map. “It has its own separate parking lot, so feel free to drive down.”
“I don’t have a car,” I say, a reality that’s continually biting me in the ass.
“Oh,” she replies, biting her cheek. “Do you have a lot of luggage? We do have a golf cart, but I’ll have to radio one of the guides to get it.”
“Just the two bags,” I say, shuffling the weight of my backpack on my shoulders, a weight that feels ten times heavier as I think about carrying it a half mile.
She presses a button on her walkie-talkie, speaking through the static. “Bo, I have a guest here who needs to go to the Big Barn. You got time? Over.”
“Negative on that. On a search and rescue for a missing cell phone. ETA forty-five minutes.”
She gives me a sympathetic glance before one of the screaming children knocks over a rack of plastic license plates.
“It’s fine,” I assure her, backing out towards the exit. “Gotta get my steps in.”
“Well, if you need anything, give us a holler,” she says cheerily, already bending down to pick up the mess on the floor.
I snag a brochure for the property on my way out, flipping past all the expected upgrades in the coming years to examine the map. The Big Barn isn’t that far, barely longer than my daily walk around my neighborhood, but as I take a step forward the wheels of my luggage catch on one of the many minuscule rocks embedded into the dirt path and I regret not waiting for the golf cart.
I’ve only made it a few feet, dragging the suitcase behind me, when Derrick jogs over from across the lawn.
“You need some help?”
By the size of his biceps, I’m certain Derrick could carry me and my luggage effortlessly across the entire property but asking for help is a short circuit in my customer-service-oriented brain. I’m not the one to have problems, I’m the one who solves them. But as I stare at the path ahead, the sun blazing down on top of me, I give in.
“Would I be an asshole if I said yes?”
“Absolutely not,” he says, reaching for my suitcase. The sweet scent of liquor is pungent on his breath as he closes the distance between us. I’m instantly aware of how big he is as I crane my neck to make eye contact.
“Actually,” I say, removing the camera bag from my back. “If you could carry this, I can manage the rest.”
Considering I only packed four outfits and my toiletries, my luggage is significantly lighter than the gear on my back.
“Why don’t I carry both?” he offers, hoisting the bag over one shoulder.
The maneuver is effortless, and I wonder how easily he could toss me over those shoulders. Not that I would ever consider allowing him to do that. After the disastrous night with Hudson, any romantic interests, even casual ones, are off the table for the foreseeable future. Or at least until I’m more confident in my judgment. With my current track record, Derrick is probably a serial killer—or worse, hiding a wife and kids at home.
“How do you know Meredith and Grant?” he asks, as we make our way towards the main building.
“Meredith and I were placed together our freshman year at Appalachian State. Lots of late nights being homesick and drinking too much cheap vodka.”
“For me and Grant it was high school baseball camp and Patrón.”
“I haven’t officially met Grant yet,” I confess. “What’s he like?”
