Page 66 of Summer Ever After

Chapter Twenty-Three

When Aaron got the call that there was a bear on the grounds, Beth and Jules immediately started lockdown procedures. Her pulse spiked, but she forced her voice to steady as she picked up the phone to notify the cabins while Jules ran over to the front doors and started ushering campers in. She ran through the checklist they had all practiced—secure entrances, notify other staff, account for every single guest. Every detail mattered.

Beth hurried down the hallway, making sure everyone inside knew to stay put, then she stepped into the staff lounge where two housekeepers lingered. “We’re under bear lockdown. Stay inside until you get the all clear,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm, even though adrenaline burned under her skin. They nodded, eyes wide, and rushed to obey.

Back at the desk, she double-checked the logbook to make sure all of the shuttles to the cabins had returned. She didn’t want anyone caught outside. Jules gave her a quick thumbs-up from where she was securing the last guest within eyesight of the main building. Together, they waited for the next update, the resort suddenly hushed except for the faint echo of guests in the lobby area.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, sharp in the silence. She pulled it out, irritation rising when she saw her mom’s name.

“We need to talk.”

Beth frowned, thumbs already moving to reply. “I’m busy at work.”

Almost instantly came another message: “I’m here. Outside.”

Her heart gave a jolt. Her mom? Here? That made no sense. Her mom never showed up at her work.

“There’s a bear on the grounds. You need to get inside somewhere.”

Just then, the all clear came over the walkie-talkie and she relaxed.

“Can you meet me?” her mother responded.

Was something wrong? A new fear prickled at the base of her neck. Was her mother sick? Whatever it was, it was important enough for her mother to step foot at a place she deemed a breeding ground for Satan.

“Where are you?”

“I can see a boat dock.”

Beth’s breath caught, uncertainty prickling her skin. Fear rose at the thought of her mother needing to tell her news that was so bad she’d show up in person. She glanced at Jules.

“Everything okay?” Jules asked.

Beth forced a nod. “I need a break.”

Jules raised a brow but didn’t press. A customer had asked her a question, and she turned to answer.

Beth slipped outside through the side door closest to the dock area, keeping to the edge of the building. She scanned the quiet paths. The woods were still, almost too still, and she hugged her arms around herself as she hurried towards the docks. Her phone buzzed again.

“Bethany?”

“I’m on my way to you. Stay put.”

She quickened her pace and turned down the pathway that led towards the boathouse and docks, her heart racing as she moved faster. When she reached the wooden planks stretching over the water, a shadowy figure stood waiting near the end.

Her steps faltered as it moved into the pathway from the cover of the trees.

It was obviously not her mother.

Ian stood only a few feet away from her, his service weapon aimed directly at her heart.

Her breath stuttered in her chest as he lifted her mother’s phone in his other hand and wiggled it like a prize, a slow smile curving his mouth.

“Miss me, wife?”

Her heart stopped for more than a beat.

His smile sent chills racing through her blood.