Wild Promise (Wild Savage Hearts #4)

Chapter One

Melina

The computer screen blurred. I rubbed at my throbbing temples and tried to focus, but my mind was pulling in a million directions and my neck ached from the strain of sitting at a desk for too long.

I’d been trapped in this tiny office for most of the day. Hell, most of the past year. My eyes burned from the fluorescent lights overhead, and my lunch sat untouched on the corner of my desk, cold and forgotten.

When was the last time I’d seen the sun?

At this rate, I was barreling straight toward burnout, with no way to change course or even slow my doomsday speed. How could I? There was a job to do, and I had to do it well.

No, not just well. I had to be the best.

I rolled my neck and turned back to my emails, but my headache only burned brighter when my eyes landed on a single word near the bottom of the screen.

Sorry.

Those five fuzzy letters made the walls close in. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the room to stop spinning. But it was too late.

That horrid word was burned into my brain.

It had been thrown at me so many times over the last year, I’d lost count. There was no escaping it, no matter how hard I tried. Most of the time it was well-meaning, but even with good intentions, it hadn’t done me any favors.

Sorry didn’t make the pain of losing my mother go away.

It didn’t cover the cost of my dad’s in-home medical care or put food on the table.

It didn’t help with car repairs, property tax, or insurance.

It wouldn’t put either of my sisters through college.

And it sure as hell didn’t warm my bed at night.

No matter how sincerely it was delivered, sorry couldn’t fix my problems. It was just an enormous pile of pity I didn’t want or need. Another hurdle I was struggling to overcome.

And here it was again, taunting me in an email.

STARS catering wasn’t available for the date I’d requested. Sorry.

It wasn’t personal. This was business, and if I didn’t get a grip on my spiraling emotions, I’d only make things worse. Falling apart over a professional email wouldn’t help get me to the top. Too bad reminding myself of that didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

The office phone rang, the shrill sound stabbing at my aching head. I wasn’t in the mood to be perky. But Mom used to say people can hear the smile in your voice.

So I pasted on the brightest one I could manage and answered the phone. “Copper Ridge Resort, Guest Services, Melina speaking.”

“Melina? Hi. This is Steve Gupta over at Black Tie Catering?”

His question, which wasn’t really a question, made my lips twitch with a real grin. “Hi, Steve. I’m happy you called.”

“Yes. Well…” His voice trailed off, and my smile wavered.

“We got your request, and we’re flattered.

We’d love to work with a group of your reputation, especially on something as fantastic as the Noma retreat, but we’re a young company, and even though we’ve grown, we’re just not big enough to meet your needs. I’m really sor—”

“It’s fine, Steve.” I cut off his rambling before he could get that dreaded word out, my glimmer of hope crushed.

It wasn’t fine. It was nowhere close to fine, but I gritted my teeth and kept my smile in place anyway. “Thank you for letting me know. Maybe we’ll find the opportunity to work together in the future.”

If I still have a future here.

After saying goodbye, I hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. Two caterers down, and the list of options was getting dangerously short. I scrolled through my contacts, hunting for a miracle I wasn’t sure existed.

“Still no confirmation on the catering staff, huh?” my coworker Becky asked from the doorway.

Her words were kind enough, but something that looked a hell of a lot like a satisfied smirk was pulling at her lips, and that brash tone of hers always put me on edge.

Maybe it was because I didn’t like Becky much. Her underhanded comments, too-tight skirts, and obnoxious perfume weren’t exactly my favorite combination. But it was her work ethic, or lack of one, that really turned me off. The girl barely did her job yet always complained about it.

She also had a not-so-lovely way of pointing out all the faults in how I did mine.

It was like she purposely tried to undermine me every chance she got. Only, I couldn’t figure out why. What the hell had I ever done to her?

I wasn’t delusional enough to believe we’d ever be friends. Honestly, I was fine with that. But was it too much to ask for a little common courtesy?

“Not yet.” My face ached from the phony-ass smile I was still wearing. “But I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon.”

“I’m sure.” She plopped into the chair next to me, invading my limited space while scrolling on her phone.

Ignoring her, I turned my attention back to work and the seemingly impossible task at hand.

Copper Ridge Resort was hosting the annual top performers retreat for Noma Bank, our largest corporate client. They also happened to sponsor the Copper Ridge Winter Festival, a town-wide event that ran at the same time as their retreat each year.

The festival was a weeklong celebration of food, vendors, games, and lights. A good time for everyone, locals and tourists alike. But the real showstopper was the Winter Festival Dance, held right here at the resort.

The dance was the biggest, fanciest event in town and usually kept the gossip mill running for the rest of the year. We put on one hell of a good time—while remaining professional, of course—and this year, my boss had asked me to plan it.

All of it.

The Noma retreat, the dance, and even coordinating with Eric Alexander, our head of marketing, to promote it across the region.

For the first time, I’d been given the lead on a major function and handed a once-in-a-lifetime shot to prove myself. It was a huge undertaking, but I was ready.

Our event coordinator, Lydia, had announced she was retiring after this season. And if I played my cards right, I could be her replacement. It was a dream I’d set my sights on before I’d even been hired to work the front desk.

The opportunity thrilled me.

It also terrified the hell out of me.

Yes, my career was riding on this and that was a scary prospect, but it was my family’s future that was truly at stake. As cliché as it might sound, failure wasn’t an option.

“Do you think they’ll bother replacing Lydia when she leaves?” Becky asked, interrupting my panicked thoughts.

“What do you mean?”

Her shoulders lifted, but her eyes didn’t budge from her social media feed. “You and I do most of her work anyway. It’s not like she’s super important around here.”

Fresh pain shot through my head, sending a ripple of tension down my spine.

What the actual…

A jumble of thoughts swirled through my mind. Hostile, mean, unhelpful things. Things I wanted so badly to let loose.

My mouth dropped open, ready to hurl an insult so tangible, I could already taste my regret. But like a perfectly timed sign from above, my cell rang, cutting off my words and stifling my anger.

Becky’s sharp gaze snapped to my ringing phone.

“It’s time for my break anyway.” Not that she was owed the explanation, but people pleasing was a habit I seemed unable to break—another of Mom’s lessons, so deeply ingrained, it was really starting to hurt.

I stood, smoothing my skirt with shaking hands before swiping my phone off the desk and stalking out of the room. The ringing eventually stopped, but I continued down the narrow hall, taking deep calming breaths and getting as far away from Becky as I could.

Fuck, what was I thinking?

I couldn’t afford to be reckless. Hell, I couldn’t even afford to think about it. Overreacting to Becky’s bad attitude wouldn’t earn me the promotion. It would only make my job harder. Or make me lose it altogether.

The front lobby was quiet, and I slowed my stride, trying to compose myself. Our newest employee, Cassandra, worked alone at the desk, helping a young couple check in. I tried not to stare as I passed, but it was hard to ignore their beaming smiles.

The woman had both arms wrapped snugly around the man’s waist, her cheek resting against his chest, and he had an arm draped possessively over her shoulders. They looked happy. Ecstatic, actually. The kind of happy that came from having nothing to worry about except each other.

It reminded me why I loved working here so much.

Copper Ridge Resort was a place built for escape. An enchanted wonderland where you could unwind, have fun, and forget your troubles. Where people could meet, make friends, and fall in love. It was a romantic paradise.

Unfortunately, all the magic seemed reserved for our guests.

My neglected heart squeezed a pathetic, mangled beat, and despite my better judgment, I peeked toward the open doorway of our bar, The Summit. My insides melted at the mere possibility of seeing him.

Zane Alexander.

The sexiest man at the resort, in town, or maybe anywhere. The only man I’d ever wanted to be mine.

But that was only a fantasy. A daydream I’d once tried to convince myself could come true.

I didn’t want, and certainly didn’t need, a playboy like him in my life.

Even if I did, I could never have him anyway. At least not for more than one night. And even that was a stretch, because guys like Zane didn’t end up with girls like me.

His family owned this resort. His father was some high-powered CEO in New York. Zane Alexander existed in a world I couldn’t even see from where I was standing.

My phone vibrated in my hand, dragging me back to reality and the call I’d missed. There were too many concerns competing for my attention. Romance was at the bottom of the list.

If it was even still on the list.

When I unlocked my phone to check for messages, my screen lit up with notifications. Sixty-two unopened emails, four new texts, and one missed call from home.

I hit our number and paced the floor while I waited for the line to connect.

“Hello?” my sister, Olivia, answered.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Hey.” The word rushed out in a relieved gust. “I’m sorry to call while you’re at work, but I just didn’t know what to do.”

“Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, but uh…the home care agency called again…” Her voice faltered, like she was afraid to finish. Like I didn’t already know what they’d called to say. “Melina, if we don’t make a payment in the next week, they’re threatening to cancel service and send us to collections.”

I’d known this day was coming, but that knowledge didn’t stop the sick feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

I’d been bumping the home care bill to pay for physiotherapy and grief counseling for Dad—his disability benefits barely scratched the surface.

Now, at least one of those things, if not both, would have to end.

There was no way to pay for all of it, plus keep our bare-bones household running.

“It’s okay,” I said, trying hard to reassure both of us. “I’ll deal with it.”

She didn’t reply, but a quiet sniffle broke her silence.

“Olivia, are you crying? Is something else wrong?”

“I’m not crying. Not really. It’s just that Dad overheard my conversation with them, and now he won’t come out of his room. He locked the door and won’t answer me. I think he’s okay, but…”

My pacing stopped. Every muscle locked tight. “How long has he been in there?”

“Two hours.”

Dad spending time alone shouldn’t be a big deal. With three daughters driving him crazy, he’d always enjoyed his moments of solitude. He should be allowed that peace.

But nothing was normal in our house anymore, and his silence was a huge red flag.

“Okay, I need to find Lydia to explain the situation, and then I’m coming home.”

The sniffles on the other end of the line grew louder. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine, I promise.”

I just needed to figure out how.