Chapter 14
May 19
Ever since the ice-out, business had slowly ramped up at the resort. Most weeks at least half the cabins were occupied and
Lauren found herself busier. She embraced the work as an opportunity to prove herself. Not that she’d ever get an attagirl out of Jonah Landry.
Last week she’d presented her ideas to the Landrys. Tom, Tammy, and Meg had loved them. They’d wanted to build a pavilion
for years but couldn’t justify the funds. Now that they were renting out boat slips, that would change. Turning the boathouse
into a gathering space for teens would cost little more than elbow grease.
Jonah was the only one who seemed less than enthusiastic. But she chalked that up to obstinance. He probably wished the ideas
had been his. Plus, he didn’t like change—that much was obvious. Heaven forbid they move a Ping-Pong table or change the schedule.
The entire world might spin off its axis.
Friday was the first day all eight cabins were occupied, getting the weekend off to a great start. There were two returning
couples, two young families, three new couples, and a group of four middle-aged sisters.
On Sunday a fortysomething husband and wife appeared at the front desk to check in. As Lauren pulled up the schedule, it took
everything in her to keep the smile from sliding off her face. She’d put the Lawsons down for three nights in Willow Cabin—but
it was already occupied.
Her heart skittered across the floor as she met their expectant gazes. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but I’m afraid we’ve accidentally overbooked the cabin and we’re currently full up. But I’m sure I can find someplace else nearby that will accommodate you.”
A frown pinched Miles Lawson’s brows as he stepped closer. “Overbooked? That’s unacceptable. We don’t want to stay somewhere
else—this is where we came for our honeymoon twenty years ago.”
This wouldn’t be easily resolved. The coming conflict wracked her nerves. “I’m terribly sorry about the mistake, Mr. and Mrs.
Lawson. I know you must be disappointed, but none of the cabins will be available until Tuesday. We’d be happy to book you
someplace else, our compliments, of course, and you could return here if you’d like for the remaining night.”
“Now listen—”
“Honey.” Mrs. Lawson set her hand on her husband’s arm.
“This is unacceptable! We left the kids with their grandparents so we could celebrate our anniversary here .”
Lauren’s cheeks heated. How had she made such a terrible mistake? “Again, I’m so sorry—”
“Sorry does not fix the problem!”
“No, you’re right. There are other lovely resorts where we could possibly get you in. I know it’s not the same, but we could
comp your next visit here if you’d like to reschedule.”
He threw up his hands, intimidating her with his six-foot-something height and formidable glare.
“What can we do to rectify the situation?”
“You can get us in the Willow Cabin where we spent our honeymoon! But since that’s obviously not gonna happen, I guess we’ll
be airing our grievances on social media—loud and often.”
Tammy slipped out of the office and joined her behind the desk. “Hi there, I’m Tammy Landry, owner of Pinehaven. I couldn’t help but overhear the situation.” The phone rang and Tammy turned her warm brown gaze on Lauren. “Could you get that, dear?”
Lauren was only too happy to take the call in the office. It was a potential guest with all kinds of questions about the resort.
The older woman from Maine didn’t own a computer, so after a lengthy discussion Lauren promised to send a packet in the mail.
By the time she got off the phone, all was quiet in the lobby.
Her skin still tingled with embarrassment. This was her second double-booking. But Tammy had caught the first. Lauren didn’t
know how the woman had resolved the situation, but it would probably be costly, financially if not publicity-wise.
Mustering courage, she returned to the desk and found Tammy restocking the area maps. “I’m so sorry about my mistake. I can’t
believe I did that. Were you able to mollify the Lawsons?”
Tammy’s smile was kind. “I wouldn’t say ‘mollify,’ but I don’t think they’ll blast us on social media. They’ll be staying
at the Harborview Resort and I got them in for a couple’s massage tomorrow. I think Mrs. Lawson was secretly delighted about
the mix-up.”
The Harborview was the most expensive hotel on the lake. “I’m so sorry. You can take the cost out of my check.” It was more
than a week’s pay, but this was her fault after all.
“I’ll do no such thing. It’s the cost of business, dear. We all make mistakes.”
“I promise I won’t let it happen again.”
Tammy patted her shoulder. “You’ve done a wonderful job, Lauren. Don’t let one little mistake bring you down.”
Despite Tammy’s kindness, the day only got worse. The Drurys got stuck on the lake when Pinehaven’s motorboat stalled just
as they were coming in from the rain. They finally got it restarted, but they were unhappy when they returned, dripping wet,
back to the pier.
The toilet in the Ogdens’ cabin overflowed, and by the time Lauren finally managed to clear the plug and clean it up, her jeans reeked of sewage. She returned to her cabin to change, waving at the Gentrys, whose three kids were playing in the sand on the beach. They asked for more paper towels, and Lauren promised she’d bring more by later, even though every cabin came adequately stocked with four rolls. Some guests felt entitled to all the paper goods they could stash in their trunk.
Oh, well. That was the least of her worries today.
She changed her entire outfit, wishing she had time for a shower because the clogged toilet had left her feeling disgusting.
But she needed to schedule the repair on the boat’s motor. Tom and Tammy were gone for the rest of the day, and Lauren didn’t
have a truck or the experience necessary to pull a boat from the water or haul a trailer. She would have to ask Jonah. That
should be fun.
As she crossed the property heading toward the office, she dictated her task list into her phone. “Schedule boat repair, comma,
paper towels to Maple Cabin, comma, gather supplies for s’mores, comma, take dog treats to Oak.” The black lab was beautiful—and
sometimes it was the little things that made a difference. She was glad the resort was pet friendly.
She’d always wanted a dog of her own, either a Yorkshire terrier or a Maltese, a sweet little pup to cuddle with. She’d enjoyed
two dogs in foster care. But they were family pets and she wasn’t family, so when she moved she left them behind.
Once she’d aged out of foster care, taking care of herself was enough of a challenge. And by the time she’d gotten on her
feet, work and school had kept her away from home for long periods of time. It wouldn’t be fair to keep an animal cooped up
in an empty apartment, and boarding was expensive.
When Lauren reached the office she scheduled the boat repair for the next day. Then she sent Jonah a text, letting him know
the boat would need to be hauled over to the marina soon, please and thank you.
She was about to pocket her phone when he texted back. That’s a two-person job. I’ll be over in thirty minutes.
Ugh. She didn’t want to be trapped in his truck with him, not even for the thirty minutes it would require to take out the
boat and haul it to the marina. And of course he wanted to do it right now .
But he was her boss. Okay , she responded.
The bell over the lobby entry tinkled, and she met Mrs. Ogden from behind the counter. The woman was in her fifties with pale
skin creased by time and stark black hair featuring a blue streak. She was not smiling.
“Hi, Mrs. Ogden. Is the toilet plugged again?” Please, no. She kept her smile propped.
“I’m here about Whiskers. He’s not in the cabin and he was there when we left to go fishing.”
Lauren frowned. Whiskers was their thirteen-year-old tabby. “Come to think of it, I didn’t see him when I was in the cabin.
Could he be hiding?”
“He does sometimes get anxious in a new place. But my husband and I have been searching for twenty minutes. He’s nowhere in
the cabin. He must’ve gotten out when you left.” She delivered the words with the unmistakable tone of accusation.
“I’m sure that’s not the case, but let me help you search for him.” It was a two-story cabin with lots of nooks and crannies.
The cat had to be in there somewhere.
There was nothing but silence between them as Lauren followed the woman to the cabin. Mr. Ogden had already given up on the
interior search and was hunting around outside. He sent Lauren a withering look.
Twenty minutes later they were canvassing the property along with quite a few of their neighbors. Dread was a hard pit in
Lauren’s stomach. Was it possible Whiskers had slid quietly out the door when she’d left? She’d been distracted with her to-do
list, but surely she would’ve noticed.
What a terrible day. She couldn’t believe this was happening on top of the booking error she’d made earlier.
When she rounded the laundry building, searching high and low, she almost ran into Mr. Ogden, who was checking the woodpile
by the basketball court.
He pulled himself up straight. “If we don’t find him, we’re suing this place. He’s like a child to us. We’ve had him since
he was three weeks old!”
The back of her eyes stung, but she’d never cried on the job and wasn’t about to start now. “I’m so sorry, but I truly didn’t
see him the whole time I was in your cabin.”
“But you knew he was there and you were careless when you left, and now he’s lost!”
“I’m doing everything I can to—”
“He’s an indoor cat—we don’t let him wander around outside, and if we don’t find him, you’re gonna pay for this!”
“What’s going on here?” Jonah was suddenly there, towering over her with a scowl.
“This woman lost my cat—that’s what’s going on.”
Lauren’s skin flushed under the full weight of Jonah’s stare. “Whiskers is missing. I was in their cabin a while ago, unclogging
a commode, but I didn’t see the cat while I was there.”
“He had to have slipped out when she left!” Mr. Ogden’s face was red clear up to his receding hairline. “That’s the only way
he could’ve escaped.”
“You’ve searched the cabin thoroughly?” Jonah asked.
“We’ve looked everywhere.” Mr. Ogden glared at Lauren. “This is her fault, and if something happens to him, I’m holding this
property responsible.”
“Mind if I have a go at searching the cabin?”
“Have at it.”
Jonah turned to Lauren. “There are some cans of tuna in the lodge pantry. Go get them and set them out around the property. Maybe we can coax him out.”
Lauren nodded, then took off toward the lodge. They’d been searching for at least thirty minutes. What if some animal had
gotten Whiskers? What if these people lost their beloved pet because she’d been distracted?
Two huge mistakes in one day. She felt like such a failure. Her whole life she’d been champing at the bit to run a business.
To run her own life. Was this what happened when she was in charge? What if she was no good at this job? At life? What if
she wasn’t meant for anything more than the trailer park from which she’d come? What if all the people who’d told her she
wouldn’t amount to anything had actually been right? Had she been fooling herself all along?
She blinked back tears. She had to focus on the task at hand. She could spiral later in the privacy of her cabin—hopefully
after Whiskers had been found.
In the lodge she made her way to the kitchen pantry and found three cans of tuna. She opened them and took them outside, leaving
one on the basketball court, one on the edge of the pavilion, and one on the Ogdens’ deck.
She joined the search party, keeping her distance from the others. She ventured into the woods, combing the ground and trees
for the cat, calling his name.
A lifetime later she heard Jonah’s voice calling through the woods. “Found him!”
Her breath released in a whoosh. Thank God. The cat was okay. If she’d made a mistake, at least it hadn’t ended in disaster. By the time she made it back to the Ogdens’
cabin, only Jonah was around.
“Is he okay?” she asked. “Where was he?”
“He’s fine. Mr. Ogden found him inside somewhere. He let me know, then slammed the door in my face.” Jonah shrugged.
Relief washed over her. “He was inside all along?”
“Yep, hiding somewhere, I guess.”
She hadn’t been responsible. She tried to let that sink in, but the stress of the ordeal had left her shaken, and releasing
it wasn’t so simple. However, if she dwelled on it, she’d make a fool of herself in front of Jonah.
She cleared her throat. “Now that the excitement is over, we’d better get the boat over to the marina—hopefully it’ll make
it to the launch ramp.”
“I’ll make sure it starts and you can drive it over. Then I’ll hook up the trailer and meet you over there.”
***
Thirty minutes later at the boat launch, Jonah stood in the cool water, helping Lauren guide the boat onto the trailer. Once
it was secured, they hopped into the cab and Jonah pulled the trailer out.
Lauren had been quiet since the cat incident and said nothing on the short drive to the marina. Once there, Jonah unhitched
the trailer while Lauren went inside to inform them they were leaving the boat for repair.
Soon they were on the road again, and once more the cab was silent.
To Jonah’s perspective, their relationship seemed to have shifted over the past month. Ever since Meg had made that claim
about their sparks . He’d been avoiding Lauren, and when they did come in contact, it was as if they played out the Cold War, personal edition.
But hearing Mr. Ogden verbally attacking her had bothered Jonah. She hadn’t deserved that. Nobody deserved to be treated with
such disdain. When he’d heard the man yelling at her, he’d wanted to slug the guy.
And yet... Jonah hadn’t treated her much better. Guilt pinched hard at the thought.
He’d had his reasons. But he’d eventually come to see there was more to her than designer shoes and fussy manicures. She worked well over the required hours and didn’t consider herself above any task. He knew firsthand that included some pretty dirty jobs.
He could now admit, at least to himself, that he’d felt those sparks initially—and it spooked him. He didn’t want to fall
for another Monica, so he put up his guard.
He’d been unnecessarily hard on Lauren. He’d been rude and impatient and even a little mean sometimes. Once his mom had overheard
him bossing Lauren around and her eyes widened.
“Jonah.” She gave him a look that both admonished and questioned.
His face flushed with heat, but Lauren was already off to the task on which he’d sent her. He gave his mom an apologetic glance,
then took off in the opposite direction.
So no, this wasn’t like him at all. He was generally known to be congenial and easygoing. But he’d been the opposite with
Lauren. No wonder she avoided him at every turn. Smiled at him through gritted teeth.
He glanced at her now. No wonder she was practically hugging the passenger door. She stared straight ahead at the road, jaw
clenched, shoulders rigid, hands clasped tightly in her lap.
They were almost back to the resort, but he wanted to ease the tension somehow. “I’ll bet Mr. Ogden’s feeling pretty stupid
about now.”
A long pause passed. “Sure.”
A minute later he turned into the property. “I’ll check on them. Take Whiskers a treat. Maybe you could collect the tuna so
we don’t draw a bunch of animals onto the property.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t seem her spitfire self. She appeared to have shrunk in on herself, and that wasn’t like the Lauren he knew at all.
But they’d come to a stop and she’d already jumped from the truck as if she couldn’t escape soon enough.
His mind still on Lauren, Jonah grabbed the kitty treats they kept on hand and headed over to the Ogdens’ cabin. He hadn’t seen their car but knocked anyway. Then he noticed their beach towels, cooler, and fishing poles were gone from the deck. He peeked in the window—no personal effects that he could see.
So he turned the doorknob. “Hello? Mr. and Mrs. Ogden? It’s Jonah.” There wasn’t a peep. And a quick sweep of the rooms revealed
none of the personal items that had cluttered the cabin only an hour ago. He frowned at the recliner’s footrest, which was
extended and sitting at an odd angle. A quick inspection revealed it was broken.
He sighed as he left the cabin, then headed to the lodge to inform Lauren about the departure so she could notify the cleaners.
He’d take a closer look at the recliner later and see if it could be repaired.
He removed his muddy shoes at the door and padded to the office, but Lauren wasn’t there. So he headed to the kitchen and
found her at the sink, facing the window. “Seems like the Ogdens decided to leave early.”
She jumped but didn’t turn.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
“That’s okay,” she said over her shoulder, then busied herself with dishes.
There was something in her voice. She sounded as if she had a cold. But she hadn’t sounded like that earlier.
Was she... crying? Lauren?
He stepped cautiously into the room. “I, uh, think they found Whiskers up inside the recliner and broke the footrest to get
him out. I’ll bet Mr. Ogden was embarrassed about the way he treated you—he should’ve been.”
“Then why were you scowling at me?”
He blinked. “I wasn’t. I was scowling at him.”
“Whatever.” She sniffed. “I’m just glad the cat’s okay.”
Definitely crying. Jonah shifted on his feet. He was no good with crying women. You’d think having a mother and a sister would’ve prepared him better, but no. “It wasn’t your fault, you know.”
“I know that.”
But something was obviously eating at her. She was scrubbing a plate like she might find gold beneath the porcelain finish.
He wanted to do or say something to make her feel better. But what? There were two things that lifted his mood when he was
upset—and she probably wouldn’t enjoy shooting hoops. “Do you know how to ride a bike?”
She huffed. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“Come on then. We’re going for a ride.”
She set the plate in the dishwasher. “There’s nobody to watch over things.”
“We won’t be gone long.”
She cut him a glance. “Since when do you want to hang out with me ?”
He definitely deserved that. “Since now. Come on.”
“Is that an order, Boss?” Her voice held some of that spunk that usually annoyed him.
This time it made his lips twitch. “If that’s what it takes. Leave the dishes and let’s go.”
“Fine.” She closed the dishwasher and followed him to the bike shed.
Twenty minutes later they were riding along the rail trail, pebbles popping beneath their tires. He led the way since he knew
the route. The train tracks from 1872 created a bit of an obstacle for bicycle tires. In some places the path ran between
the tracks, in other places beside the tracks, and on some portions of the trail the tracks weren’t visible at all.
They passed the lake on the right and soon entered the forest’s shade. The woods were replete with spring-green aspens that
would turn gold in the fall. The temperature was a pleasant seventy. The sun was low in the sky and would set in a couple
hours.
He hoped Lauren found biking as calming as he did. Even though he suspected the reason she was upset was because of the way Mr. Ogden had treated her, guilt bubbled up from someplace deep within him. Jonah owed her an apology for the way he’d behaved since her arrival. And it would be difficult to explain without mentioning those sparks.
Along the way they greeted other bikers and pedestrians walking dogs. Soon, off to the right, the lake glimmered in the sunlight,
its tiny islands dotting the surface. He took in the view as he drew in the pine scent.
When they reached the turnoff for Albee Beach, he steered into the parking lot. He continued to the far side where dirt pathways
cut through a pine grove, leading to the small beach. His pulse raced at the thought of the upcoming talk. Would she reject
his apology and continue to hold a grudge? If so, it would be a long seven months—though he could only blame himself.
He stopped at the end of the pavement and removed his helmet.
Lauren pulled up beside him. “Why are we stopping?”
“Thought you’d like to see one of the local beaches. In a couple weeks this place will be crawling with tourists.”
She dismounted and set the kickstand, then removed her helmet, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders. He peered at
her from beneath his lashes as he removed two cold water bottles from his pack. He was glad the lost-waif look was gone from
her expression and posture. He’d take her jutted chin and flashing eyes any day over that beaten-down expression she’d worn
earlier.
He handed her a water bottle, then headed through the pine trees toward a picnic table that straddled the woods and beach.
They had the place all to themselves today. He sat on the bench, facing the water while she walked out onto the sand and took
in the view.
The lush forest flanked the crescent-shaped strip of beach. The water was as smooth as glass at the moment, and the low hills on the other side of the lake rose to meet the late-afternoon sky. A cool breeze blew, refreshing after the ride.
He took a long drink of water. What was Lauren thinking about as she stared across the lake? The wind ruffled her hair and
fluttered the sleeves of her pale blue shirt. Her skin was sun-kissed now after spending so much time outdoors over the past
month, and her green eyes popped against her tan. It did a little something extra for her legs too.
He jerked his gaze away as she turned and headed toward him. She stopped ten feet from the table. “We should probably head
back. We’re having s’mores tonight and I need to get everything ready.”
“That’s not till ten. Have a seat. Let’s talk.”
Her back went rigid and her chin lifted. That guarded look in her eyes returned. “Are you firing me?”
He blinked. “No, I’m not firing you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“According to you, I do almost everything wrong.” She sat stiffly on the other end of the bench, facing the water.
He heaved a sigh. “I know I’ve been a little hard on you but—” He stopped at the glare she cast his way. “Okay, okay. A lot
hard on you. I owe you an apology.”
She reared back. “Wow.”
“You don’t have to act so surprised—I can admit when I’ve been wrong.”
“This is new information.”
His lips twitched. “Nonetheless, I’m sorry I’ve been difficult.” He scratched his neck. “It had nothing to do with you personally.
It was me. I take full responsibility and I promise to do better from now on.”
Her gaze sharpened on his face as a long moment of silence passed.
He let out a wry laugh. “I’ve obviously shocked you speechless. But I promise I’m not really an ogre.”
“You just—you surprised me, that’s all. People rarely do that.”
He wasn’t sure what that meant. People sometimes surprised the heck out of him. She certainly had. “You’re doing a great job at the resort, Lauren. You’ve exceeded my expectations.”
She burst out laughing. “Well, they were so low, how could I not?”
His face burned even as he chuckled. He’d heard her laugh many times, but this was the first time she’d laughed with him.
“Okay, okay, that’s fair, I guess. I admit I misjudged you. You just came across a little...” How to put this without offending?
She quirked a brow. “Competent? Responsible? Hardworking?”
“Let’s just say I thought you might be a better fit for the Harborview.”
She waggled her head back and forth as if weighing the comment. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Fair enough.” He took a swig of water. “I have to say, you jumped right in and did the work. I have no complaints.”
“I probably shouldn’t mention the overbooking mistake I made today, but it’ll probably get back to you anyway.” She explained
what had happened earlier with the Lawsons.
Between that and the incident with Whiskers, no wonder she’d been so down earlier. “Mistakes happen. It’s not the end of the
world.”
“Yeah, but this was a pretty costly one.” Her eyebrows popped suddenly. “Hey, now that the Ogdens have left, I can offer the
Willow Cabin to the Lawsons.”
He added resourceful to the list of adjectives describing Lauren. “Great idea.”
She jumped up, pulled her phone from her pocket, and seconds later was scheduling an early morning cleaning.
When she ended the call she grabbed her water and headed back through the pine grove. “Come on. We need to get back so I can
call the Lawsons with the good news.”
Shaking his head, he followed even as a grin tugged his lips. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a workaholic?”
“I can think of worse things.”
True enough. They mounted their bikes and headed back to the resort.
Jonah felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was relieved the apology was over with and that she’d handled
it so well.
But as their conversation replayed in his head, he couldn’t help but wonder—now that the barrier between them had been removed,
what would he do about those sparks?