6. Nora
Chapter Six
NORA
Daphne and I ended up having a nice day, considering my unsettled mood from the morning. She let the topic of Gabriel go, and we finished watching a few episodes of a baking show together before we headed over to the resort kitchen.
My small house was a stone’s throw through the trees to the lodge.
Whenever I was crossing the gravel parking area and looked ahead to the resort, a sense of pride rolled through me.
Flynn had returned home to Alaska to finish this half-built resort when he left the Air Force to take care of my younger sister and me.
I was sixteen at the time and deep into being a moody teenager.
Our brother Grant had just started college when our mother died.
Our father had passed away a few years before her, and Flynn’s father had never been around.
Our mother’s track record with men held strong.
She had children with two different men who didn’t want much of anything to do with her or their kids.
While Flynn’s father had never been around, ours had bounced in and out of our lives like a ping pong ball.
As soon as Flynn landed in Alaska, he dived into a whirlwind of work.
He’d turned what my mother and father had begun in fits and starts into a busy expedition resort.
The three-story octagonal structure was a modern timber-frame building.
The main floor had ample open space with several areas for guests.
Through an archway off the main area was the large kitchen with a view of the mountains and the ocean bay in the distance.
The kitchen was open to guests as well. Daphne worked her magic there, cooking meals for the staff and up to thirty guests on any given day.
All the guest rooms occupied the upper floors, and Flynn and Daphne, along with my youngest sister, Cat, stayed in a private apartment on the main floor.
For the past few summers, we’d spent time constructing a house where the rest of the staff stayed except me. As the only girl, I’d wanted my own space, and the house felt too much like living in a giant bachelor pad.
After Daphne and I returned to the resort, we got to work.
I was a not-so-great cook, but I was an excellent assistant.
Daphne worked her magic while I chopped vegetables and basically did whatever she said.
Once we finished later that afternoon, we sat relaxing at the long table situated in front of the windows in the dining area.
I snagged one of the fresh sweet potato fries Daphne had made, letting out a moan as the flavor of lightly seasoned chipotle fries crossed my tongue. “Oh, my God, these are good. Why can’t I cook like you?”
My question was rhetorical, but I knew the answer. Sometimes just getting food on the table was a miracle, given how little money my mother had at times when we were growing up. I was an expert at heating up soup in cans and making meals out of boxes. That was the extent of my cooking repertoire.
“I keep telling you I’ll teach you,” Daphne offered.
“I know, but I feel so ridiculous. I should know how to cook by now.”
“It doesn’t matter when you learn. Not everybody loves to cook, but it’s nice to be able to handle the basics yourself.”
At that moment, the door from the back hallway swung open, and Cat came through.
“Hey,” she said, lifting her hand in a wave as she walked immediately into the pantry, returning with a box of crackers.
“We have sweet potato fries,” Daphne called over when Cat stopped by the sink to fill a glass with water.
“Oh, good,” Cat replied. “Those are better than crackers.” She returned the crackers to the pantry before joining us at the table.
“What’s up?” I asked.
My little sister was seventeen years old now, and I still couldn’t quite believe it.
Cat and my two brothers shared my mother’s dark blond hair and slate-blue eyes, while I’d inherited my father’s coloring.
Cat’s hair was pulled back in a lopsided ponytail.
A quick glance at her puffy eyes and flushed cheeks, and I guessed she’d been crying.
The corners of her lips were pinched tight and her shoulders hunched as she leaned back in her chair and folded a foot under her knee.
“I just got home from school,” she replied.
“Thanks for the detail. I wouldn’t have guessed,” I replied dryly.
When Cat didn’t smile, I knew for sure she was upset. “You okay?” I asked gently.
She took a shuddery breath. “No.” Her glum tone matched her downcast eyes as she stretched her arm across the table to grab a few sweet potato fries.
“What happened?” Daphne asked.
“I broke up with Tanner.”
“Oh, sweetie, what happened?” I scooted my chair closer to hers and slipped my arm across her back, rubbing my palm in a light circle between her shoulder blades.
“He cheated on me. I really liked him too,” Cat said morosely.
“He did not!” Daphne said fiercely, her eyes practically blazing.
“Well, he’s an idiot,” I added.
“That’s what I told him,” Cat muttered.
“How did you find out?” Daphne asked.
Cat took a swallow of her water and fetched two more sweet potato fries, chewing one before she replied. “Shannon told me. She saw a text message he sent the other girl. I don’t even like that girl, and I’m glad she’s not my friend. I don’t need someone like him either.”
“Obviously, she’s not your friend. You’re a good friend,” I said.
My sister cast me a swift little smile. “I know. I’m upset, but I’ll be fine. I am worth more than having someone treat me like that.” She lifted her chin.
“Absolutely,” I commented.
Cat’s eyes slid to mine. “I’m fine, you know. I was sad and angry, and I cried, but I’m fine.”
“We know you’ll be fine,” Daphne interjected. “But we want to be there for you. Should we go kick his ass?”
Cat giggled. “You two could totally kick his ass. Oh my God, he would freak out.”
“Flynn’s going to ask about him. I was supposed to take him on that day fishing trip next weekend.” Cat sighed heavily. “Will you make sure Flynn doesn’t tell the rest of the guys?” Her eyes bounced between Daphne and me.
“Of course. It’s your privacy. You don’t even have to tell Flynn everything,” I suggested. “You can just say you broke up if that’s all you want to mention.”
Cat rolled her eyes. “One of you will end up telling him by accident, so I’d rather it be me. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just, well, you’re in love with him.” She gave Daphne a pointed look before her eyes swung to me. “And sometimes you just let things slip when you’re not thinking.”
I gave her a sheepish smile. “I know. Downside of being an older sister. I only let them slip with Flynn, though.”
Cat grinned. “I think Tanner was surprised, and I told him off right in the cafeteria. I don’t care if I embarrassed him. I always promised myself I was never gonna be like our mom. She was literally a freaking doormat for our dad. Fuck that.”
Daphne and I opened our mouths simultaneously before our gazes collided. I thought Daphne had been about to correct Cat’s use of language, just like me. I shrugged. Sometimes the occasion called for it.
“Can I have some wine?” Cat asked next.
“No!” Daphne and I exclaimed in unison.
Cat burst out laughing. “I thought I’d try. When you dump a guy, it’s good to have a drink and feel better, or something like that.”
My hand slid off her back as I chuckled. “Sure, a glass of wine can help you relax here and there, but it’s definitely not necessary. I’d rather have a friend be there for me than that.”
Cat rolled her eyes. “Sure. Says you, who pours extra wine whenever Gabriel spends too much time around you.”
Daphne bit her bottom lip, standing quickly and striding into the kitchen. Her shoulders were shaking, and I knew she was laughing. Of course, my very perceptive younger sister would’ve noticed a detail like that.
I decided it wasn’t worth engaging in that dialogue and snagged another fry to pop into my mouth.
“I’m going to start teaching Nora how to cook. Want to help?” Daphne called over.
Cat brightened and straightened in her chair. “Yes. You can’t have my job, though.”
I laughed softly. “Sweetie, I don’t think I’ll ever get good enough at cooking to steal your kitchen job. I’m thrilled Flynn officially has you on the payroll.”
Cat stood and skipped over toward the kitchen counter when Daphne began pulling things out to finish prepping for dinner.
Guests would be returning from wherever they’d spent their day over the next few hours, and she would have dinner ready.
Meanwhile, I needed to decide if I wanted to deal with seeing Gabriel tonight.
I was leaning toward not when Cat called, “Come help me now. I’m going to prep a few game hens for roasting. ”
I was swept into being Cat’s assistant for the next hour or so. When Gabriel arrived, I purposely didn’t pour extra wine for myself. I could handle him, or so I told myself again and again. And again.
It didn’t help that I felt the heat of his gaze on me. It definitely didn’t help when he slipped onto a stool beside me at the counter surrounding the area where Daphne was working.
“Your plane’s good to go,” he said, his low, gravelly voice sending shivers chasing over my skin.
When I risked a glance at him and ran right into the intense beam of his gaze, butterflies took flight, spinning wildly in my belly while I tried to catch my breath.
I was so screwed.