Lucky in Love (Green Valley Falls #3)

CHAPTER ONE

“Phew. Last one.” Alex Gray signed the final page of the contract with a flourish, laid the pen on the desk, and rubbed her cramping hand. “And thank goodness. No one tells you getting a loan requires such finger stamina.”

“Great things require great sacrifice,” Alex’s grandfather said.

“You’re worth hand cramps, Gramps.” When he didn’t even crack a smile at her rhyme, she turned to him. “Hey. You’ve owned these cabins a long time. You sure you’re okay with me buying them? It’s not too late to put the brakes on this.”

“It’s a little surreal. But I’m fine,” Pops insisted. “You’ve been managing the place for years. It’s about time we did this. Whispering Pines is officially yours, and I couldn’t be happier for you.”

“Not quite,” the mortgage broker interrupted, tapping the stack of paper to square the corners and securing it with a binder clip. “But I’ll file the paperwork with the county this afternoon. Should be final by tomorrow. Congratulations, you two.”

“Thanks, Hank,” Pops said, thrusting out a hand. “Appreciate your time. Come on, Alex. I’ll buy you lunch to celebrate.”

Alex and Pops said their goodbyes and walked out to her Jeep.

“The Rusty Nail or Karla’s?” Alex asked.

“Rusty Nail sounds good.” Pops climbed into the passenger seat.

“I want to hear all about these newfangled plans you’ve got for the cabins.

But before that, I gotta get the scoop on your trip to New York City.

Somethin’ tells me there’s a story behind that cat-eating grin you’ve been wearin’ all morning that has nothin’ to do with becoming a property owner. ”

Alex couldn’t deny that. And even after her grandpa called her on it, she still couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

“What’s his name?” Pops asked.

“What makes you think it’s a man?” At the stop sign, she glanced over as he shot her an I’ve-known-you-since-you-were-born look.

“Hah. I never could hide anything from you.” Alex laughed. “His name’s Drake.”

“He sounds real dreamy.”

“Are you making fun of me, old man?”

“I would never.” He feigned indignation.

“Oh yes you would.” Alex pulled into the restaurant parking lot. One good thing about their small town, you could get almost anywhere in under five minutes. “And dreamy doesn’t begin to cover it. I’ll tell you about him over a shrimp cocktail.”

Alex had returned the night before from a weeklong vacation visiting her friend Holly and her husband, Cole. Where she had indeed met a man.

After the waitress brought their drinks and took their orders, she filled Pops in on her trip.

“You know Cole’s a police detective. Well, he works with Drake. The first night I was in town, Holly and Cole set us up. And after that, Drake and I were basically inseparable.”

“Sounds almost serious. I don’t have to worry about you ditching me for big city lights, do I?”

“No.” Alex shook her head vigorously. “I’m made for the country. But…we did decide to try a long-distance thing. He’s planning a trip out here soon.”

“Wow. That’s huge. I’m happy for you, baby girl.”

“Thanks. It’s helping take my mind off how nervous I am about the grand reopening next week.”

“It’s exciting to see you try something different. Tell me the details of this new plan you’ve got.”

The food came, and as her grandpa dug into his ribs, Alex picked at her salad and gave an overview of her vision for the family cabins.

“So, we’re advertising it as a ‘digital detox.’ When someone makes a reservation, they commit to staying off the internet. It’s geared toward families, couples, women’s groups, writers.” She shrugged. “Pretty much anyone who wants to unplug and relax.”

“I love the notion, but with everyone so hooked on their phones, how will you enforce the rules?”

“Well, ideally, they’re on board with the idea and will self-regulate. I left the Wi-Fi routers in each cabin, but they’re useless without a password. If someone’s dead set on cheating, they could rely on cell data, but you know how iffy the reception can be out there.”

“Of course. Good thinking. How’s interest? Are people booking?”

She smiled. “We’re booked through the end of March. And if we can pack ’em in during the off-season, I’m betting there’ll be a waitlist for spring and summer.”

“Alex, that’s fantastic!” Pops exclaimed. “Late October through the New Year is always busy, but we’ve never fully booked the off-season. I’m real proud of you, hon.”

They finished lunch, and she drove Pops home.

“Thanks again for making this happen,” Alex said.

“I wouldn’t sell them to anyone else.” He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door. “Don’t be a stranger. Love ya.”

“Love you too.”

Alex watched until he was safely inside. At seventy, he got along pretty well. But as the only family she had nearby, she still worried about him.

A burst of pride flashed through her as she drove under the arch of the Whispering Pines welcome sign. She’d done it a million times, but never as the owner.

A couple of hours later, she was back at The Rusty Nail. This time for a celebratory dinner with her friends.

When Alex arrived, Juliet, Faith, and Tess were already seated at a table in the back. The other two members of their friend group—and championship basketball team—had moved away. Maddie, about eight years ago, to become an actress. And Holly, two years ago, to marry a New York City police officer.

“Okay,” Faith said as soon as Alex sat. “I know we’re here to celebrate you buying the cabins, and we will.

But first, we want the four-one-one on what went down in NYC.

Specifically, this dude. Details.” Faith had married earlier that year and was still riding high on everyone-should-be-in-love vibes.

The waitress brought a round of drinks as Alex gave a play-by-play of her whirlwind courtship with Drake.

“And then he turned his hat backward.” Alex waggled her eyebrows.

“Here we go!” Tess slapped both hands on the table and leaned in, ready for the skinny on the good stuff.

“Oooh. You love that,” Faith said. “It’s a sign.”

“I do love that.” Alex nodded. “Plus, he’s handsome, sophisticated, and funny.”

“So, is he your boyfriend?” Tess asked. “You gonna give a long-distance relationship a go?”

“Yes.” Alex smiled. “And yes. He’s already looking to come visit in a few weeks.”

“Of course you met a guy,” Juliet said. “First, your grandpa finally sells you the campground, and now this. You are so lucky.”

Mutters of agreement floated around the table, and Alex cringed. Sure, she won more than her fair share of raffles and bingo tournaments, and maybe that did make her abnormally lucky. But she didn’t like to acknowledge it. Thought it might jinx her.

“And the cherry on top?” Alex said.

“There’s more?” Juliet said.

“You won the lottery?” Tess guessed.

“I wish,” Alex said. “No, I finally hit my goal weight.”

“You’re already so thin,” Faith said.

“She runs so much, how could she not be?” Juliet asked.

“Yeah,” Tess added. “Our teeny, tiny friend.” She patted Alex’s head in a slow, exaggerated movement.

“If I didn’t run, I couldn’t eat,” Alex said, swatting Tess’s hand away. “Unlike you three, I don’t have the luxury of being eight feet tall and eating anything I want.” At five-four, Alex was by far the shortest of her group.

“Well, congrats on that too then,” Faith said.

“You know,” Tess interjected. “It occurs to me that some of this stuff we’re calling luck is really just Alex working her butt off.”

“Good point,” Juliet agreed. “She does love a good goal and a long checklist.”

“To checklists.” Alex raised her glass.

“So, what does Pops think of your plans for the cabins?” Faith asked.

“He likes the idea. Which is a relief, because it’s too late to stop it now.”

“I can’t wait to see how things play out,” Juliet said. “Internet-free camping is a fantastic idea.”

“In theory, yes.” Alex sipped her skinny margarita. “In practice, we’ll see.”

“How are you going to keep people from just using their phone data?” Faith said.

“I’m gonna have to rely on the honor system.” Alex shrugged. “I won’t be able to stop everything. But hopefully the spotty cell coverage will make roaming data too unreliable and frustrating for campers to want to cheat.”

“What about the delay on building the rec cabin?” Tess asked. “Didn’t the contractor push you off a week? You gonna be ready?”

“Ready or not, people have reservations,” Alex said. “Lyle says he’ll bring double the crew and thinks he can still get it built before Monday. It’s a simple design, but who knows?”

“Five days,” Tess said. “Is that enough time? Campers don’t trek to the woods to listen to buzz saws all day.”

“Believe me, I know,” Alex said, getting agitated.

“And the repairs on that last unit?” Tess pressed.

“That one’s off the books for now,” Alex said. “I don’t want bad reviews over a leaky roof, so it’ll stay vacant until I schedule its facelift.”

Tess seemed satisfied and nodded her approval.

“Okay, okay,” Faith interrupted. “Back to happy topics. We came to celebrate Alex’s new business venture and hunky new beau. Cheers to our pint-sized best friend and her ocean-sized success.”

They raised their glasses, clinked, and drank.

“You’re right, Faith,” Alex said. “I gotta focus on the positive.”

And really, that was easy. Except for the contractor snafu, life was bordering on perfect. As long as her luck held, everything would turn out fine.