Chapter 1 #2
“Nope. Just little old me.” My comment was meant as a joke, one I figured he’d appreciate considering it was going to make his job easier when assigning me to whatever group activities were available for any given day without the hassle of having to coordinate between two people’s schedules.
However, he surprised me when a frown tugged at his lips. A well-manicured finger glided over the tablet, tapping a few times while bringing up some sort of list I couldn’t quite see from where I was standing. It was long by the looks of it, extensive like my stock portfolios.
I could appreciate a man who was organized. Just as much as I could appreciate one willing to come undone once the bedroom door was locked.
“That’s odd,” he mumbled—more to himself than to me. “You were supposed to be paired off.”
Paired off?
Aw, fuck.
Don’t tell me this was some kind of couple’s retreat weekend or whatever. “Can’t say I got that memo.”
All that came with my welcome packet was an extensive list on how to keep your food safe from bears while out hiking and camping, a reassurance that CPR training that was mandatory among the staff and was strongly encouraged to obtain before coming to Austin Adventures for any newcomers, and the type of safety equipment used for overnight stays outdoors.
There were probably other things I’d skimmed over, but nothing had told me a plus one was mandatory.
He sighed. “I’m going to have to call the director.”
I had half a mind to joke about offering myself up for mercy to whatever crotchety director was about to come stomping down here from their air-conditioned office and ream me out for fucking up their program, but considering how stressed this guy suddenly seemed, I kept my lips sealed for the time being.
Even if I’d somehow caused a rift in their plans, or whatever the fuck, the ball was in my court. I’d paid handsomely to be here and anyone with half a brain and a hankering to keep my money from being yanked from their pockets was going to be encouraged to figure it out.
“Hey, Blake,” the guy spoke into his walkie. “We’ve got a situation down at drop-off. You mind coming down for a sec?”
The other end crackled for a brief moment before another voice answered. “Yep. Be right there.”
Now, a radio was nothing to go off of but to me, he at least sounded younger than fifty. A good sign.
“Sorry about this,” the guy said. “You were booked for a different package in our system.”
“Does that matter?”
“Well, the pay is different, for one.” Not that I cared, I was swimming in more funds than I knew what to do with. “And two, the pre-selected activities all require a partner.”
“Well, fuck me, huh?”
He winced. My casual tone was clearly not helping his stress levels if the pinch between his brows was anything to go off of.
Whoops.
Would reeling it back matter at this point, though?
“You don’t have any one-man kayaks or anything?”
He seemed to hesitate. “You didn’t sign up for—”
“Talos!” a voice called out, the man in front of me turning to the sound of it.
A figure jogged through the camp, pushing his way past the crowds of people wandering down the midway.
He was dressed in a pair of khaki-colored cargo shorts and a loose t-shirt that was half tucked, the other part of it billowing up just enough to show off an impressive six pack with each pounding of his foot against the hard dirt.
The keys at his hip jingled when he slowed, reaching us. “What’s going on?”
I scanned him up and down. He was young—much younger than I was expecting.
His handsome face was sun-kissed with freckles that were scattered along the bridge of his nose and cheeks, only a shade darker than his tanned skin.
His golden brown hair was parted in the middle with sun-bleached highlights woven throughout the thick strands, long enough to cover his ears and brush along his cheekbones to frame his face.
His arm muscles flexed when he rested his hands on his hips, showing off their impressive bulk.
No way was this the director of the entire place.
How old was he?
Definitely not my age. He looked fresh out of college.
“So, he’s with the deluxe package but doesn’t have anyone with him,” the man, Talos, explained. “And there’s no one else we’ve got to pair him up with in the group.”
“Oh!” The director glanced over at me. The sun caught his eyes, turning the brown pools into liquid amber. “Your plus one couldn’t make it?”
I flashed him a smile. “Something like that.”
God, he’s cute.
“Would it be such a bad thing if I was riding solo?”
“Mmm, not necessarily.”
What was his name, again?
Blake?
“But you wouldn’t be getting your money’s worth.”
He snagged the tablet from Talos’s hands, a single finger dragging along the surface of it while he flicked through whatever lists were pulled up.
My gaze was unfortunately glued to the slight crook in the digit, an old break that never quite healed right from the looks of it.
A by-product of working a job like this, I imagined.
“Is this your way of nicely kicking me off the property?”
Blake fixed his attention to me for a second. “No, of course not.”
“I guess this is the part where I get to tell you I don’t really care how much I paid for the package and that I just clicked on one randomly when I signed up.”
Silas would accuse me of being too impulsive for my own good but I liked to see it as my free-spirited nature letting the universe take its course. Whatever direction I was meant to be ushered toward, I’d take it.
No questions asked. After all, who was I to question divine energy?
He blinked a few times. “You at least read through the welcome packet, right?”
“Yeah, of course. It was something about bears right?”
He was fighting a smile, I could tell. “Among other things.”
Talos cleared his throat. “Should we, uh, put him in a solo cabin?”
“He can take the one we were going to assign to him originally.” As Blake handed the tablet back over, he shot me a knowing look. “Something tells me you won’t mind the extra room.”
I kicked the duffle at my feet. “It was the bag that gave me away, wasn’t it? Look, I tried to cut down on the necessities, but one can never be too sure which facial cream to take out into the wilderness.”
He merely shook his head at me, bringing a fist up to his face to cough into in order to cover up a very obvious laugh.
The problem with being a shameless flirt was when people resisted the charm no matter how thick I was laying it on.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved a good chase, but only if by the end of it I finally caught up to my prey.
Blake was a hard one to read. He’d thrown me off with how young he was—or at least seemed, because who knew what kind of skincare routine the man had that gave him such a youthful glow—and coupled with his good looks, I was riding on half-assumptions here.
“So, does this mean that solo kayak thing is a go?” I lifted my bag off of the ground, slipping the strap over my shoulder.
“Feel free to take up whatever activities you want in between what was planned on the itinerary. I’ll figure something out for you in the meantime. You’ve got a hike up to the waterfall in the morning, right?”
I shrugged, earning me another glowering look.
Oh, it was too easy. Blake was a fun thing to poke at, especially when it was obvious he was trying so desperately not to fall victim to my charms. I doubted the poor man swung my way, but resisting the urge to tickle any sort of reaction out of him was just too enticing to ignore.
Talos cleared his throat again. “Yes, waterfall hike starts at eight.”
I grinned. “Sounds fun.”
Blake nodded at the both of us. “Good. Talos will walk you to your cabin. Please make yourself at home. The welcome ceremony is right at noon, so head over once you’re done unpacking and getting settled.
There will be some important information that our staff will be going over so don’t miss it like you did your packet.
After that, the rest of the day is yours. ”
A laugh escaped me at the subtle dig. “Thanks, Mr. Director. Promise I won’t skimp out on this one.”
This time, he did smile. “I look forward to quizzing you in the morning.”