Chapter 2
Henley
Spilled Coffee and an Interview
“Jesus Christ, you look like shit.” Warren, one of my ski instructors and most dependable employees, gawks at me as I walk through the front doors of the lodge a not-so-fashionable twenty minutes late.
When I finally figured out how to dress Remy in one of the tiny outfits from the diaper bag and managed to leave the house, she threw up formula all over both of us.
I had to change into a new shirt, but then she projectile pooped all over my fresh shirt before I had a chance to change her outfit too.
I never knew that getting out the door in the morning could feel like an Olympic sport.
With my third shirt of the day on, I head for my office with Warren hot on my heels. “Thanks, Warren. If I fire you later, just remember this moment.”
“Well, what’s with the bags under your eyes, the bedhead, and the, uh…baby that you’re carrying in that car seat?”
Setting the carrier on my desk, I look down to find Remy sleeping peacefully. Of course she fucking sleeps now.
Last night, it took me three hours to get her to calm down, and then she only slept for an hour before she screamed again for another two.
By the time she finally passed out, I was nearly in tears and went through almost all of the diapers and formula Meghan left me.
As soon as I’m done with my interviews this morning, I’m headed to Asheville.
We don’t have a store big enough here in Blossom Peak that would have everything I need for this little bundle of screams and shit—I mean, my daughter.
Transfixed by how fucking cute she is as she’s sleeping, a mixture of feelings rolls through me.
Last night, I seriously thought the Devil himself had possessed my child.
But as she drifted off to sleep and laid her head on my chest, where she slept for the remaining hour and a half before my alarm went off, I couldn’t help the overwhelming streak of protectiveness that lodged itself in the center of my chest and calmed me quicker than I could have imagined.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a baby as cute as mine.
And now I’m thoroughly convinced that the reason why babies are so adorable is so that you don’t scream back in their faces when they won’t stop crying.
“This is my daughter,” I tell Warren, waiting for his reaction.
His eyes bounce between me and my baby before he clears his throat. “I’m sorry, did you say, your daughter?”
“That’s exactly what I said.”
“Uh…how did you…when did you…”
“Yesterday. I found out yesterday.” Keeping my eyes on Remy, I say, “And even though I’d love to fill you in on all of the details, I have three interviews this morning, so I need to get back out there.”
I turn to leave, but Warren calls out to me the second my hand hits the doorknob. “Henley?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you forgetting something?” Warren points to the carrier still resting on my desk.
“Shit.” Smacking my palm to my forehead, I retrace my footsteps, grab the carrier by the handle, and head back toward the front of the lodge where I set Remy’s carrier beside the empty booths of the restaurant, where I’ll be conducting the interviews.
I can’t believe I almost forgot her in my office.
Looks like I won’t be winning Dad of the Year anytime soon.
My quest to find help for the upcoming winter season is still in full force, though, so it’s time for me to take off my dad hat and put my boss hat back on so my business doesn’t fall apart like the rest of my life.
During the winter, this place draws skiers, snowboarders, and families with young kids to enjoy the winter activities, scenery, and Santa’s Village that the resort transforms into in December.
But during the summer, the adventure side of the property opens with ropes courses, ziplining, bike trails, hiking trails, rock climbing, and other activities that allow us to operate year-round.
And this year’s numbers have been record-breaking. I don’t want to burn out my employees or myself, so I need to hire more help fast. But finding reliable help isn’t easy.
“Hey, Henley.” Jessica, one of my employees, comes up to me with a cup of coffee as I exit the hallway by my office. “You look like you could use this.”
Eagerly, I take it and drink like my life depends on it, not even caring that it burns my tongue in the process. “What makes you say that?”
She offers a sympathetic smile. “I heard about the baby.” She nods toward Remy. “How are you holding up?”
“Well, it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours, even if it feels like I’ve been awake that long. Check back in a few days.”
Jessica nods before glancing at the waiting area. “Two of your interview candidates are here, waiting and ready. The other one—”
But she doesn’t get a chance to finish because as I spin to look at the waiting area, coffee cup still in hand, a warm body runs right into me and sends scalding hot coffee flying.
“What the fuck?”
“Oh my God!”
Jessica gasps. “Holy crap! Are you two okay?”
Wincing, I wipe the coffee that splashed on my face so I can open my eyes. But when I do, I’m met with the most stunning pair of gray eyes staring back at me.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” the woman says, reaching out to my chest, trying to wipe away the coffee that’s already soaked into my shirt.
All she’s really doing is running her hands up and down my pecs and abs, which isn’t helping the situation at all.
In fact, it’s actually making my dick wake up even though he’s as tired as the rest of me.
But I haven’t been touched by a woman in a few weeks, so my body is appreciating the attention, regardless of the timing.
I catch her wrists and gently create space between us. “It’s okay. It was an accident.” Remy decides to make her presence known at that moment, fussing in her carrier. “Shit, I need to get her.”
Jessica clears her throat. “Let me get you two some clean shirts from the back. Elodie?” Jessica says to the woman.
“Yeah?”
“Follow me this way. I can show you where you can clean up.”
Elodie.
Fuck. That’s a beautiful name.
And as I watch the woman walk away from me, I determine she has a beautiful ass as well.
Shaking off my natural instinct to follow her and find out what she looks like naked—because that’s exactly what I would normally do—I turn back to Remy who isn’t fussing anymore, but looking up at me with wide eyes.
“This day is just off to a great start, huh, Remy?”
Warren comes up behind me, holding out a brand-new Sky’s the Limit T-shirt and a warm, wet towel. “You look like you could use these.”
“Thanks.” I shuck my ruined shirt and wipe my chest, arms, and face off before replacing my shirt for the fourth time today. When I look up, I find Jessica and Elodie staring at me.
Elodie’s cheeks flush and she looks away quickly, heading toward the waiting area and taking a seat with the other two women waiting for their interviews.
“Is she…”
“One of your potential new hires?” Jessica finishes for me. “Yup.”
Jesus Christ.
Warren stifles his laughter behind his hand. “Nothing like a human resources nightmare to start off the hiring process, am I right?”
“Your commentary isn’t necessary,” I grumble, trying to focus on my next task while simultaneously avoiding looking at the woman with the stark gray eyes. “Now, both of you get back to work before I find replacements for you too.”
Warren and Jessica share a laugh. “It’s funny that you think you could replace us,” Warren says as they walk away.
Remy starts to fuss again, making me sigh. “All right, little one. I’ve got you.” Unbuckling and lifting her from her car seat, I struggle to find a position to hold her that’s comfortable. Remy’s head lolls around as I fumble, but before I can find the right fit, a throat clears behind me.
“Need some help?” Elodie is there, arms outstretched.
I momentarily hesitate, this protective instinct flaring in my chest, but when Elodie smiles at my daughter, Remy lunges for her, so I have no choice but to hand her over.
“There we go,” Elodie coos, holding Remy in her arms like it’s the most natural thing she’s ever done. “Well, aren’t you a beauty?”
“Thanks.”
Elodie quirks a brow at me. “I was talking to the baby.”
“Well, that’s half of my DNA you’re holding, so I figured I could take credit.” I reach out to shake her hand. “I’m Henley, by the way.”
Her hand meets mine, soft skin and warmth. “Elodie. Sorry again for spilling coffee on you.”
“Trust me, compared to what else I’ve been covered in today, coffee’s an upgrade.”
Her brows draw together, but thankfully she doesn’t press for details about the many fluids that I’ve already encountered today. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but if she’s yours, why were you holding her like she was a bomb that was about to explode?”
“If you’d seen how this little thing fills up a diaper, you’d understand.”
Elodie rolls her eyes, laughing. “She’s a baby.”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I stare down at the ground. “Yeah, and I didn’t know she existed until yesterday.”
She freezes. “What?”
Sighing, I say, “It’s a long story. Anyway, you ready for your interview? Might as well do you first since you’re here.” Her lips fold in on themselves as she fights her smile, and that’s when it dawns on me what I just said. “Shit, I didn’t mean it like that…I meant—”
Warren was right. Everything that’s happening with this woman is an HR nightmare.
“It’s okay,” Elodie cuts me off, shuffling Remy in her arms as she slides into the booth. “Let’s just move forward. Huh, baby bear?” Looking down at my daughter, she rubs their noses together. Remy lets out a squeal I haven’t heard from her yet, followed by the most precious, gum-filled smile.
Jesus, I have a kid.
When I take my seat opposite them, something shifts in my chest, but I can’t quite put a name to it. “You’re good with her. Do you have kids?”
Elodie snorts. “Yikes. Sorry, that wasn’t cute.”
Actually, it kind of was.
Fuck. That’s the last thing I should be thinking about when it comes to this woman, but I can’t deny how captivating she is.
Her long, dark hair glistens under the light hanging above us, spilling down her back like silk.
Those sparkling, gray eyes are so unique, I can’t help but stare.
And her lips—plump, a deep rose, and spread into a grin as she studies my daughter—make me wonder what they would look like pressed against my chest, trailing lower as she makes her way down my abs to my…
“Henley?”
Her voice breaks through my daydream. Clearing my throat, I focus back on what she’s saying. “Yeah?”
“You looked like you were lost in thought there for a second.”
I was. I was thinking about your fucking mouth. “Sorry. I, uh, didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Elodie bounces Remy in her arms as my baby girl rests her head on Elodie’s shoulder. The sight makes me want to snap a picture, like it’s a moment I want to remember forever.
My mind is being taken over by thoughts and feelings that are so foreign to me, I’m truly wondering if the lack of sleep is altering my brain chemistry.
“How old is she?”
“Three months. She was born in May.” Though I had no idea until Meghan told me last night, I still feel guilty for all that I’ve missed.
“She’s such a doll.” Remy wraps her hand around Elodie’s finger, pumping her tiny fist up and down.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t think that when she’s screaming bloody murder at one o’clock in the morning.”
“Aw, it’s normal for babies to fuss in the middle of the night.”
I extend a hand toward them. “Well, she obviously likes you.”
Elodie shifts Remy on her chest where she’s dozing off, her little eyes fluttering open and closed.
“It’s the boobs.”
Fuck, don’t look at her boobs, Henley.
“To answer your earlier question, no, I don’t have kids.” Elodie’s eyes scan my face for a few seconds before she says, “My mom owns a daycare. I’ve been around little kids my whole life. Before I moved out, I helped her take care of her little cubs, as she calls them.”
“A daycare, huh?” The lightbulb practically blinds me when it clicks on in my mind, a solution to one of my problems becoming clear as day.
Shuffling in my seat, I prepare what I’m going to say.
“Look, I know you came here to interview for the restaurant job at the lodge, but I actually have another position I think you’d be perfect for. ”
Her mouth falls open. “Really? What is it?”
I take a deep breath and say, “My nanny.”