24. Haven
Chapter Twenty-Four
Haven
“And this is Chloe,” my mom said, gesturing toward the woman in her office.
“Hi, Chloe,” I greeted, lifting my hand in a wave.
Chloe smiled up at me. “Nice to meet you, Haven. Looks like I’ll be hitting the ground running,” she added.
My mom looked pleased as punch. “Elsa already got her all set up, and Chloe is super savvy with computer stuff.”
The chime from the front entrance reached us, and my mom glanced between us. “I’ll be right back. That’s the delivery I’m expecting.”
Chloe had a fresh-cheeked prettiness to her, and I took a moment to see if I felt anything.
Not because I was even remotely interested, but almost a mental test for myself.
Because I hadn’t felt anything when it came to women, except for Elsa, since the fire.
I couldn’t even dredge up the slightest bit of anything other than objective appreciation for Chloe.
Elsa had ruined me.
Even though last night I could have taken the chance to agree with Elsa that maybe things were getting too complicated, I was in way too deep. The idea of trying to back out was worse than navigating the treacherous territory we were in.
Chloe had luxurious dark hair in a riot of curls around her face and big, round blue eyes.
“My mom’s thrilled to have you here. We all are.
We’re gonna need you to hit the ground running.
But just a heads-up, my mom means well, but she’s run this place basically since she was a teenager, back when it was all on paper.
Because that’s when her parents ran it, and then she helped them.
Even when my dad was here with her, they didn’t do much online.
You’ll have to manage her and thread that needle while we modernize. ”
Chloe’s smile was warm. “Got it. I think I can do this.”
“Welcome to Heartfire Falls,” I said with a chuckle. “Do you need anything from us?”
Just then, Cole appeared in the doorway. “Chloe,” he said. “Love the name.”
“You do?” Chloe’s eyes narrowed.
Cole shrugged. “Yeah. It starts with C, like my name.”
Chloe chuckled. “Well, good. I’m glad you like my name.”
“And of course, she needs help from us. We don’t pull that gender shit around here. You know this, Haven,” Cole scolded me as he narrowed his eyes with a mock glare.
Chloe looked between us. “I didn’t expect that at all. Your mom said it’s kind of an all-hands-on-deck-for-everyone thing.”
“Absolutely,” I said, narrowing my eyes at Cole. “Anyway, we have a waitlist, or a list, I should say. And all we need is to clear the inspection, which is?—”
“Your mom said it was this afternoon,” Chloe cut in.
My brows hitched up, but I nodded along. “And I’ll be here for that.” I glanced toward Cole. “Jude’s over at the rescue today.”
“Got it. Okay, so we’ll both be here for that inspection,” Cole replied.
“Great then. Elsa had sort of like a background website set up and waiting for you guys to check out. Do you want to take a look? If you’re good with it, I’ll just activate it,” Chloe said.
“Elsa made a website?” I prompted.
“You don’t even realize how amazing Elsa is,” Cole said with a brow waggle.
“Oh, but I do,” I chimed in.
“Well, you didn’t apparently know how amazing,” he teased. Cole glanced toward Chloe. “Haven has the hots for Elsa. He’s in love with her, but he just hasn’t figured it out yet.”
I nearly choked and elbowed him hard in the side.
“Where is Elsa, by the way?” he asked.
“She has another job. You know, wildlife biologist,” I returned dryly.
“Oh yeah, that’s why she’s showing up for dinner these days all covered in sand.” Cole nodded.
Of course, that comment sent a sizzle of electricity through me, and my mind instantly conjured up the sight of a sandy Elsa stepping into the shower. One thing led to another in my thoughts, and the next thought was Elsa coming all over my cock in the shower.
Fuck my life. I needed to focus.
I cleared my throat. “Let’s take a look at that website.”
Chloe pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, and she spun her laptop around to click through a few screens.
“Holy shit, this is amazing,” Cole exclaimed.
“It is,” Chloe agreed. “She did a great job. It’s simple but nice.
Simple is good because you don’t want a complicated website where people get confused.
Elsa made the page where people can make reservations and where to find information, and she even linked it to the hotshot firefighter’s web page for Willow Brook since you guys help out there.
”The office phone rang, and Chloe immediately answered.
“Heartfire Falls Resort, how may I help you?”
Cole met my gaze and waggled his brows , mouthing, “Professional.” I grinned.
“This website really does look amazing,” Cole said quietly while Chloe jotted down some information on a notepad.
After she finished the call, she smiled, her eyes twinkling. “You all are popular.”
“We were always busy before the fire. It’s been a decade, though, so we didn’t know how this would go. We gotta get back up and running.”
“How do people still know about us?” Cole asked.
“You are too young to recall,” I commented.“But we always had a waitlist.”
“What do you think of the website?” Chloe asked.
“Publish it. It’s perfect,” I said.
“Y’all are lucky to have Elsa,” Chloe pointed out.
“Haven’s real lucky to have her,” Cole added, his tone sly.
I could see the dare there when I slid my eyes to his. He was all but daring me to protest. I ignored him. “Elsa’s amazing. What do you need from us?”
“Well, your mom wants me to start with the reservations and handle all that. She seems to have the supplies under control. I just need to know the scheduling for the hikes and things. How do you handle that?”
“We roll with it,” I said. Chloe pressed her lips together, giving me a stern look. “What? We can’t just roll with it.”
She pulled out a notebook and started flipping through it. “Okay, the Brents want to fish. This other family wants to hike. Another family wants to get flown somewhere. Another group wants fishing, hiking, camping, and rock climbing. A group of college students wants...”
“Okay, I get it,” I replied, holding up my hand.
“Yeah, we need to be organized. I know they can fish out there in the waterfall, but we need a concrete plan for each trip,” Chloe explained.
“We can all do all of those things,” Cole chimed in.
“Being organized will be a new experience for us,” I teased.
“I asked Chloe to organize things,” our mom said as she walked into the office, hands on hips. She looked toward Cole first. “Before, we did just roll with it. But it was always a little by-the-seat-of-our-pants kind of thing. I’d like a plan, please and thank you.”
“I promised your mama we’d have a plan,” Chloe chimed in.
“Where are you from?” Cole asked.
Chloe’s sharp gaze shifted to him. “Low country, South.”
“Dare I ask what you’re doing here?” he added.
“You can dare.” Her brows arched up.
“Sheesh, what are you doing in Alaska, Miss Chloe?”
“My daddy loves to fish, so we moved here.”
“Well, I think the fishing here is kind of different from fishing in the low country,” Cole said slowly.
“Oh, I’m certain it is, and that’s why this job is perfect for me. I’m going to learn everything I need to know, so I can take my daddy everywhere.” The love in her eyes when she spoke of her father shone as bright as a star in the sky.
“You came to the right place for that,” our mom said firmly.
“What’s for dinner tonight?” Cole asked.
“He always wants to know what’s for dinner,” I offered dryly.
“I thought we might order pizza because it’s been a hectic day, and I haven’t had time to prep anything,” our mom said.
“I don’t mind driving into town to pick it up,” I offered.
“All right, you order enough for everybody.” She looked over at Chloe. “Do you want to stay for dinner? You can stay for dinner any night.”
“I actually need to get home and make my dad dinner.”
“Well, he is also welcome for dinner anytime.” My mom shooed us out. “Chloe and I have things to work on. You could watch us, but I’d prefer not.”
“Good to meet you, Chloe,” I called as Cole and I began to make our way out. “We’ll see you around, and we’ll come up with a schedule.”
Cole nudged me with his shoulder as we walked down the hall. “I gotta go finish up the wiring. It’s still funky in the laundry area.” Cole was a trained electrician, among other things. “Make sure to get a pepperoni pizza.”
“As if I wouldn’t get a pepperoni pizza,” I deadpanned.