Chapter 3
The next morning, which was Friday, Parker arrived at RTA shortly after sunrise. He’d slept well and grabbed breakfast and coffee on the way in to work. His first tour group would be a morning hike finishing up with some trout fishing, but they weren’t due to arrive for another hour.
Even though they’d agreed that Genna would have Thursdays off, her new schedule wasn’t set to start until the following week. Selfishly, Parker was glad. Though he didn’t spend a lot of time inside the office, when he did, he found himself constantly wanting to be near her.
He didn’t understand how she could have such a strong effect on him, especially after all this time. Since she’d clearly moved on and regarded him as just another coworker, he wanted to do the same.
But he couldn’t. And for good reason. Not only was she beautiful, but there was something about her. When she smiled, the woman freaking glowed.
The guests adored her. The other RTA guides did, too. No wonder Parker still struggled with a fierce rush of attraction every time they shared the same space.
He wondered how long it would take for him to get past that. If he would ever be able to change the way he felt about her. He had to.
Tonight, they’d all be going out for an informal meal and a drink or two. He’d already told himself several times that he needed to keep his distance from her and to let the others all get to know her.
Even if he wanted to do exactly that more than he would have ever believed possible. In the few days that she’d worked for RTA, she’d been politely professional. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Once at the office, Parker made a pot of coffee and poured himself a second cup.
Genna walked in about thirty minutes later. “Good morning,” she said, smiling. “You sure are here early. If I remember right, your group isn’t scheduled to leave for another half an hour.”
Though his heart leapt into his throat the instant her bright green gaze found his, he managed to smile back. “The weather is looking iffy,” he said, pulling out his phone and opening the weather app. “See. Look at the radar.”
Accepting his phone, she studied the screen before handing it back. “It’s a few hours out,” she said. “Hopefully, it will break up before it reaches us.”
After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she flashed an impersonal smile and disappeared into her office.
Which left him alone in the front counter area, with nothing to do but wait for his group to arrive.
The tour went off as planned, and even though he made sure to be attentive and give his guests the best possible time, his thoughts kept returning to Genna. He didn’t know what it was about her, but he’d thought about her more than he should have.
He had three more tours after this one. He’d better keep his attention focused where it needed to be.
When he returned with the morning group to headquarters, Genna had already left for lunch. Spence was filling in for her. He laughed when he noticed Parker looking around for her. “She’ll be back, cuz.”
“Who?” Parker asked, fooling no one. “I need to eat something before I go back out. I was hoping I could get Genna to bring me something.”
“So call her.” The phone rang just then and Spence went to answer it.
Pulling out his own phone, Parker scrolled through his contacts until he found Genna’s number. Then, shaking his head, he decided he’d just go grab something to eat himself. He had another batch of clients due to arrive in an hour. Who knew? Maybe he’d even run into Genna when he was out.
After asking Spence if he wanted anything, Parker jumped into his truck and headed off.
The closest fast-food place also happened to be his favorite.
Pulling into the parking lot, he did a quick scan to see if he could spot Genna’s car.
Once he realized she must have gone somewhere else for lunch, he decided to go through the drive-through and take his burger back to eat at RTA.
He’d barely finished eating when he spotted Genna’s little red car pulling up.
His heart rate accelerated as he wadded up his wrapper and tossed it in the trash.
He couldn’t help but watch as she crossed the parking lot.
With the sun in her gold hair and her jaunty walk, she embodied everything he found attractive in a woman.
As she breezed through the front door, Spence looked up from the computer and greeted her. “I’m glad you’re back. It looks like my next group and Parker’s are back-to-back.”
“Great,” she said, smiling at him. She barely even glanced at Parker. “I like being busy.”
As if on cue, several SUVs pulled up.
“That’s probably my group,” Parker said, keeping his voice casual. “Let me know once you get them checked in, please.”
“Will do,” she chirped, still avoiding eye contact.
“Thanks.” Stung, Parker went back into the storeroom, pretending he needed to get supplies.
Spence followed him. “What the hell was that?”
Not even bothering to pretend he didn’t know what his cousin meant, Parker shrugged. “I’m not sure. She seemed fine when I left this morning.”
“You didn’t do something, did you?”
“No,” Parker replied. “I did not.”
“Is it like this every day between the two of you?” Spence crossed his arms.
“No. Maybe she just had a bad lunch. No idea.” He glanced at his smartwatch. “I’ve got to go. I’m due to take my group out in ten minutes.”
“Wait. Are we still all meeting up as a group tonight for dinner and drinks?” Spence asked.
“Yes.” Parker didn’t tell his cousin that he’d been looking forward to tonight all week. Maybe once Genna was out of the office, the two of them would be able to interact in a friendlier manner.
The instant Parker stepped into the main area, several of the guests greeted him. As regulars, they always made sure to book tours with him. All of the tour guides had their favorites and, honestly, seeing the familiar faces from years past just made the outing more enjoyable.
“Is everyone checked in?” Parker asked, directing his question to Genna.
Without looking up from her computer, she nodded. “Yes. You all are ready to go.”
“Excellent.” Looking around at all the guests’ excited faces, he grinned. “Let’s head out.”
They all followed, talking at once.
The rest of the day went in similar fashion. He brought back one group, had a small break, during which he did his best to avoid Genna, and then his next batch arrived.
The overcast skies had threatened rain all day.
Parker kept an eye on the clouds while taking his latest group four-wheeling up the mountain.
When they reached their destination, a meadow with a small lake, the wind swirled the colorful leaves.
Several of the guests dismounted, walking around and taking pictures.
When Parker pointed out the black bear on the other side of the water, cautioning guests to remain close, more people got out their phones to snap photos. This group had traveled from the Lower 48, where the sight of any kind of bear was uncommon. They all seemed thrilled.
The rain held off for the trip back down, too.
Parker counted his blessings as they parked the four-wheelers in the storage barn and made their way back to headquarters.
This time, instead of getting everything ready for the next trip, Parker followed the group into the building.
He hung out in the waiting area while Genna checked the guests out one by one.
All of the other employees, including Spence, had left for the day.
With her broad smile and efficient process, she somehow managed to make each individual feel special.
He marveled at the way each person reacted to her charm.
As the last guest said his goodbyes, thunder shook the building, followed by a bright flash of lightning. Startled, Genna squeaked then flashed him a sheepish smile. “I hope he makes it to his car,” she said as they both watched the guest break into a run.
As the man drove away, the sky opened up. Rain came down in sheets, the wind sending it sideways. More thunder, several rounds this time in succession, several lightning flashes and a loud boom.
“That sounded like an explosion,” Genna said. Just then the power went out.
When she made another tiny squeak, Parker fought the urge to go to her and pull her into his arms. “It’s going to be all right,” he said instead.
“Lightning struck somewhere close.” He went to the front window and tried to see out.
“As long as it didn’t start a fire, we’ll be okay.
We can just hang out here until the storm passes. ”
She made a sound that might have passed for agreement.
Another crack of thunder and immediately a lightning flash illuminated the room, showing him she remained on the backside of the counter.
“That was close,” he commented. The need to hold her, touch her, tell her he’d keep her safe, consumed him. Instead, he reminded himself that they were only coworkers, nothing more.
“I don’t like this,” she said, sounding disgruntled. “I checked the weather this morning before I came to work and it wasn’t supposed to rain until later tonight.”
Since RTA had a fireplace, he knew he could light a fire. They often did, especially in the winter when they needed to chase away the chill. If the day hadn’t ended, he might have. He could imagine himself and Genna, sharing a glass of wine on the couch with a fire blazing in the background.
Clearly, he’d gone over the edge. Digging out his phone, he pulled up his weather app. “Judging by what I see on the radar, it’s going to rain for a good while.”
“Great, just great. I guess we’ll need to cancel the get-together tonight.”
The disappointment in her voice matched the way he felt. “I think we should. Let me send out a group text and let everyone know. We’ll reschedule it for next Friday.”