Chapter 1 #2
Since then, he didn’t go out of his way to seek her out, but considering he was doing a lot of walking around the property for the amphitheater project, they typically ran into each other. And every time she was either coming back from a hike, or kayaking, or some other sporting activity.
That’s her job, genius.
Yeah, Nora was working with Slater on all the activities here at the resort. She was very athletic and seemed to step up to every challenge with ease. Meanwhile, he tended to flinch if a ball was thrown in his direction.
Everyone knew he wasn’t exactly the outdoorsy or athletic type, but having her know it bugged him.
And she knew it. The smirk she seemed to always throw his way when she spotted him out and about said it all.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t play sports or that he didn’t enjoy being out here in the rustic wilderness, but it definitely wasn’t his comfort zone.
Play to your strengths, right? And this wasn’t it.
In the distance, he saw her circling back again and groaned. She leaned forward, adjusting her trajectory as if she were reading his thoughts, and then zipped past him, spraying more water that left his hoodie plastered to his back.
“Really? You could let a guy have one quiet morning, you know!” he shouted after her, though the mist swallowed most of his words.
She circled back, slowing just enough to hover near the dock. “Quiet mornings are for people who hide behind screens and spreadsheets,” she said, sharp enough to sting. “I know you tech guys think this entire lake is a simulation, but some of us like doing it for real.”
Milo blinked. “I… I don’t…that’s not what I’m doing.”
“Yeah, right. Sure,” she shot back, and he knew she was rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses.
“You’re scouting out more spots to take down trees and ruin the beauty of the property so you have an opportunity to make more money.
” She snorted with disgust. “Not every piece of land needs to be destroyed for the sake of the mighty dollar. I’m sure that’s not what they taught you at your fancy college, but maybe you should stick to the cities and leave this beautiful landscape alone. ”
And before he could respond, she was gone.
Spraying him one last time as she went.
For several moments he didn’t move or focus on just how wet his clothes now were; he just watched her go.
That was the longest she’d ever spoken to him, and he wished he could have thought of something to say so they could have an actual conversation.
Particularly one where she’s not making all kinds of assumptions about him. It would be nice if she took a minute to know something about him.
Or if she even wanted to.
Because…he’d be okay with that.
The sun was up, and it already felt like today was going to be another scorcher. Still, having the lake all to herself before the resort guests were up and about was a great way to start the day.
Securing the jet ski, Nora couldn’t help but smile. “Life is good,” she whispered before straightening and staring out at the glorious view.
The lake, the mountains, the blue sky…it made her happy.
This job made her happy. There was something about being outdoors that just fed her soul.
After years of working for extreme sports tour companies, it was nice to do things at a slower pace so she could actually have some downtime to enjoy the wonder of Mother Nature.
“Until some jerk cuts it all down and blocks what’s left with more buildings that no one needs.”
And she knew who that jerk was.
Milo Keene.
She dubbed him king of the jerks.
“Ugh, what am I, twelve?” Grabbing her tote bag off the dock, she made her way to the supply shed.
She and Slater had set up a mini office down there so they could be close to the lake and where the bulk of the activities were.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was functional.
But as she walked past a row of cabins, she couldn’t help but wish she had one for herself.
Her apartment in town was fine, but she was lonely.
At least if she were here, she’d be around people all the time.
Not that she felt the need to be around people 24/7, but since moving to Harbortown and coming to work at the resort, there was a definite shift in how she looked at life.
She’d grown up with a great family, a ton of friends, and a healthy dose of travel that included every kind of outdoor activity—hiking, skiing, swimming, kayaking, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping…
you name it, they did it. Her family was full of overachievers who lived for the thrill of… well…thrills.
But they just didn’t have the same appeal anymore.
Sure, it was fun to take a group of resort guests on a hike up one of the mountains, but these weren’t overly challenging, nothing a beginner hiker couldn’t handle.
And even though she took other groups parasailing around the lake and even on the small zip-line course they built, she was having more fun helping with the kid camps.
Not that it was surprising. Her siblings were all married with kids, and she had become the favorite aunt to all her nieces and nephews. But after every visit, when everyone left and she was alone, she started feeling a longing for what her sisters and brother had.
She wanted a family of her own.
She met a lot of people in her line of work, but they were usually part of a tour who were only there temporarily, and then she’d never see them again.
But that wasn’t the only deterrent.
Most of the guys she met were either frat boys who were just looking for a good time, or guys going through a mid-life crisis and thought doing some extreme sports would help them recapture their youth.
Dating guys like that was so not what she wanted.
But she really wanted to go on a date. It had been so long since she’d gone out with a man, but she was done settling for just any guy who asked her out.
Not that anyone had asked lately.
“Pretty hard to date when you don’t have roots anywhere.”
Could Harbortown be where she put down roots? Maybe. It wasn’t terrible, but this was still primarily a resort town. And just like all her other jobs, everyone she met was only here for vacation. A few weeks tops.
Rounding the bend in the path, she spotted Slater talking to…
“Oh, no…”
Milo.
Milo, who was undoubtedly ratting her out because she splashed him with the jet ski.
It was a pretty childish thing to do, but he was always so uptight and pristine looking that she thought he could use a bit of mussing up.
Every time she saw him he was in khaki shorts and either a polo shirt or a button-down, short-sleeve shirt.
Did the man even own a t-shirt? Or go out without brushing his hair?
The sun had barely been up and he looked like he could hold a business meeting on a yacht.
Right now, he didn’t look quite so polished and put together.
But he did look mad.
Nora stepped off the path and casually waited behind a tree until he walked away.
She knew she could explain herself to Slater.
He was incredibly cool and laid back and enjoyed pushing people’s buttons for the sake of lightening the mood.
So that’s what she was going to go with if he asked why she decided to splash his friend.
Peering out from behind the pine tree, she made sure the coast was clear before continuing up the path. Stepping into the storage shed, she found Slater sitting at the desk, feet up, hands clasped behind his head, grinning.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully.
“Good morning. You just getting here?”
“Um…yeah,” she lied as she put her tote bag down.
“Did you swim here? Because you look like you just came off the lake.” His tone was light, so she knew it was pointless to even try to keep up the ruse.
“Fine. I got here over an hour ago and took one of the jet skis out to watch the sunrise.”
All he did was nod.
“I’m used to being up early and the view from my apartment is pretty dismal, so I thought I’d come here. It’s nice having the lake to myself before we start all the activities for the day.”
Another nod.
Huffing, she started to get defensive. “There’s over fifteen hundred acres here, why does he have to come to the lake, huh? Why can’t he find someplace else to start the day?”
Now he arched a brow.
“Why is he always by the damn lake? Isn’t he here to do tech stuff? Can’t he work up in the lodge or something?” She huffed with annoyance again. “And most normal people—you know, with common sense—would know to step back when a jet ski is coming through. So it’s not my fault that he got wet.”
Swinging his feet down, Slater sat up straight, folding his hands on the desk. “Okay, I’m going to stop you before you dig yourself an even bigger hole. You do realize that Milo’s one of the owners here, right?”
She nodded.
“And while he’s not as hands-on as me, Axel, Connor, or Walker, he’s still one of your bosses.
The guys and I all agreed early on that we could hire our own staff for our own departments without getting everyone else’s approval.
But…we also agreed that if someone was causing issues or not a good fit, that we could step in. ”
Dread hit like a lead bomb in her stomach. “Oh.”
“And Milo’s stepping in.”
“Slater, I just…”
He held up a hand to stop her. “Look, I’m all for messing with him too. We all do it in good fun, but unfortunately, everything that’s transpired between the two of you comes off as you being a bit of a bully.”
“Oh, please. I am not a bully. I had perfectly good reasons for all the things that…transpired.”
“The drone?”
“He was being a perv! I was sunbathing out on the lake and he used the drone to spy on me!”
“So he saw you in your bathing suit and you destroyed a $10,000 drone? You don’t think that’s excessive? He wanted to fire you because of that!”
Nora felt her cheeks heat. “I wasn’t exactly…wearing my bathing suit,” she murmured. “Just the bottoms.”