Chapter 2 #2
“Oh, he knows how I feel about it, but it was a pleasant escape for the day. And the next weekend we went to the city for me to get some stuff for the apartment, and that’s his least favorite thing to do. So it’s a balance.”
All he could do was nod.
“Basically, Milo, you are your own person. Do the things you enjoy and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. You’re here taking care of stuff that none of us knows how to do. So if anyone wants to make you feel like a weirdo because you don’t want to zipline or bungee jump…”
“We bungee jump here now?”
“Not the resort specifically. There’s a place on the other side of the lake that we sometimes team up with.
We bring people over on one of the boats, or sometimes Slater flies them over, and they bungee jump through the other tour company.
We don’t reciprocate, though. Like they don’t offer any of our services to their clients. ”
And that made sense too.
There were so many aspects of the resort that he had paid no attention to, and now that he was here full-time, he was discovering a lot.
“Do you like flying?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“What?”
“Flying? Do you have a fear of flying?”
That made him chuckle. “No. I fly all over the world.”
“You should ask Slater to take you up in the seaplane. The view is spectacular. Either sunrise or sunset. That might be a way for you to get a better look at the property other than using the drones.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that,” he murmured. “Thanks, Maisie. I’ll talk to him about it when I see him later.” When he turned to leave the room, she stopped him.
“What about the desk?”
“Oh, uh…yeah. Let’s keep it. Do your thing in here. The conference room is working fine for now.”
“Great! And you’re going to love your office when I’m done. I promise!”
Three days later, Nora was finishing up with one of the kiddie camps when Slater texted her.
Slater: Hey! Can you meet me at the shed office?
Slater: Lol! We really need a better name for that, don’t we?
Slater: Or maybe we just need a structure down here that’s not part of a shed.
Slater: But don’t come at me because we may have to take down some trees!
That made her laugh softly. Honestly, she wouldn’t mind an office that had some insulation in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.
And one that didn’t smell like gasoline and motor oil would be nice too.
Nora: Just finished with camp. I’ll be there in five!
Slater: Thanks!
It was a little after four and her shift was over, but they typically got together at the end of the day to talk about how things went.
All the activities were well coordinated, and it seemed like all the guests were having a great time.
Lexi was responsible for getting people to sign up and handling the business end of things, and she was great at it.
But now that she was pregnant, they were going to be hiring an assistant for her.
The plan was to wait until fall so they could get through the busy summer season, but she had no idea if Lexi was going to want to wait that long.
“I should probably ask Slater about that,” she murmured as she made her way along the path. At the shed, she let herself in and found Slater behind the desk, frowning. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”
He looked up at her distractedly before returning his attention to his laptop.
“I had gotten a deal on a pontoon boat, and we were all set for delivery, and now the seller is jerking me around on the price. He’s a local and I think he’s trying to get more money because it’s for the resort.
” Muttering a curse, he slammed the laptop shut. “I hate people sometimes.”
“I get that. Sometimes they really suck. What are you going to do?”
“I need to go and talk to him, man to man, and if he’s going to be a dick about the whole thing, then I’ll let the deal go. I can get a pontoon boat from a dealer. I just liked the convenience of buying local.”
She sat down and sighed. It felt good to be off her feet. She’d been running around all day between two hikes and camp. Tonight, she figured she’d pick up a pizza on her way home and sit with her feet up for the rest of the night.
Slater twisted in his chair to face her. “How was your day?”
“Brutal,” she said with a laugh. “I was just dreaming about how good it’s going to feel to go home and put my feet up and relax.”
“Oh.”
“Why? Did you need me for something?”
He waved her off. “It’s nothing. Forget about it. You deserve to go home and unwind.”
“Slater…”
“What? I’m serious. It was a personal favor, and it probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway.”
“Okay, now I’m curious. You never ask for favors. So what is it?”
He stared at her for just a few seconds too long, and now she wished she had just left when he said she deserved to go home and unwind.
“I was going to do a sunset flight tonight,” he said slowly.
“Is that it? I can do that. But I’d like to go up to the lodge and grab something to eat first if that’s okay. I was going to grab a pizza on the way home, but if I wait until after the flight, it will be late and the drive sucks and…sorry. I’m rambling.”
“Why does the drive suck? It’s only twenty minutes, right?”
“It is, but when I’m beat, that winding road with no lights isn’t my favorite drive.”
Then, because they were talking favors…
“I honestly wish I could rent one of the cabins here,” she said casually.
“I’m typically here when the sun’s rising, and some days I don’t leave until it’s dark.
But I couldn’t afford to rent one like a guest. That would probably take my entire paycheck.
” Laughing, she shook her head. “Anyway, so, um…yeah. I’ll do the flight after I grab something to eat. ”
When she went to stand, he stopped her. “Not so fast. It’s not just as simple as a flight.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…there’s a reason I said it probably wouldn’t have worked out. You see, I’m supposed to take Milo up for the flight. He’s never done it, and he wants to get an aerial view of the property to look at areas for the amphitheater. Like he was trying to do that day with the drone.”
Nora inwardly groaned. “Oh.”
“So now you see why I think it wouldn’t work out.”
Unfortunately, she did.
“How are things going between the two of you lately?” he asked. “Any other run-ins that I should know about?”
She shook her head. “None. I’ve only seen him from a distance and that’s it. I’ve behaved.”
He grinned. “I knew you had it in you.” Without a word, he reached for his phone and began texting someone, probably Milo to tell him he couldn’t take him on the flight tonight.
“I’m gonna head out,” she said, standing up.
“Just…give me a minute,” he said, still typing on his phone.
Sitting back down, she heard her stomach growl.
And so did Slater because he chuckled again.
After almost a solid five minutes, he put his phone down. “Okay, I have a proposition for you.”
“Um…okay…”
“Axel’s cabin is empty now that he and Maisie moved up into the owner’s suite.
It’s just sitting there vacant. The place is yours for the summer,” he went on.
“We’ll re-evaluate in the fall when things slow down here, but I don’t think it will be a problem.
You can talk to Walker tomorrow about rental costs and whatnot.
I’m sure you have a lease in town, and you’ll probably get fined for breaking it, so be sure to consider all your options. ”
“Holy crap, Slater! Really? You guys would do that for me?”
He nodded. “You are a valuable member of our team, and you really do spend a lot of time here already. It just makes sense to make things a little easier for you.”
“Oh my goodness! This is amazing! Thank you!” Jumping up, she went over and hugged him. “You have no idea how much this means to me! If you ever need a favor…”
And when she pulled back, she knew exactly what he was going to say.
Dammit.
“You know I’m not going to hold you to anything, Nora, so relax. Would I like it if you could take the flight with Milo? Absolutely. But I also know he’ll be fine if he has to wait another day or two. It’s not a big deal.”
It would be easy to agree, but considering what he just did for her, it would be petty to just thank him and leave.
“I can take him on the flight. Really. As long as he’s not a big baby who’s going to freak out in a small plane, we’ll be fine.” When Slater didn’t say anything, she felt a slight twinge of unease. “He’s not afraid of small planes, right? Slater?”
“He’s never flown in one before, but he flies all over the world for business, so I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“Okay, how about this: have him meet me up in the restaurant and we’ll talk. If he’s okay with me taking the flight with him, then we’re all good. If not, at least you know I tried.”
To be the bigger person , she almost added, but refrained.
He studied her again. “This almost feels too easy.”
Shrugging, she grinned. “When people act like adults, it is easy.”
“And there’s my little smartass,” he teased. “Get yourself something to eat. Tell the server to put it on my tab.”
“You don’t need to do that. I can buy my own dinner.”
“I know, but if Milo’s joining you, it’s the least I can do.”
You got that right…
Nora watched as he picked up his phone. “I’ll text him now and let him know he’s meeting you and not me. If he backs out, I’ll text you. But dinner’s still on me.”
“Thanks, Slater.”
After running up to the activities office in the lodge and quickly freshening up, Nora went to the restaurant and waited to be seated. Glancing around, she didn’t see Milo anywhere but had a feeling he was going to bail.
Which would be her preference because she wasn’t looking forward to taking him up in the plane, just the two of them.
Although, to be fair, she really didn’t know him.
Not really.
But once she was seated, it felt like the perfect time to maybe do a little research on Milo Keene.
You know. Just in case.