Chapter 11
Alaska smiled serenely into her mug of coffee as she sat on Drake’s back porch.
She’d been at The Refuge for just two weeks and was already feeling better.
Stronger. She’d even been back to Los Alamos, and didn’t feel quite as much need to check every few seconds that no one was preparing to grab her from behind while in the store.
She’d gotten better at being alone too. She still didn’t feel completely comfortable, but Mutt helped. A lot. Whenever Drake had to go off and do something related to running The Refuge, he made sure Mutt stayed with her.
With every day that passed, Alaska felt a little more normal. As far as she was concerned, this place was a miracle. It truly was a refuge, where she could regain her equilibrium and the confidence to face the world again.
But not quite yet. She was perfectly happy to hang out here and simply exist.
The more she got to know Drake’s friends, the more she liked them.
They had very different personalities, but still similar in that they were protective, a little bossy, and kind.
Alaska wasn’t sure she’d ever met a group of men who were more growly and intense, or such overachievers.
All of them were dedicated to making The Refuge the best it could be, wanting each and every guest to leave feeling better than when they’d arrived.
And speaking of making things better…Drake was currently over at the lodge.
He had a meeting with the rest of his friends about an overseas investor.
The man had apparently heard about The Refuge from acquaintances who lived in Los Alamos and worked at the government’s top-secret research facility located nearby.
He’d gotten a hold of Drake through the contact link on the website, and after a week of emails back and forth, The Refuge owners had agreed to meet with him via video conference.
Drake hadn’t said much more than that, but Alaska could tell he was curious about what the potential investor had to offer. The man must’ve been very convincing, because Drake and his friends were already savvy businessmen.
Mutt had climbed into her lap and was perfectly content to lie there and be petted as Alaska enjoyed her mandatory cup of coffee, soaking in her surroundings.
She loved the sweet dog. Though honestly, everything about The Refuge appealed to her.
The cabins, the lodge. The employees were all extremely welcoming and nice…
even the guests had been low-key and respectful.
She and Drake had checked out a few more of the hikes, and even being in the forest somehow calmed her.
She’d never really been an outdoorsy kind of person. The last twenty years had been spent in various cities. She hadn’t even owned hiking boots until Drake had bought her that first pair a couple of weeks ago.
Now she could identify a few different kinds of mushrooms, and even poison ivy. Okay, that wasn’t terribly impressive, but for someone who’d never been within ten feet of the vine before, she thought it was a good first step.
Her things had recently arrived from overseas, and Drake had rented a storage unit for her.
It was weird to see her entire life, things she’d last seen before she’d left for vacation, all neatly packed in a relatively small number of boxes.
She didn’t even want to think about someone touching her underwear as they packed it away.
Which was stupid; they probably didn’t blink.
But she’d make sure to wash everything before she wore it anyway.
Drake’s cabin was now a little more full than it had been when she’d first arrived, but he hadn’t complained even once.
He’d insisted on putting up some of the pictures she’d hung on her own walls in his living area.
One afternoon, when they’d gone back to Table Rock, he’d also taken a selfie of the two of them, then framed it and added it to the collection of knickknacks on his bookshelves.
Everywhere she looked, Alaska saw things from her life mingled with Drake’s.
It gave her a warm feeling. However, though he’d never mentioned her finding a job and moving on, she couldn’t help but keep that in the back of her mind.
Living with Drake was a dream come true, literally, and while she cherished every minute she got to spend with him, she wasn’t counting on theirs being a permanent arrangement.
The problem was, the more time she spent with Drake, immersed in his world, the more she wanted to stay.
She knew she couldn’t. Eventually, she’d have to get on with her life. Alaska had no idea where she’d go next, but she had made the decision not to go back overseas. While she was doing better, she didn’t think she’d be able to handle leaving the US.
Bad things happened here in the States. She knew that.
It wasn’t as if she was safe simply because she was living in her home country.
But living in a country where she didn’t speak the native language worried her now, even if it hadn’t before.
Perhaps it was because she couldn’t stop thinking about what would’ve happened if she hadn’t been found.
If she’d been successfully smuggled into China.
She wouldn’t have been able to communicate.
Wouldn’t have been able to ask for help…
if anyone she came into contact with even wanted to help her.
The thought of being so vulnerable again scared her to death.
So, she’d stay here. Maybe head to the northeast. Maine sounded good…
It was about as far from Drake as she could get while still in the US.
Being near him and not being able to have him was painful. More so each day. Putting distance between them was the best thing for her. She wouldn’t be even further tempted into thinking they could be more than friends.
She’d loved every second of being with Drake over the last two weeks.
They’d laughed, she’d cried, they’d talked, they’d sat together in complete silence.
He’d cooked for her and she’d returned the favor.
He was incredibly easy to be around, and to live with…
and with every day that passed, Alaska fell harder for him.
There had even been moments when she was sure Drake felt more for her than just friendship.
But the last thing she wanted to do was say or do something that would prove her wrong.
So she simply soaked in his affection and did her best to enjoy the time she had with him so when it ended, she’d have memories to last a lifetime.
A tinny noise from inside the cabin caught Alaska’s attention.
Then she remembered Drake telling her that every cabin had intercoms that could be activated in case of an emergency.
She hadn’t asked what kind of emergency would warrant such a thing, but hearing someone speaking through the radio in Drake’s cabin made her heart race.
She quickly got up, apologizing to Mutt as she disturbed him, and entered the house. She caught the tail end of what was being said.
“…you there?”
She went over to the wall and pushed the button to respond. “Hello?”
“Alaska?”
Frowning, she recognized the voice as Robert’s…the lodge’s chef. “Yes, it’s me. What’s wrong? Is Drake all right?”
“He’s fine. But he and the rest of the guys are still in that meeting. The shit’s hitting the fan here, and I need help.”
“What’s happening?”
“Reservations for next July opened today…which means the phone has been ringing off the hook. We’re always booked solid for the weeks around the Fourth.
You know—people trying to get away from all the fireworks set off in their neighborhoods.
They’re a big trigger. Anyway, there are also people here to check out and others to check in—and Becky quit. ”
Alaska blinked. “What?”
“Yeah. Said she couldn’t handle the stress anymore and simply walked out. I’ve got a lobby full of people, the phone won’t stop ringing, and I’m in the middle of making lunch.”
“I’m on my way,” Alaska told him.
“I really just need someone to keep everyone calm until the guys are done with their meeting,” Robert said.
“All right. I’ve got this. I’ll be right there.”
“Thank you so much! I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t desperate.”
“Any chance you can whip up a batch of your amazing chocolate chip cookies?” she asked.
“You think that’ll help?” Robert asked.
“It certainly can’t hurt,” she returned.
“You’re right. And yes, I’ll get on that.”
“See you soon.”
Alaska turned and headed down to the bedroom—where she and Drake were still sleeping together every night. As friends. Not as anything else.
Refusing to look at the mussed covers and fall back down the friend-zone rabbit hole, Alaska went to the closet, where she’d put some of her clothes that had arrived from Europe.
Most of her “work clothes,” as she called them, were in the storage unit, but there had been a few slacks and dressier blouses packed into the boxes with her casual clothes.
It was too much trouble to bring them back into Los Alamos and store them away, so she’d just hung them up next to Drake’s clothes.
Grateful now that she had something more professional to wear, Alaska quickly changed out of her leggings and into a pair of tailored black slacks.
She chose a professional-looking white blouse to go with it, but donned her boots, because they were both comfortable and practical for the area’s terrain.
She headed toward the lodge at a slow jog. Mutt pranced at her side, and Alaska couldn’t help but smile.
The dog headed toward the barn when she arrived at the back door of the lodge, and Alaska took a deep breath before entering. She could hear people milling around in the great room, but she took the time to stick her head into the kitchen.