Chapter 8
This was a disaster.
Cora stood in the lobby of the huge main lodge at The Refuge as Pipe had an intense conversation with his friends across the room.
Alaska, Henley, and Reese sat at a table off to the side after meeting her, and even though they’d invited her to sit with them, it felt to Cora as if they were merely being polite.
So here she stood. Awkwardly, in the middle of the room, waiting to see what would happen next.
The front door of the lodge opened and a woman walked in, someone Cora didn’t recognize from her research.
She had straight black, shoulder-length hair and wore black pants and a T-shirt that said The Refuge.
She waved at the three women sitting at one of the tables, then frowned when she saw Cora standing by herself.
To Cora’s surprise, she walked toward her.
“Hi. I’m Ryan. I work here. Can I help you with something?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.”
But Ryan didn’t nod and back off as Cora thought she would.
“What’s happening?” she asked instead, looking from her to the guys, then to the table with the women.
“I came here with Pipe and Owl. They’re talking to their friends about me. About why I’m here.”
Ryan’s brows furrowed. “You came with Pipe and Owl?”
“Yeah,” she said with a nod.
“They were in Washington, DC, at a thing,” she went on.
Cora did her best to hide her amusement. “They were.”
“And you came from DC with them?”
“Yup.”
“Okay, I’m missing something, but whatever.
I’m new here and not always included in all the ins and outs of running this place…
which is fine. I mean, I don’t want to know.
I’m just a maid. Are you hungry? I had a hunch that Robert is making his world-famous chocolate chip cookies.
That’s why I’m here, to grab a couple while they’re warm.
Come on, we’ll go check it out.” Ryan hooked her arm with Cora’s as if they’d been friends forever, instead of just meeting a minute ago, and started pulling her toward a door on the far end of the lodge.
“Ryan.” The man Cora recognized as “Tiny” called out to them from where he stood, huddled with Pipe and the others.
Cora felt the woman stiffen a moment before she turned, without letting go of her arm. “What?” she called back.
“Where are you going? We need to talk to Cora.”
“Kitchen. Cookies,” she said, gesturing impatiently, and without waiting for a response, turned them both back toward where they were headed in the first place.
“Um, maybe I should stay here if they want to talk to me,” Cora said hesitantly.
But Ryan didn’t pause or even indicate that she’d heard her. She stayed on her path to what Cora assumed was the kitchen.
She pushed open a door and the smell of freshly baked cookies was strong enough to make Cora’s stomach growl. Loudly.
Ryan beamed. “I know. I swear Robert puts some sort of narcotic in his cookies to keep us coming back for more. I’ve only been here a few months, but I think I’ve put on at least ten pounds.”
“You needed to put some meat on your bones,” an older man said with a grin, entering the kitchen from what she could only assume was a pantry or something. Cora guessed he was in his fifties or sixties.
“Robert.” Ryan smiled wider as she walked toward him. She gave him a hug, then stepped back. “This is Cora,” she said, gesturing as she spoke.
“I know. She tried to win Pipe in that bachelor auction but someone outbid her. Pipe found out why she wanted to win so badly, so he brought her back home to figure out how he and the others could help get her friend away from some asshole who took her to Arizona and won’t let her leave.”
Cora’s mouth fell open as she stared at the chef in disbelief. How the hell did he know all that? She’d only been here about two-point-three seconds.
Ryan nodded, as if she wasn’t surprised in the least. She glanced at Cora and chuckled.
“You have to understand, this place is like the smallest small town you’ve ever been in or read about.
There aren’t any secrets. Well, hardly any.
Anyway, the guys’ll figure things out. You did good in hooking up with Pipe.
Robert…are you gonna give us some cookies or what? ”
The man smirked. “You want the ones from earlier, or the ones I just took out of the oven?”
“Is that even a question?” Ryan asked.
“Of course it is.” But Robert made no move to show them where the hopefully still-warm cookies were.
Ryan narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. She studied Robert shrewdly. “Did I tell you that I have an inside line to get those Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes that you like so much…like, all year? I can get them in July if I want them.”
Robert’s eyes widened. “Really? You aren’t just pulling my leg to get the warm cookies, are you?”
Cora’s gaze went back and forth between Ryan and Robert as they bantered.
“I would never lie about Christmas Tree cakes,” Ryan said with a straight face.
“I want in on that,” he demanded.
“And I want warm chocolate chip cookies,” she countered.
Robert moved quickly toward a box on one of the counters. He opened it, and Cora realized it must be a warmer of some sort. He pulled out a tray of cookies and set them on the counter, then scooted them toward where Ryan and Cora were standing.
“Mmmmmm, cookies,” Ryan said in delight as she leaned over to inhale the scent of the gooey treat.
“I’m in, right?” Robert asked with a smirk.
“Oh, you’re in,” she agreed as she reached for a cookie. “You’re so in.”
Robert did a weird little dance, then grinned at Cora. “Go on. Since you’re friends with Ryan, you get warm cookies whenever you want too.”
Grinning, Cora picked up a cookie and moaned when she bit into it. Ryan was right, there had to be more than eggs, flour, and chocolate in this cookie, because the second she swallowed, she couldn’t wait to take another bite.
“I’ll set things up so you get a box of Christmas Tree Cakes every week,” Ryan told the chef.
He beamed. “Make it two.”
Ryan’s brow lifted. “Two?”
“Well, I was gonna make it four, but compromised.”
They all burst into laughter—and that was when the kitchen door opened and Alaska, Henley, and Reese entered.
“What’s going on in here? Wait—is that a new batch of cookies?” Alaska asked.
Ryan hunched over the tray on the counter and growled as she did her best to protect them. Cora couldn’t help but giggle at the over-the-top antics of her new acquaintance. Eventually, Ryan stood and slid the tray toward the other women.
“I don’t know how you always seem to know when Robert’s made a new batch of cookies,” Henley mumbled between bites.
“Right? I mean, we were here and still didn’t know,” Reese agreed.
Ryan took a large bite of cookie and pantomimed zipping her lips closed.
Everyone chuckled.
Cora could feel Alaska staring at her, but she refused to look at the woman. Suddenly, once again, she felt like an outsider. It wasn’t until she could sense Alaska approaching that she turned. Her chin came up and she refused to cower. She’d done nothing wrong.
“Are you okay?” Alaska asked gently.
Cora hid her surprise. She’d been ready to defend her actions, to explain why she’d asked Pipe for help. She hadn’t expected Alaska to sound concerned.
“I’m fine,” she said.
Henley stepped forward. “We don’t know what’s going on. Tonka just said that Pipe wanted to talk to them about helping you and your friend. Can we do anything for you?”
“How long are you going to be here? Do you want a tour of the place?”
For some reason, their…niceness…was almost too much to take at the moment. “I don’t know. Not long, I hope. Not because I don’t want to get to know you guys or see The Refuge, but I’m worried about my friend and want to get to her as soon as I can.”
She wasn’t planning on saying much more than that, but Alaska reached for her hand, gripped it tightly, then towed her toward a small table off to the side of the kitchen.
“Sit,” she invited as she pulled out a chair.
The other women—and surprisingly, Robert too—all joined them.
It was crowded with everyone huddled around the small table, but it also felt comfortable.
“I’m sorry about our behavior out there,” Alaska started.
“We didn’t mean to seem standoffish, we just didn’t know what was going on, and we didn’t want to force you to sit with us if you didn’t want to.
And Pipe doesn’t…he’s not…he…Shoot,” she sighed.
“He’s not the kind of guy to bring women here.
We weren’t sure what the nature of your relationship was…
beyond your friend’s situation…so we were just trying to respect your privacy.
But when Ryan brought you in here, and we heard you guys laughing, we couldn’t stay away,” Alaska said with a sheepish smile.
“I’m not here with Pipe,” Cora said. “Not in the way you think. I did try to buy a date with him at that auction, just for a chance to talk, but an old high school nemesis outbid me. Afterward, Pipe heard her talking to me, took exception to what she said. Then I talked to him, then to him and Owl together, and the next thing I know, we’re on our way here and he said he’d help me find my friend. ”
She was talking too fast, telling these strangers way too much, but truthfully, they didn’t really seem like strangers. Not after all the info she’d dug up about them. And she kind of felt the need to fill any silence.
Taking a deep breath, Cora turned to Reese first. “I’m glad you’re okay.
I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d been in your situation.
Probably freaked out. I can’t swim at all, so actually I’d probably be dead.
And, Henley, I can’t imagine what you went through when your daughter was missing.
I don’t have any kids, but if I did, I’m sure I would’ve been a basket case.
And Alaska…God. You’re so brave. You’ve been to so many places, seen so many things, there’s no way I could’ve done what you did, exploring other countries all by yourself.