Then she noticed for the first time that he was in a dark blue official-looking fire marshal outfit. Her heart skipped another beat seeing just how sexy the man was in uniform.
“I think we’d better get started on our work,” she said, taking a step away from him. Instantly, she felt more leveled. More in control.
She noticed that it took him a moment, but after a few deep breaths, he nodded.
“We’ll start in the kitchens,” he said.
As they made their way to the back of the building towards the kitchen, she glanced behind him.
“No Blue today?” she asked.
“No, he’s keeping Gran company. She’s working in her garden today, and he likes hanging out and helping her dig.” He smiled. “Course, I think he just ends up digging holes everywhere and chasing gophers before sleeping the rest of the day away.”
She chuckled as she imagined the old dog enjoying himself.
They stepped into the kitchen. Normally, during season, there’d be a large crew of employees there, handling the morning rush. Now, there was only one cook and two other staff slowly moving around the space. “So, what exactly are you inspecting?”
“The older buildings have an outdated system that needs to be checked more often. I’ve been coming by every six months to make sure it’s still working. The main system room is back here.” He headed towards a closet near the back of the kitchen and she followed.
For the next hour or so, she followed him around to various places and rooms that she hadn’t known existed. When she was a child, she’d only been allowed in several areas. Then, when she was a teen, she’d been too consumed with her own problems to care.
It was one of the reasons she hadn’t really known how much her parents had done to keep the resort functioning. The first years of college, she’d avoided business classes and had stuck with the basics. Then her counselor had suggested she take at least one to see if she might be interested in someday returning to Cannon Falls and taking over her parents’ business.
At first, she’d shied away from the idea, but then she’d started the class and had enjoyed it. After a few more classes, she realized she had an aptitude for business. She enjoyed the classes more than anything else she’d tried.
They made their way back to her office, and when she opened the door, she noticed Liza standing by her desk. When Liza noticed her, she stormed over to her.
“Is it true that you’ve kicked us out?” Liza asked, just before Cade stepped into the office behind Raven.
Her cousin’s entire demeanor changed in a heartbeat.
“Cade?” Liza blinked a few times, then she smiled brightly. “What are you doing here?”
Raven watched as Liza arched slightly so that the impressive boobs that she’d bought shortly after her eighteenth birthday stuck out further.
Cade’s smile looked a little strained, but he seemed to pour on the charm just to be friendly.
“Fire inspection,” he responded quickly as Raven moved to sit behind her desk.
Since she’d known Cade had been coming that day, she’d decided on upping her game with her outfit for the day. The dress slacks and blouse were comfortable enough, but the low heels were fairly new and not yet broken in all the way.
Sitting down, she motioned for her cousin to sit down.
Cade nodded towards the door. “I’ll go check the last closet we talked about and then stop by before I head out.”
“Thanks,” she said and waited until he shut the door behind him before asking Liza once again to sit down.
“No, I’m not going to calmly sit down. Not when you’ve just taken everything away from us.” Her cousin crossed her arms and glared at her.
“Liza, I’m not forcing you, your mother, or Cal out. Just your father,” she clarified.
“Why?” Liza shook her head, confusion crossing her face. Even though it felt wonderful to be off her feet, she stood up, walked over to her cousin and held out her arm. The slight red marks had turned into full-on purple and blue bruises by now.
Liza’s eyes narrowed. “He did that to you?” she asked, softly.
“If Cade hadn’t stepped in…” She took a deep breath. “Has your father ever hurt you before?” she asked her cousin, worried.
“No.” Liza took a step back as she shook her head vigorously. “Never.”
“Has he ever hurt your mother?”
“No!” Liza gripped her face as her eyes filled. “My god. Raven, what’s come over him? He’s upstairs right now, forcing us all to pack up.” Her eyes moved to the ceiling, as if she could see up to her rooms.
Raven laid a hand on her cousin’s arm. “As I said, the rest of you are welcome to stay.”
“Are you going to press charges?” Liza asked suddenly.
Raven had thought about it and, after talking with Cade, had decided that if her uncle steered clear of her, she would allow him to leave with just the warning.
“No, just as long as he leaves. He’s not welcome back here. I can tolerate a lot of things, but physical violence isn’t one of them.”
“Agreed,” Liza said softly. “I’ll—” She took a step towards the door. “I’ll go tell the rest of the family.”
“They’re welcome to stay, however.” She moved closer to Liza. “In a few weeks, I’ll need to move the three of you to lower rooms when the crew begins updating all the suites.”
Liza’s eyes narrowed. “Lower rooms?”
Here it was, Raven thought, here is where her cousin would fight her.
“I’m having all of the upper suites remodeled last. Once the construction crews need to get into the upper rooms, you’ll need to move. We can’t afford not to have those bigger rooms for some of our more high-dollar guests.”
Her cousin gave her a look that hinted at what she thought of her after this news before turning around and storming out of the room without another word.
Raven sank back into her new office chair. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool wood desk.
“Why must I have to keep disappointing people?” she asked the empty room.
Shaking off the dark mood, she jumped back into work, knowing she had to make a few phone calls before Cade returned after finishing with his inspection.
It hadn’t been a hardship watching the man work. The inspection wasn’t a particularly physically challenging job, but there were aspects of it that had her enjoying the view all the same. Especially when he’d had to remove his jacket and stand up on a ladder to inspect a few of the sprinklers. Just seeing his long, lean frame extend fully had her realizing the differences between Cade and what she remembered of Reggie. She had no other comparisons in her repertoire.
It hadn’t been possible for her to start another relationship after what had happened with Reggie. She didn’t trust herself or others with her heart. Other than her grandmother, of course.
When a knock sounded at her door, she glanced up to see Cade leaning against the doorjamb.
“Busy?” he asked easily.
Removing the computer glasses she wore to ward off eye strain at the end of the day, she motioned for him to come in.
He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.