Tad doesn’t come in until late this afternoon, so it’s my job to open. Dominic is here when I walk in. We exchange waves.
I try to focus on working, but nothing can distract me from the fact that Dax is on the mountain.
I fully intend to head up there as soon as I check email.
I’m pecking in the password on the laptop as Dom appears in the doorway of the office. “What are you doing here so early?”
I eyeball the clock. “It’s eight o’clock. That’s when I’m supposed to be here.”
“Right. It’s eight o’clock and you’re usually here around eight twenty.”
“So?”
“You’re on time.”
Okay, I’ll give it to him. That’s noteworthy. I’m never on time.
“I have a few things to do out there.” I wave a hand toward the parking lot.
“I bet you do.” Dom frowns.
I cluck my tongue at his rude comment. But it’s too beautiful a day, and my coffee is too perfect for me to feel down.
Or so I think.
I click my email icon and am greeted by email after email after email. Twenty-two of them, then my computer bings again and six more emails infiltrate my in-box. Ten of them are from our booking operator with good news: Ten full cabins. Scheduled for this weekend.
Dammit.
The one time I show up on time so I can skip out of work early, and I have to actually work!
Crap.
I settle in, remembering Tae’s favorite saying: “There’s nothing to it but to do it.” If that mantra works for a hot Korean guy in the Big Apple, it’s good enough for me.
Besides, Dax isn’t going anywhere.
I know just where to find him.
Chapter 13
TUESDAY EVENING
Dax
Of all the useful skills my dad taught me, he never shared how to clean a fish.
When my fishing efforts earned me three decent-sized bass this morning, I realized I’d have to consult the Google machine, or watch YouTube videos to learn.
It’s not as easy as the guys on the screen make it look. Even with the sharp-as-shit boning knife I purchased. But I prevail. I don’t save as much fish meat, since I’m not yet as deft with the knife as I’d like. I also earned a shallow slice in my left forefinger that bled like a bitch, but I quelled it enough that I didn’t have to resort to an emasculating Band-Aid.
Let it never be said I shy away from challenge.
“Except where Becca’s concerned,” I mutter aloud as I bag the fish and toss it into the fridge.
After all that work, who the hell has the energy to cook it?
So yeah, Becca. I could’ve taken her up on the offer of dinner. I didn’t, and not for the reason I told her. Yes, I’d planned on going to the cabin, but her invitation seemed to come from a sense of obligation on her part. I’m not sure she was sure she wanted to ask me out.
She’s not obligated to hang around with me because we shared a few nights. Anyway, if things were ending, last night was as good a stopping place as any. Or so I keep telling myself in between kicking my own ass for not saying yes. She looked a touch hurt before she pasted on a smile and bade me farewell.
I pull a beer from the fridge and take a sip. God, that tastes good. Instead of fish, I’ll have beer and potato chips for dinner. Not like I haven’t done it before.
I clean up my mess, pulling the trash bag and walking it outside. The cans are locked in an enclosure to keep the bears out, so I take the key from the hook by the back door. Once the trash is secured, I start up the back steps as headlights slice across the drive.
It’s a Toyota. A white one.
The lights shut off and Becca steps from her car, reusable grocery tote on her shoulder. She starts for the front door, totally missing that I’m at the corner of the porch when she puts a foot on the first step.
“This is a surprise.”
She shrieks, clutches her chest, and then bursts into surprised laughter. It’s contagious. I let out a chuckle I didn’t expect. She slumps, her form grainy in the darkness since I didn’t bother with the porch light. Too many moths gather, so I left it off.
“You scared the life out of me.” She’s still smiling. I’ve missed her smile, and it’s only been one day since I saw it.
“Don’t know about that. You look lively to me.”
Dressed in a pair of heeled sandals, a dark pair of dressy pants, and a slim tank top baring her golden shoulders, she looks more than lively. She looks amazing. Her hair is its normal choppy, stylish mess, but pinned it up one side, which shows off one cute ear.
“I won’t bite.” She gestures at the distance between us, since I stopped short of approaching her on the porch.
“Not why I’m keeping my distance, Princess.”
Her smile falls like she’s been expecting a rejection since she arrived. “Oh.”
“No, not oh. I’ve been fishing since ten this morning. Gutting fish for the last hour. I need a shower, and I need one bad.”
She licks her lips, not quite smiling, but she doesn’t look dejected anymore. I gesture to the bag on her shoulder.
“If that’s the makings of dinner, you have my undying loyalty.”
“Well...” Despite her hesitation, her entire face brightens. “If you’re okay with breakfast for dinner.”
Against my will, my stomach releases a loud grumble.
“I will take that as one vote yes.” She surveys my body, then her gaze ventures to my face again. “What say you, Dax Vaughn? May I come in and make you breakfast for dinner?”
Fuck yeah, she can.
“Yeah, Princess.” I gesture to the front door. “It’s open.”
She lets herself in and I follow behind her.
“Like what you’ve done with the place,” she comments as she sets the bag on the counter. “The fishy smell is new.”
“Sorry about that. I probably don’t smell much better.”
“Go take your shower.” She waves me off. “I know where the cleaning supplies are. I’ll give the countertops a fresh wipe-down and start on your meal.”
This place is smaller than the last, thank God. One big master bedroom. One bathroom. Kitchen. Living room. Wraparound porch with a deck. No game room or hot tub. Though it does have a fireplace, which is useless in this sticky spring weather.
Glad to have her here, I duck down the hallway and leave her to it.
Becca
Dax emerges from the hallway, hair damp and spiky, wearing a familiar pair of frayed-at-the-bottom jeans. His T-shirt is black, making his eyes appear a dark shade of blue.
“I thought I was hungry before. Now I’m starving.” He puts a hand over his stomach and another rumble comes from the depths. “It smells incredible in here.”
“What was your plan tonight, before I gifted you with my culinary genius?” I ask as I slide another fluffy flapjack onto a plate.
“Beer and chips.”
“Healthy.”
“Not sure you’re winning a health award with pancakes for dinner, Princess. Are those chocolate chips?” He rounds the counter and my entire body goes on alert when he stands next to me. He places a kiss on my temple and a buzz of pleasure slides down my spine.