Summer Nights

by Sanders, Jill

  Zoey noticed that Julie’s eyes followed the men closely as they all walked toward the back office that she shared with Scarlett and Aubrey. Hannah, being the events coordinator, had her own smaller office, which was filled with items for events. Elle had a larger office at the end of the hallway, since she often had meetings and interviews to conduct.

  “What kind of work are you three looking for exactly?” she asked, shutting the door behind them.

  They exchanged glances. “Well, anything you have,” Owen, the oldest, said.

  “You’re in luck—right now, we’re looking for a bit of everything.” She sat down and pulled out three standard job applications from the drawer.

  “Sounds right up our alley.” Owen smiled at her. “I think between the three of us, you can fill whatever jobs you need.”

  She ran her eyes over the three of them and, deciding that was probably true, stood up.

  “We’ll need each of you to fill out an application.” She handed each a form. “I’ll be right back.” She knew it would take them a while to fill out everything, and she needed to tell Carter that she wouldn’t make her planned afternoon ride. She wanted to make sure that he’d let Duke run free in the paddock instead, since the horse needed his exercise.

  She shut the office door behind her and walked back to the main desk to use the phone there.

  “Spill.” Julie leaned on the counter, her dark wavy hair brushing her cheeks, and nodded toward the hallway behind Zoey.

  Zoey had liked the shorter Hawaiian woman instantly upon meeting her. She had a sunny personality and was very organized, which was a must in the position she had filled.

  “They’re applying for work.” Zoey shrugged.

  “I thought we’d been invaded by the Hemsworth brothers . . . may I say, yum. You should hire them.” She winked.

  Zoey glanced down the hallway. “If they pass the standard background checks.” She turned back to Julie. “Can you call Carter and tell him I won’t be able to make my evening ride with Duke?”

  Julie nodded. “Sure. Oh”—she snapped her fingers—“I almost forgot. You have a message from your father.” Julie handed her a note, which Zoey shoved quickly in her back pocket. If only she could forget the note as quickly—she’d been avoiding him for the past few days.

  For over five years her father hadn’t spoken to either her or Scar. Now suddenly, the man was calling her every other day. Each message only read, Urgent, please call, and left his number. How had he gotten this number? She hadn’t told anyone what they were up to, other than their mother, of course.

  Rubbing her forehead, she desperately wished for that relaxing time she could have had riding Duke. Instead, she had three dangerously handsome hunks to deal with. She was reaching for the door handle of the office but paused when she heard whispers coming from inside.

  As she leaned her head against the doorframe, she strained to hear what they were talking about.

  She heard Elle’s name a few times and the words “Get close to her” before she opened the door. Instantly, the three men glanced up and acted as if they were filling out the paperwork instead of talking about Zoey’s best friend.

  “Done?” she asked, scanning each of the men for any signs of discomfort. Seeing none, she narrowed her eyes and walked over to them.

  “Yes.” The one who’d caused her body to react stood up and held out his form. “Dylan,” he reminded her and pointed to his chest as he smiled at her. “You are?”

  She took his paper and scanned it quickly. “I’m Zoey. Dylan Rhodes,” she read aloud. “What made you three come down here from Destin?”

  “Jobs,” the three men said together. His brothers handed her their paperwork.

  “So, any unique skills you have that would help out?”

  Liam had longer hair than the other two brothers, and Zoey was pretty sure he was the youngest of the three. He stepped forward. “I’m great with crafts. Give me some wood, nails, and a saw, and I can build anything. I’m also pretty handy with mixing drinks.”

  “Okay.” She wrote a note on his application, knowing that they needed a part-time bartender. Right now, they had their eyes on someone, but she had a full-time job that paid a lot more than they could afford. “You?” She turned to the tallest one.

  “Owen,” he said; then his smile changed. “I have a strong head for business. I’ve added a few office references on my application, but I also worked as a waiter for a summer back in high school.” The serious tone had her determined to watch him closely.

  “I’ve done everything from zip-lining to solo parachuting.” Dylan spoke up. “Anything outdoors and sports related, I’m into it.”

  “Thrill seeker?” she asked.

  “You could say that.” He shrugged. “I’ve also spent a summer working a zip line in Brazil.”

  She thought about this as her gaze ran over him. She’d been planning on taking on the zip lines herself, but if they hired him, it would open her days up to fill in at other places. “We’ve been looking for someone to take control of the zip line we had built. We have two runs: a beginner run and a more expert one.”

  “Sounds like I’m just the man you’ve been looking for.” His smile almost knocked her on her ass.

  She quickly turned around and sat down behind her desk before her knees shook and betrayed what just one look from Dylan was doing to her. Damn, she thought. Going an entire year without sex hadn’t been a clever idea. She’d believed that putting all her energy into the camp was the best plan. Not that she’d had men knocking down her door, but still, she’d turned a few away in her attempt to stay focused.

  “We’ll run a quick background check online and call some of your references,” she started, then glanced up at the trio. “Are you staying in town?”

  “No, we’re driving back to Destin tonight. If we get the jobs . . .” Owen’s voice trailed off as if it were a question.

  “There’s available housing on site,” she said. “Or apartments in town; take your pick. The employee rooms are on the second floor; you’re welcome to one—that is, if you three don’t mind sharing a room while you’re here?”

  “Sounds perfect.” Dylan stepped forward. “We’d like a look around if possible?” His eyes scanned hers. “If you have the time.”

  She was in the process of waiting for the computer to boot up, since she was determined to run the background checks now, but the way his gaze tracked her had her shutting it down. She tucked their applications into the top drawer and locked it after deciding she could use a walk.

  “Sure.” She stood back up and prayed that her legs would hold her as she tried to avoid Dylan’s focus.

  “You’re Zoey?” Dylan asked as she opened the office door.

  “Zoey Rowlett,” she answered over her shoulder.

  “I thought so.” Dylan fell in step with her. “Zoey Rowlett, pitcher for the Florida Gators.” His smile grew, and for a moment, she thought admiration flashed behind those big brown eyes of his.

  “Yes.” She held in a sigh.

  “I followed your career,” he said, his brothers falling behind them as they exited the back doors of the building and stepped out onto the back patio. “I’m sorry you couldn’t play in the Olympics. How is the knee?”

  “Better.” Wanting to change the subject quickly, she addressed the others. “We’ve stopped in the outdoor dining area. Through those french doors is the main dining hall. All meals will be served here. Each cabin has a small kitchenette, but for insurance purposes, only microwaves are allowed. Guests will enjoy some of the best food prepared by our very own four-star chef, Isaac Andrew.”

  “Really?” Owen jumped in. “You guys got Isaac Andrew? The host from the TV series?” He snapped his fingers as if trying to remember the name.

  “Making It Right,” Dylan filled in for his brother.

  She smiled. “Yes, we did.” She was still excited over the idea that Isaac Andrew had taken the full-time head-chef position. The man had
arrived less than a week ago and was already turning the refurbished kitchen into something grand. He was working with Aiden on the designs for the dining hall and, thankfully, sticking within their budget while he was at it.

  She turned and made her way across the patio. “The guest services, dining room, patio, and the main pool area are here. The left wing of the main building houses the local doctor’s office; Dr. Lea Val will be the on-call physician. There’s also a gym and a room for yoga.” She glanced up. “The third floor is private.” She turned and started walking toward the building. “The smaller pool is down the path a little way. There are two hot tubs: one at each pool.” They continued on, and the men kept up with her fast pace. She found it almost ironic that she was now playing host, much like Elle had that first summer long ago. Only this time, she was just as proud as Elle had been.

  “Nice,” Dylan said beside her. “This all looks brand new.”

  “Yes, thanks to Aiden Stark and his crew,” she said as they hit the first path away from the main building area. “They’ve spent the last year returning this place to its former glory. Not to mention morphing it into a camp for snowbirds instead of little girls.” She knew that most of the costs had gone to all the rebuilds and cringed every time she thought of how much money was left over to actually run the place now.

  “Is it true that you and the other owners, your friends, met at this camp years ago?” It was Owen, not Dylan, who asked the question.

  She stopped in the middle of the pathway. There had been, over the past year, a few articles that had run about the friends and their plans. After all, they had decided not to spend most of their money on advertising the place, so they had, instead, spent time chatting with local travel blogs and relaying the story about the five friends pooling together. The story was a big draw, and they found themselves answering questions from travel sites all over the US.

  The five of them had been interviewed more than a dozen times over the past few months. Each time, Zoey had had to suck it up and play the role of smiling camp owner. She couldn’t wait to have the place open already so she could fit into the role she wanted as sports director.

  “Yes, Elle’s grandfather left us all this.” She sighed and looked around, remembering how Elle had told them that night, in the pool, what her grandfather had given them. The man she’d known and loved and had even considered her own surrogate grandfather had thought of the five of them, not just his own granddaughter.

  Shaking off the mood, she turned and started down the path again. “This is the new sports hall. Inside, there’s a bar and grill where small plates can be ordered, and a full bar off the back patio. The place has pool tables, video games, will host the bingo nights—those sorts of things—along with a movie theater that seats thirty people.” They turned away from the other building and continued down the well-manicured stone pathway. At night, bright LED lights lit up each walkway.

  She showed them the boathouse and the stables, as well as the other outbuildings, including the zip line hut and the woodshop. Hand-painted signs that she had helped make marked each path and direction.

  “Really?” Liam asked as his smile grew. “You have a full woodshop?”

  “Yes, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of guests who’ll like craft time. If everything checks out, we’d be happy to ask you to manage this.”

  “I’d love to.” His eyes turned eager. The fact that she could genuinely see excitement had her relaxing around the youngest brother.

  They stopped at the water’s edge along the private beach, where the soft sugar sand glimmered in the sunlight.

  “Very nice.” Dylan stepped closer. “Will you be putting in some waterslides out there?” He motioned to the small floating docks.

  She turned to him. “Water . . .”

  “You know, the blow-up kind you can find in the waters off Destin?”

  She tilted her head and glanced out at the calm waters. “We could . . .”

  “You have enough docks; why not add a slide?”

  She hadn’t really thought about it. Since they were catering to snowbirds, she had refrained from a lot of extra things like that, but now she made a mental note to look into getting a slide for the end of one of the docks. She could vaguely remember there being one when she’d been here that first year.

  “You know,” Dylan continued, “there was a nice clearing back there. I bet you could have a dry inner tube slide made.”

  “A . . . dry . . .” She looked up at him as he chuckled.

  “It’s a section you spread out on a pathway in mats, with bumper walls; then people ride down it in inner tubes. Kind of like sledding on an icy hill, only there’s no snow.”

  She nodded. “We can look into it.”

  “There’s a lot more around here you could do to entertain guests,” he suggested.

  She was already imagining the new changes he’d suggested.

  He glanced around. “No softball fields?”

  She smiled slightly. “No, but there are plenty of places around here to play.” She felt her face heat as the meaning of her words sank in. She could have sworn his eyes heated and a slight smile lifted those sexy lips of his as he swayed slightly toward her before she turned away from him. “I’m sure you’ll want to get back to town before dark.”

  She walked quickly back up the pathway toward the main building, too embarrassed to glance over her shoulder to see whether they were following her.

  She was thankful when Owen fell into step with her and asked questions about the business side of the camp. Some questions she answered, since they were basic; others were more personal, and she remained silent. Questions about where the money had come from to do all the upkeep and the maintenance around the camp.

  The questions weren’t out of the ordinary, especially after he had mentioned that he had a head for business; still, until they were officially hired, she didn’t like sharing too much information about their inner workings.

  When they stopped in front of their truck, she turned to them. “Well, I should let you know later this week if everything checks out.” She started to turn and head back inside.

  “The doors open next month?” Dylan asked.

  “Yes.” She grinned.

  “And you’re already booked?” Owen asked.

  “We are, for the first two and a half months solid.”

  “Then I suggest you let us know sooner. There’s a lot we can do around here”—Dylan looked around—“things that you’ll want done before bringing in your first guests.”

  “I’ll think about it. Good night.” She turned and made her way inside. When she shut the glass doors behind her, she watched the truck disappear down the long driveway.

  “Wow, did you hire them?” Aubrey whispered behind her, causing her to jump.

  “No!” She had her hand over her heart and took a couple of breaths before it settled back down. “You know, for someone as quiet as you, I think you should wear a bell around your neck.” She wrapped her arm around her friend.

  Aubrey smiled. “I ran them on the computer already; they’re clean. There’s nothing in the system for Owen, Dylan, or Liam Rhodes.”

  “Nothing?” Zoey’s eyes narrowed.

  “No. No criminal records, no warrants out for their arrests.” Aubrey shook her head. “Hire them.” Her eyes moved back to the doors.

  “We should check their references,” Zoey started.

  “At this point we can’t afford to be picky. We only have two more applications, and they want way more than we can pay them.” Her eyes narrowed. “You did discuss pay with them, right?”

  Zoey ran it over in her head and sighed. “No, I forgot. This is why I wanted you . . .” She stopped when Elle made her way across the floor.

  “So?” she asked.

  Zoey knew that if Aubrey wanted them on board, there was no use fighting it. Besides, the brothers were perfect. Even if Zoey had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right with them, they couldn
’t be picky at this point. They still needed people to help run the place, after all; as it was now, everyone was going to be working full shifts.

  “If they’ll agree to work for pennies,” Zoey started, “then they’re hired.”

  “Yay, us!” Aubrey shot a fist up into the air.

  Sighing, Zoey shrugged. “It looks like we have three new sexy-as-hell employees.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  One month later . . .

  Dylan jogged on the path heading toward the main building as sweat ran down his back, soaking his T-shirt. He loved being in the outdoors. The smells and sounds of nature, the peace and quiet he found by himself in the wild—there was something innate and primitive, almost primordial, that pulled at him each time he stepped onto a trail.

  The other added bonus of running was it gave him time to think about why they were there: to look for their father. The old man had to be hiding around here somewhere.

  While they were becoming familiar with the camp and their jobs, the three of them had surreptitiously searched for any clues about their father. There were a few questions they needed answered without raising any alarms.

  So far, he and his brothers hadn’t learned anything new about the mechanics of the camp or anything deeper about the five women who owned and ran it.

  Of course, their first task had been to blend in while getting close to the ladies.

  Since they had moved into their room on the second floor, he’d been too exhausted after each workday to even think about sneaking around during his off time.

  One thing he had learned was that Aubrey Smith, the official director of counselors, was a stickler for organization. She demanded that he account for most of his time. The woman was soft spoken, but when she looked at him with those blue eyes, he knew she meant business, and there was no way he was going to cross a redhead. Not after the last time he’d done so.

  His mind flashed to his very first love. Amelia had been the first girl to cause his eleven-year-old heart to beat fast. It had taken him a full month to convince her to kiss him under the bleachers. The hell he’d gotten from her after she’d caught him bragging to all his buddies about it had lasted years.