by Rye Hart
“So, what kinda job’s got you dancin’ in a suit?” Delilah asked.
“I’m the financial coordinator and front desk manager of Leewardly Ranch Resorts,” I said.
“That big ol’ resort thing that went up a few years ago?”
“That’s the one. Myself, my brother here, and my other two brothers own it,” I said.
“The Lee Brothers, at your service,” Caleb said.
“Wow. Seems like I’m in the presence of some bonafide men,” Delilah said. “Guess you can afford to buy me a drink, huh?”
“Anythin’ you want, hun,” I said with a grin.
She was pretty enough, but she didn’t tug at me. Caleb’s woman for the night was draped all over him, but I didn’t have any real desire to touch the woman at my side. She was nice, attentive, a good girl with a bad streak about her. She kept rubbing her hand up my thigh and leaning into me, but instead of moving toward her and laying down my game, I sat with my elbows on the bar.
“Hey, Dylan?” Caleb asked.
“What?”
“You good?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“That woman’s all over you. And I don’t see you reciprocatin’ nothin’.”
“Just not into her, that’s all,” I said.
“But she’s exactly your type. Got a little innocence about her but ready for anythin’. What’s the problem?”
“I’m not feelin’ it tonight. I’m tired. It’s been a long couple of days, with the weddin’ fallin’ through and all. Gettin’ cussed out by customers doesn’t exactly make for a relaxing work experience.”
“You’re never too tired for somethin’ like this after work. What gives?”
“Caleb. I’m tired. Get off it.”
“Somethin’ wrong, boys?” Delilah asked.
“Just talkin’ shop, hun,” I said with a soft smile. “Enjoyin’ that drink?”
“More like enjoyin’ the view that comes with it,” she said.
We bought the girls a couple of drinks and made small talk with them. Eventually, they took the hint. I paid for both of their tabs, then I drained my only beer and started for the door.
“Okay, Dylan. I know you. Even at your most tired, you’ve been all over women like that. I’m not even annoyed now. I’m worried.”
“You were annoyed before ‘cause I didn’t wanna screw a woman I wasn’t into?” I asked.
“Just talk to me, man. Somethin’ feels wrong here.”
“It didn’t feel right. I don’t know how else to explain it. She’s a nice enough girl. Pretty. Easy on the eyes. Don’t mind payin’ me some attention. But isn’t this act gettin’ old for you?”
“What act?” he asked.
“Look. You got your heart broke in high school. We all get it, and we all feel for you. But these last few years we’ve done wingmannin’ and all this stuff, it doesn’t have the same thrill it used to. I sleep with these women then I wake up and cook ‘em breakfast, but they never stay.”
“Ain’t that the point?” Caleb asked with a grin.
“Maybe for a while, sure. But I’m wonderin’ if I’d like someone to stay.”
“Wait a second. Are you sayin’ what I think you are?”
“Yeah. I think I am. I think I’m ready to find someone and settle down a bit.”
“The Dylan Lee. Womanizer extraordinaire.”
“Hey. I’m no fuckin’ womanizer.”
“Language,” he said with a grin.
“You can tease me all you want, but at least I can let go of high school. You’re lettin’ some bitch that hurt ya once rule all your damn decisions.”
“Hey, I was ready to marry that woman,” he said. “I had this plan to propose when we graduated and everythin’. Found her pressed up against the damn locker room with some nerd-ass kid with a dick half the size of mine.”
“And that was fourteen years ago. All I’m sayin’ is the one-night stands were fun, but now I think I’m ready for somethin’ a little different. Nothin’ wrong with that.”
“Am I losin’ my wingman here?” he asked.
“Glad we’re side-steppin’ your entire issue. No, you’re not losin’ your wingman. Just don’t expect me to keep goin’ home with these women whose names I gotta remember. I’m gettin’ old. It’s not as easy as it used to be,” I said with a grin.
“Well, I’m shocked. Seriously. Out of all of us, none of us thought you’d be the one to settle down first. I think that award went to Wyatt or some shit.”
“Language,” I said.
“But if that’s what you want, I can respect it. Though I’m gonna tease you ‘bout it.”
“Figured as much,” I said. “Now come on. We got a family reunion to rest up for tomorrow.”
“Anyone invite Katie to it?” he asked.
“Andrew and I both did. So, we’ll see if she shows.”
“Think she will?”
I drew in a deep breath as I leaned against the door of my car.
“I think we’re all hopin’ she will. She’s been missed, and it’ll be good to have her back if she does show.”
“Like old times,” Caleb said.
“Like old times,” I agreed.
CHAPTER 9
CALEB
I still couldn’t believe Dylan and I had walked away from two hot girls last night. Settling down? Was Dylan serious? Out of all of us, he was the one that was the most closed off to that idea. None of us knew why, but it didn’t stop us from accepting that fact about him. That was how he’d always been. He fucked women, treated them well, but never let himself – or them – get attached. He’d floated through all his years like that, and suddenly he wanted to stop and settle down?
There was something else going on, but I didn’t know what.
Everyone from the wedding party was checked out. Whitney flew back to the city. Lizzie went back to whatever party hole she lost herself in when she wasn’t working, and Katie was off to talk with her landlord. I was hoping she could get things straightened out, even if one of us had to talk on her behalf. I didn’t know why I was so worried about it, but I hoped things would work out for her. Her presence was already missed around the resort, however. I found myself looking around for her more times than I needed to be, and I caught Dylan and Andrew doing the same thing.
It had been nice having her back, and I knew we were all hoping she’d show up for the family reunion that was coming up.
I was finalizing all the stuff we needed for this new installation. I settled on a blueprint I thought would be the most beneficial for us, outlined all the animals we should have at that resort, had basic sketches of all the rooms to offer people, and even outlined all the activities and spa treatments we should have. I wanted to do something a bit different in South Carolina. I wanted to offer a few things none of our other resorts had at this point. If we could garner a customer base on the East Coast, that opened massive potential in a market we could rule. I was jotting things down last minute before I walked this stuff over to Dylan, but as I came out of my office I ran into a familiar face.
“Katie?” I asked.
“Hey there, Caleb.”
“What are you doin’ here? Didn’t you check out this mornin’?” I asked.
“Yeah. Went to have the first round of talks with my landlord.”
“How’d it go?” I asked. “He gonna give you back your lease?”
“It’s not quite that simple, but he’s working with me. He’s already got a renter for that apartment, so I’m signing another lease for an apartment in the complex. Same layout, same space, just moving over to another building.”
“You know if you need help, all ya gotta do is ask,” I said. “But I’m glad he’s workin’ with you.”
“Me, too. He felt for me. Apparently, his son went through the same thing last year. Cut off a wedding, so that played in my favor. But after I walked out of the office, I wanted somewhere to go, and this was the only place that came to mind.”
“Can’t stay away, can ya?” I asked.
“It’s beautiful here. I’m surprised any of you guys can go home after working at it all day.”
“Trust me. You can after dealin’ with all its maintenance and plannin’,” I said. “Listen. I gotta get this stuff to Dylan real quick. If you wait here, I’ll be right back and we can take a walk or somethin’.”
“I’d like that. Sure. I’ll be right there.”
I raced to Dylan’s office and didn’t bother knockin’ on his door. I slid everything into his mailbox before I raced back down the hallway, anxious to spend some time with Katie. She was smilin’ at me as I walked toward her, so I went with my gut. I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up, swingin’ her around as her giggles filled the hallway.
“Come on. There’s so much more you haven’t seen of this place,” I said.
“I loved my stay here, even if the circumstances were odd,” she said.
“And we loved having you here,” I said with a grin.
“So, what all is there to do around here?” she asked. “Besides the horseback riding and the swimming area.”
“Ah, so you’ve been to the stables. That’s the main feature here. But there’s also a spa on one of the lower levels, a gym, and the restaurant connected to the resort with some of the finest views of the property.”
“Anywhere for us to walk?” she asked.
“Only the entire grounds area.”
“Katie? Is that you?”
Wyatt stepped out of his office and met us head-on. The two of us were heading for the back doors so I could take her on a scenic walk, but now Wyatt was standing in our way. He seemed surprised to see Katie like I was, but when he looked over at me, he had this look in his eye. I wasn’t really sure what it was, but the only way I could describe it was protective.
Then he looked down at Katie, and his features softened.
I looked down to Katie and saw her smiling back up at Wyatt. Her eyes were twinkling, and her body naturally gravitated away from mine and toward him. She hugged him tightly, telling him she couldn't stay away from the beauty of the resort.
But their arms lingered on one another a little too long.
“Katie here’s lookin’ for somethin’ to do,” I said.
“Oh, well there’s plenty of that,” Wyatt said. “The spa. The gym. The restaurant.”
“So Caleb’s told me,” Katie said. “But I’m looking for something a little more head-clearing.”
The two of them exchanged another look, and I felt myself bristling. Why did they keep looking at one another like that? What was going on between the two of them?
“How’d the talk with the landlord go?” Wyatt asked.
“You know ‘bout that?” I asked.
“Yeah, I talked with Wyatt about it on our horseback ride,” Katie said.
I nodded, trying to keep my raging personal emotions out of the picture. I hadn’t had time to sift through them or figure out why in the world I was feeling them. So, the last thing I needed to do was go unleashing them when it wasn’t necessary.
“And it went well, Wyatt. Thanks for asking. I’m not getting that exact apartment back because he’s already got someone committed to moving into it. But there’s a similar apartment in that complex I can move into. He’s drawing up all the paperwork for it now and I’ll probably sign in a few days.”
“How are the girls?” Wyatt asked. “Did Whitney and Lizzie get home okay?”
“Lizzie’s fine. She always is. Whitney’s flight landed, and I told her to let me know when she got back to her apartment. But, knowing how sidetracked she gets sometimes, it’ll take her hours before she truly gets home,” she said.
I didn’t like Whitney. She seemed to be too controlling of Katie. The way she was looking at her in the hot tub when Katie was drinking those beers didn’t sit right with me. It was like she was shaming Katie for getting back to her roots. That rubbed me the wrong way, and once Whitney started draping herself over all the guys, that was the last straw for me.
But I wasn’t going to tell Katie that.
“When do you start your job?” Wyatt asked. “The one you were talkin’ ‘bout that you wouldn’t like?”
Apparently, the two of them had done a lot of talking lately. I felt like a damn accessory on her arm compared to Wyatt’s presence.
And I didn’t like it.
“Well, that’s a story for another day. They had to push back my start date at the firm, and that's never a good sign. A business can make any excuse it wants, but when someone starts pushing back start dates like that, it usually means the business doesn’t have the capital to hire the new person. So, I’m considering myself in between jobs at the moment.”
“When did that happen?” I asked.
“Got the call this morning, right after I checked out. Went to the meeting with my landlord with it on my mind.”
“Did you tell your landlord about it?” Wyatt asked.
“I’ve got enough savings to get me through six or seven months before I’m in trouble. I was up front, and he appreciated the honesty, and I told him I’d have a job in the next couple of months, whether I took that one or found myself another one,” she said.
“Sounds like I was right,” Wyatt said with a grin. “Come on. Let’s go find ya somethin’ to do to celebrate.”
Katie walked off with Wyatt like I wasn’t even standing there. Right? What the hell was he right about? I watched Wyatt escort Katie out of the building as a door opened behind me, and I turned my head to find Andrew standing against the wall.
“Katie’s back?” he asked.
“Yep. And apparently, she and Wyatt have gotten close,” I said.
“What’s she doin’ back? She only checked out this mornin’.”
“Lookin’ for somethin’ to do to clear her head’s what she told me,” I said.
“Like Wyatt?” he asked with a grin.
“Not cool, Andrew.”
“Come on. It’s obvious there’s somethin’ goin’ on. I heard the fuckin’ conversation. That dumb ass lilt Wyatt gets in his voice when he’s lookin’ at some woman he wants.”
“Lilt? What are you talkin’ about?” I asked.
“Don’t worry ‘bout it.”
“So, you think somethin’s goin’ on between Katie and Wyatt?”
“Hell no! At least, there better not fuckin’ be. I’m sure Wyatt wants some shit to happen, but Katie’s in no fuckin’ position to be doin’ anythin’ like that with someone right now,” he said.
Andrew went back into his office, and I turned my head toward the back doors. I knew Andrew was right and admonished myself for having thoughts about Katie that I shouldn’t at this point in her life. I hoped he was right that nothing was up between her and Wyatt either. But I wasn’t quite so sure about that.
It was obvious with how they ran off with one another that something was.
Which made me wonder. Andrew was smart. He even talked about some dumbass lilt in Wyatt’s voice or some shit. He was the attentive one. I don’t think he truly believed there wasn’t anything going on with them.
And if that was the truth, then why would he lie about it? Did he have a thing for Katie like Wyatt? Was this wedding shit what prompted that idiotic discussion between myself and Dylan last night?
Holy fuck, did we all have a thing for Katie?
CHAPTER 10
KATIE
The afternoon sun beat down on our shoulders. It really was beautiful out here, and it was soothing to be walking alongside Wyatt. I felt his body heat radiating toward me, and I kept bumping up against him to see if he would take my hand. We walked toward the stables and wrapped around them, then started for the edge of the woods that boasted all sorts of colorful wildflowers.
“Okay, Katie. I love shootin’ the shit with you, but I know you better than that. What are you really doin’ here?”
I looked up at Wyatt as we stopped at the edge of the woods, the resort nothing bu
t a small building on the horizon behind us.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind, and I needed to clear it,” I said.
“I know there’s more to it than that.”
“Yes, but that’s the best way to sum it up.”
“You never sum shit up with us, Katie. I’m here to help you. We all are. Talk to me. What’s goin’ on in that pretty little head of yours?”
I blushed at his words as I dipped my head to my toes.
“I really don’t know if I want to take that job,” she said.
“Then don’t.”
“But I need the money.”
“Then apply for other jobs,” he said.
“It could take months for me to find something else.”
“Then I’m sure we could find somethin’ for you to do ‘round here ‘til you get the money you need. You told me you wanted to open your own practice, right? Best case scenario?”
“I mean, yeah. But it would take me close to a year to become profitable and build up a regular client base,” I said.
“You’re gettin’ too overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Just take a breath and let’s walk through this,” he said.
“Fine, fine. Okay.”
“Ya took care of your apartment issue. Check. Now, we got the job issue.”
We.
He said we.
I enjoyed the fact that he was saying “we.”
“If you don’t want to go to the job you thought you had, then I’m sure there’s somethin’ you could do here. We got in-house counsel for certain situations. I’m sure there’s a spot you could fill in our legal department.”
“But it’s still not what I want to do. I don’t want to work for a massive company like the resort.”
“But you also said you’re gonna have to do what you don’t wanna do to get the money you need. Least you could do is be around a place you like with people you like,” he said.
