Kayaks and Kisses: A Romance Renovation Novel (Vintage Romance)

by Maria Hoagland

  A quick shower, blow-dry, touch of makeup, and hair straightener later, Brynn considered taking her Jeep from its spot nestled next to the duplex but dismissed it. She wanted to capitalize on the good weather while it lasted. Instead, she took the wooden bridge at a brisk pace and hopped a few mud puddles before she picked her way through a narrow gravel parking lot, skirted the building, and opened the door to Owen’s Outfitters. When the bell on the door tinkled, Mrs. Bradshaw looked up from the counter and brightened with recognition.

  “Brynn!” Nora Bradshaw came around from the other side of the counter and offered her hand in a ladylike gesture. “I didn’t expect to see you until you took over. I hope everything is all right.”

  Brynn squeezed the older woman’s hand lightly, the soft, waxy skin feeling foreign to her touch. “Oh, of course everything’s fine. I know I don’t have to be here for another week or two, but I wanted to observe, if you don’t mind, to see what you do to make this store such a great success.” Brynn motioned around herself as if the place was huge, despite the fact that it was limited in space and product. That was another thing she’d have to learn—how to decide what to stock and what not to worry about.

  “‘Such a great success,’” Mrs. Bradshaw repeated, slight mocking in her tone. “Because there are so many people here right now.”

  It was true—there wasn’t even one customer in the store, which actually fit into Brynn’s plan. What she wanted more than shadowing Nora Bradshaw was having the time to get to know her. Brynn had worked retail before, was good at connecting with customers, and knew many of the products and procedures well. Instead, her goal was to get on Mrs. Bradshaw’s good side. Brynn had no idea if Mr. Konewko knew the woman personally, but anything she could do to one-up her opponent was worth the effort.

  “It’s a slow time of year, but it’ll pick up by the end of the month when ski season starts,” Brynn reassured the older woman, but with Mrs. Bradshaw’s decades of experience, she had to already know that. “Besides,” Brynn continued, “we can use this lag to our advantage while we transition management.” As she looked around the store, she began to feel overwhelmed by the idea of taking over. Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing to have a partner.

  “Why don’t I show you around and tell you a little about how I do things?”

  Walking to the back, Brynn noticed Mrs. Bradshaw’s white sneakers looked brand new, not a scuff on them, but the style screamed 1985, which sparked an idea. “Mrs. Bradshaw, I’m designing a website so customers can find us online. I think it might be fun to have a tab with the history of the store—you know, to preserve the culture and tradition as we update a little here and there.” She hoped Mrs. Bradshaw wouldn’t be offended. “Would you be okay with me interviewing you for the website?”

  “I love that idea!” Mrs. Bradshaw’s grin broke like a crack in thawing ice. “I always wondered if we should get a website, but I had no idea how to go about it.” She looked like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and Brynn was thrilled to have assisted in that.

  “Wonderful!” Heat spread through Brynn’s chest, assurance that her idea would work. “Do you have any old pictures of you and Mr. Bradshaw at the store?”

  “I have several pictures you could use—” Mrs. Bradshaw stopped in the middle of the aisle right before opening the door to the stock room and office. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “They’re on the office wall back here. But we can only do it on one condition.” As if Brynn would turn down any reasonable request. “Please call me Nora. It only makes sense, if we’re going to be spending so much time together.”

  The whole conversation filled Brynn with happiness, and she grinned. “Thanks, Nora.”

  Chapter 6

  By the time Keenan finally got off the phone with Avery, Gage had cleaned up completely, searched through his fridge for a quick dinner idea, and even read through every piece of mail, including reading every page of a brochure about an upcoming expo he’d been wanting to attend. If he could fit it into his schedule, the expo might have helpful information for his new business.

  “Something’s come up at home.” Keenan’s comment pulled Gage away from his thoughts about the expo. Keenan shook the phone in his hand to emphasize what he was talking about. “I’m going to have to cut this trip short.”

  “Is everything okay?” Gage asked, but because Keenan didn’t look too worried, he wasn’t either.

  “No big deal. One of our guys is requesting some days off—I guess his mother is sick—so Avery wants me to help the crew. We were cutting this deadline close as it was. But I think Avery and I will be able to head back here in a few weeks if that’s what you still want.”

  “That would be awesome. Thanks.”

  Keenan grabbed his sweatshirt off the back of Gage’s couch. “I’m going to head out first thing in the morning. With a twelve-hour drive ahead of me …”

  “Sure, sure.” Gage was disappointed to miss out on more fishing time with his old friend, but he understood. Sometimes you had to make sacrifices to run a successful business. Besides, Gage would see Keenan again soon enough.

  His mind went back to the expo. It hadn’t really been on his radar. He’d always wanted to go from a sportsman’s angle, but now that he was going to be running an outdoor outfitter, perhaps he ought to make attending a priority.

  “You realize this means I won’t be able to see the store in person before I go,” Keenan said.

  Gage tried to focus on Keenan’s words, but his mind was working out the details of an impromptu trip. Gage responded with a quick “Yeah.”

  “Shoot me some pics and tell me what you’re thinking, and we’ll figure out a time frame before Av and I come out.”

  “No problem.” Gage again picked up the brochure and sat down on the couch. Keenan stacked a few things by the front door, then flopped into an old chair next to him.

  “Did you send the email to your new partner yet?” Keenan asked.

  Gage opened the email app and tweaked the letter with new details. “Just a sec.” He typed for another line and then scanned over the email. “Since you’re not going to be here, I decided to head back home for a few days and then probably head over to this expo.” He handed the brochure to Keenan while he finished tweaking the email to Ms. Caley. When he finished, he passed the phone to his friend for a look. “What do you think?”

  As Keenan took the time to read over Gage’s quickly drafted email, Keenan’s cringe showed his disapproval. “You risk making an enemy if you send it, Gage.” He took a moment, softening his stance—or at least that’s how Gage decided to take it. “But it’s not blatantly hostile.”

  “You said be strong. That’s what I was going for.” Gage felt a slight pang of misgiving, but in a wave of overconfidence, he hit the send button. It’ll be fine. “So …” Gage paused, trying to come up with something. “What do you want to do with your last few hours here?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Keenan shrugged. “There’s something I can’t believe you haven’t done yet.” The wood on the old chair creaked as Keenan shifted positions.

  Gage clicked on the remote and flipped through TV channels, bouncing between three different shows—his favorite reality show about living in Alaska and two football games. “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “Have you googled her name yet? Aren’t you the least bit curious?”

  How had that not even occurred to him? Everyone could be found on the web. Perhaps a subconscious part of him didn’t want to know. Call it self-preservation in case the news was bad. “I don’t know … I guess I just figured she’s some old schoolmarm, and there wouldn’t be anything out there on her.”

  “You need to see a shrink to figure out why that was your first assumption.” Keenan shook his head and pulled out his phone, his thumbs tapping the screen. “For all you know, she’s gorgeous. What’s her first name again?”

  Gage spelled it for him as he walked across the room to retrieve his laptop. He brought it back to the
couch, intending to doing a little online research of his own.

  “Yep, I told you.” Keenan held the phone close, studying it intently. “I see a really pretty girl named Brynn Caley. Long, straight auburn hair, girl-next-door smile, athletic, our age— not some fifty-year-old—”

  “Except there is one about fifty,” Gage interrupted, studying the search results. There seemed to be two women with the name—the one Keenan was describing, and the one he feared. “With my luck, she could be the one.”

  Gage clicked on a couple of the top hits on the name—LinkedIn contacts and Facebook pages—but they didn’t clear it up for him. While there was nothing scary that jumped out about either of the women, he couldn’t be certain which, if either, was the one he was searching for. Neither was listed as being from Ruidoso, or even New Mexico.

  “You do find her attractive, though, don’t you?” Keenan pressed.

  Gage studied the redhead’s image. She was dressed for the slopes, her hair slightly tousled from the goggles she’d pushed up to her forehead. It was her cold-kissed cheeks highlighting a confident smile, plus her brown-green hazel eyes that drew him in. He could enjoy looking at that face every day for the next year and beyond.

  “What, the fifty-ish?” Gage deliberately misunderstood, glancing at the image next to the one he’d been studying. “She’s not bad, I guess, if I were thirty years older.”

  “You know I’m talking about the young one.” Keenan clicked a few more times, pausing briefly before clicking again. “She’s a skier, it looks like. So that’s got to be her, doesn’t it? Wasn’t that the reason the two of you have to run the store together—because of her winter sports expertise?”

  “Skier.” Gage scoffed. He was impressed as he read articles about the auburn-haired beauty. “You say that like she spent the occasional weekend on the slopes. Did you see the pic with the Olympic banner behind her? Why would someone who qualified for the Olympic trials end up here?” He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. Fate wouldn’t be that sweet to him. “It can’t be her.”

  Just to be sure, Gage had clicked through the pages associated with the older woman, including some amazing landscape photos she’d uploaded to a photo magazine website. Pictures of tiny mountain flowers, lizards warming themselves on red rocks, and, to throw him off even more, dozens of photos featuring freshly fallen snow, skiing, and snowboarding. Yeah, that didn’t help at all.

  Gage and Keenan gleaned what they could about the two women, which, aside from the online ski articles, wasn’t much more. Both looked like nice people, but there was no contest which Gage would prefer.

  Chapter 7

  To: Brynn Caley

  From: Joseph Konewko III

  Business Plans

  Ms. Caley:

  I regret that we will not be able to meet in person as we get our business off the ground. I will be out of town for the next couple of weeks working on business development and researching products, as well as securing financial backing for future projects.

  Despite the less-than-optimum meeting via email, I feel it appropriate, as partners, to hold each other accountable for equal effort invested in the business. With that in mind, at the commencement of our limited partnership, I would like to know your expectations of me, our business, and how we will work together in this joint business venture. Please be sure to outline the efforts you pledge to put forth in making sure our business succeeds.

  I expect a copy of your detailed business plan no later than two days from now, as we have very little time to get the ship smooth sailing before the store’s grand reopening.

  Best regards,

  JGK

  “‘Best regards.’” Brynn grumbled at the computer screen, narrowing her eyes and glaring at the offensive email. If only Mr. J. G. Konewko could feel the wrath of her reaction … It was best they weren’t face-to-face right now. “‘Best regards.’ Jerk! He talks to me like that and then signs it ‘best regards’? Who made him the boss? Doesn’t he understand the concept of a partnership?”

  As their first communique, the email was harsh, and she wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Oh, plenty of ideas ran through her mind, but she dismissed each as she waited for a more level head. No doubt Brynn was saddled with a hard-nosed geezer who obviously found out she was twenty-four, and because of her age, the man was full bent on taking advantage of her.

  No way she would let him.

  Brynn chided herself for not taking the initiative to write first. If she had written right away, she would have had the upper hand, or at least put the two of them on equal footing. Yet, she’d been waiting for signed copies of the lease and partnership agreements before jumping in, but Mr. Konewko had sent them all over at the same time. It was a head game he knew how to play better than she did, but that didn’t mean she would give in to his whims. She needed to quit worrying about the right and proper way to do things and just grab opportunity as it chanced by. Which was why she’d agreed to this venture in the first place.

  She reread his awful email one more time and took a deep breath. There was an upside to his email—she had first crack at the business plan. Maybe he thought it would intimidate her, but she could use it to her advantage. She could lay things out the way she wanted to run them. The realization was empowering … and kind of fun.

  He’ll see I can hold my own. She set to typing her response.

  To: Joseph Konewko III

  From: Brynn Caley

  RE: Business Plans

  Mr. Konewko—

  I hope you find your trip beneficial in educating you about our new venture together. While I agree that meeting in person to go over our ideas would have been optimal, we’ll deal with what we have. Attached you will find my business plan and recommendation for the division of labor between us. As far as inventory, it makes sense that you stock everything fishing related, and I’ll stock the snow sports—skiing, snowboarding, sledding—as well as the associated clothing. Camping and other departments, we can work out between us if you like. I have some camping experience—enough to answer beginners’ questions, at least.

  You will see from my business plan that I expect to offer private ski instruction, though to do that, you or an employee will need to cover shifts when I am on location with a client. However, I feel it would help with branding and expanding our name in the community. If you have the inclination, you could similarly run small fishing charters and boating tours to benefit our store. These services would greatly expand our reach and establish our expertise in the community.

  I noticed in your previous email that you did not attach your business plan. I expect, as my partner, that we will have similar expectations; and therefore, I await a return email with your attachment. Perhaps you can take into account what I have proposed in my plan and make recommendations from there.

  Sincerely,

  Brynn Caley

  Brynn re-read the email before clicking send and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. There. We’ll see how you like it.

  She knew she was being petty and resentful, and it probably wasn’t the best tone to start their business relationship, but she was going to show him she was no doormat—she was his partner. His equal.

  Chapter 8

  Gage wished he could share Ms. Caley’s email response with Keenan, but his friend was on the road by the time Gage checked his email the next morning. Keenan would have gotten a kick out of the woman’s pluck. Gage just might have met his match, and the thought sparked an interest he hadn’t had the day before.

  After looking her up online, Gage had started to worry how this Brynn Caley would respond to the email he’d sent. By putting either one of the faces with the name, she’d become an actual person to him rather than a nebulous idea of a competitor out to thwart his plans. Regret at the tone of his email tainted his mood. He didn’t want to be a tyrant.

  What he hadn’t expected was the strength and sass of Brynn’s reply. An atom of respect for the woman bur
st like a spark as he read her response. She could be feisty right back. He admired that.

  Brynn’s business plan was brilliantly thought out and carefully organized—even better than the one he’d drafted, though they shared many of the same goals and ideas. Gage couldn’t see anything wrong with hers, though he tried. At least he wouldn’t be stuck having to carry a lazy or unknowledgeable partner. If they followed the plan, their business wouldn’t limp through the year—though an unprofitable few seasons would make it easier for him to buy the store alone at the close of the termed lease.

  Gage suggested a few adjustments that he noted on the document. While he considered adding a few more just to make himself look important, he thought better of it. It was a matter of balance—saving face now versus later when it would really matter.

  To: Brynn Caley

  From: Joseph Konewko III

  RE: Business Plans

  Ms. Caley:

  Thank you for sending your business plan. I have looked it over and made some minor additions and adjustments. If you are satisfied with the amendments, I believe we have enough to get started. I have attached the revised business plan.

  Best regards,

  JGK

  With Keenan gone, a business plan approved, emails sent, and little to do for the business while waiting a few weeks for the lease to be final, Gage had nothing pressing to do. He didn’t even have much to do to set up his home. When he’d come to town a week ago, he hadn’t planned to stay. Gage and Keenan had come to Ruidoso, New Mexico, for the fishing and biking, choosing this location because it was an easy halfway point between Keenan in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Gage’s parents’ in Grand Junction, Colorado. Gage had rented the furnished cabin for the week, but as soon as he’d learned about the availability of Owen’s Outfitters, Gage had altered his rental plans for an extended period of time.