by Jill Sanders
She thought about it for a moment then smiled. “Babysitting me?”
“Guarding,” he countered. “And besides, I like the excuse to hang out with you more.”
“I’ll allow it,” she said with a smile.
His smile brightened. “Good, then how about we head down to the pool for some lunch? I’m starving.”
She laughed. “When aren’t you starving?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Hey, this time I worked up an appetite.”
They walked hand in hand down the pathway to the pool dining area. She noticed his limp was growing less obvious and figured he’d been working on that as well as his muscles, which had easily doubled since his accident. Apparently, the way he staved off boredom was to work out.
“One of the best perks about working here has to be the food,” he said after they’d ordered.
“Hey, what about your coworkers?” she teased.
He shrugged and smiled. “I guess working with Aiden will be fun.”
She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh loudly.
So much had changed between the two of them, yet this was one steady fact—Brett still made her laugh. He’d always had that ability. Even when she’d been the butt of his jokes, she’d found him funny, smart, kind, and, as much as she’d like to deny it, hot. All those years ago, even when she’d had a crush on Aiden, her eyes had always found Brett.
Something she would never admit to him. Ever.
After they were done eating, she had a call to check up on a guest who had diabetes and hadn’t been feeling well that morning. Brett rode along with her on one of the camp’s golf carts. She drove on the pathway, making her way to one of the farthest cabins, and chatted with Brett about the campgrounds and guests.
She could tell he was trying to get a handle on what his job would entail. She listened to him talk there and on the way back from the couple’s cabin about changes he would be making, and she had to admit, he had some really great ideas.
She was counting down the minutes until she could clock off and head home with Brett. Being with him filled part of her that she didn’t know had been empty before.
When they parked the golf cart and started walking back to her medical cabin, they noticed Zoey and Dylan heading down the pathway towards the main building with baby Paige in a stroller.
They made their way over to the new family and, after chatting for a few moments, followed them up to the main building instead of heading back to the medical cabin.
“We’re actually here for the party,” Zoey told them when they reached the main building. “It’s Paige’s first official outing.”
“And, of course, it had to be a dinner here,” Dylan added with a smile.
“Of course,” Lea replied.
Most nights dinner at the camp was an ordinary event. But on Fridays and Saturdays, that changed. The normal plain dining room turned into various wonderlands, fulfilling whatever fantasy the Wildflowers had cooked up for that weekend.
During major holidays, parties usually spread out over a few weeks so that all guests could enjoy the seasons.
Tonight’s theme was April Showers. Lea had been curious about what that entailed and had stopped by the dining hall to help Hannah and a few others decorate the room with flowers of all colors and sizes. She wasn’t joking about the size thing. Hanging over the main dance area was a pink rose with petals easily the size of a grand piano.
The five of them entered the room through a waterfall of blue streamers.
“Wow,” Zoey said, “the room looks amazing. I don’t know how Hannah does it. Each time she comes up with a new theme, she outdoes decorations of the last one.”
It really did look amazing. Since she’d seen it last, there were more flowers, electric Tiki torches on the outskirts of the room, and what looked like white puffy clouds with blue sparkly raindrops hanging from each light.
“How does she do that?” Zoey asked, looking up at the clouds.
“She’s a fairy,” Lea answered under her breath.
“She certainly looks like one.” Dylan nodded towards Hannah as she made her way gracefully across the room towards them. Sure enough, the woman was dressed in a soft blue chiffon dress with a wide tulle skirt that looked just like a summer cloud. It appeared as if Hannah was floating on air instead of walking.
“Wow.” Zoey shook her head. “Just…” She moved around her friend and assessed the dress further. “Wow.”
“Thanks,” Hannah said with a smile, then she immediately frowned. “You’re late. You were supposed to come early. I had a surprise for you and Paige.” She turned her eyes towards Dylan. “I told you to get them here half an hour ago.”
Dylan winced. “Sorry, Paige had other ideas.”
“She made a mess in the first outfit we put her in,” Zoey said.
Hannah waved her hands and then took the stroller and started making her way back out of the room.
“Hey, where are you going with my daughter.” Zoey laughed and kept up.
“To change. You two simply can’t be seen dressed like this.” Hannah stopped and glanced back at Lea. “There’s something for you too if you’re going to stick around.”
Lea glanced at Brett. He shrugged and said, “I could have a couple of drinks and some food, if you’re game.”
Smiling, Lea followed her friend back to Zoey’s office, where an entire rack of dresses matching Hannah’s hung.
Less than half an hour later, she walked back into the dining room in a long strapless dress made from dark blue tulle that would have normally looked ridiculous on her. But there had been a hairdresser, and her long black hair was now tied up in several intricate twirls with glass beads in it. Along with the makeup Hannah had helped her apply, she looked like a princess.
While she’d been getting transformed, so had Zoey and Paige. Zoey wore a soft peach dress that almost matched Hannah’s and Lea’s perfectly. Little Paige had on a smaller version of Zoey’s dress in a matching peach color.
Mother and daughter looked so cute, she couldn’t pass up Lea snapping a couple of pictures before heading out.
She couldn’t remember ever going from feeling dull and plain to beautiful so quickly before.
The moment Brett spied her, she felt even more beautiful than she had. Seeing the way that he responded to how she looked had her instantly smiling.
He was sitting at the bar, sipping a beer when she walked over to him.
“Wow, just… wow.” His eyes ran up and down her. “You’re making me feel seriously underdressed now.”
She laughed. “You’ve got your boardshorts on. Perfect attire for a spring rain shower.” She motioned to the clouds above them.
He set his beer down and reached for her, but then he yanked his hands back. “I’m not sure I should touch—”
He stopped talking when she plastered herself against him and kissed him.
“I feel like a princess,” she said with a smile. “No wonder Raya likes her job so much. She gets to feel like this every day at work.”
Brett smiled and wrapped his hands around her waist. “This color suits you,” he said, his eyes running over her face. “Did they even do your hair and makeup?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “Hannah has thought of everything.”
“Not everything. I’m the one who found my prince charming.” She kissed him again.
Chapter 18
Brett’s last official day on the force was an emotional one for him. Not that he’d show it to any of his friends. His father had taught him at an early age that real men didn’t cry.
Still, when he packed up all his things from his locker and walked out to find a large cake in the breakroom, with everyone packed in the small space, he had a very difficult time holding it in.
He was surprised to see Lea, Elle, and Aiden there as well. It filled his heart to know that his friends had come out to show their support. Yet neither
of his parents could be bothered. Actually, since he’d seen his parents at the library, he hadn’t talked to either of them.
He knew that he should give his mother another chance. Lea had been working on him to open his eyes about how his mother was a victim of an abusive relationship. But the sting he felt from her abandonment clouded his judgment. After all, phones did work both ways. Surely his mother could have found some time to call him over the years without his father finding out. Right?
“You look worried.” Aiden slapped him on the shoulder.
“Worried?” He shook his head. “Scared shitless is more like it. I’ve just officially quit the only job I’ve ever had to go off and…”
“Babysit a summer camp?” Aiden supplied.
Brett laughed nervously.
“Trust me, when I started working at the camp, I felt the same way. Well, except at that point I didn’t have a job.” He tilted his head. “Okay, basically, I was desperate for work back then.”
“Now look at you,” Elle said with a smile. “Overseeing the construction of one of the largest subdivisions in the area. Not to mention still adding new cabins for us at the camp.”
Aiden smiled and wrapped his arms around both Elle and Brett. “That’s what friends do.”
“Did I tell you their latest wild scheme?” Aiden asked.
“No.” He wrapped his arm around Lea, who remained by his side, quietly listening. “What?”
Elle rolled her eyes. “It’s not going to be that difficult of a job. I mean, it has to be far easier than building cabins.”
“What?” Lea asked.
“Tents,” Aiden chimed in.
“Glamping tents,” Elle said with an excited tone. “All our boy here has to do is—”
“Electric, plumbing, and foundation,” Aiden broke in.
“Yes, but you don’t have to do the walls, the roof, and all the other stuff inside.” Elle stabbed Aiden in the ribs.
“That’s a great idea,” Lea said. “My parents go to a place in Tennessee each year and go glamping.
“Oh?” Elle took Lea’s arm and dragged her towards the cake, all the while drilling Lea about the place her parents went.
“Tents shouldn’t have floors and full-sized king beds.” Aiden shook his head.
“I don’t know about that. It sounds pretty cool. Besides, I’ll bet it will easily double the camp’s occupancy at half the cost,” Brett said.
“Yeah,” Aiden nodded. “It’s a smart move. There’s no doubt about it. It just means I’ll have to hire a few more contractors to get the work done.” Aiden glanced over to where Elle and Lea were laughing together. “So, you and Lea? Everyone saw that coming from miles away.”
“They did?” he asked, a little surprised.
Aiden chuckled. “Yeah, everyone except you.” Aiden slapped him on the back again. “The way she is around you…” Aiden shook his head.
Brett frowned. “She had that crush on you back in school. I was sure…”
“Me?” Aiden laughed. “Maybe for like two seconds. But ever since that day you rescued her from Tim Crawford, she’s followed your every move. Tim was an ass.”
“Still is. He’s been in and out of here”—Brett motioned to the police station—“more times than I can keep count.”
“Right. Half of the kids we went to school with have, I’d wager.”
Brett sighed and glanced around. He was going to miss being here. Knowing all the juicy details of the town. Feeling like he was doing something good, keeping people safe.
“Hey.” Aiden laid a hand on his shoulder. “Trust me when I say, you’ll have your hands so full at the camp that you won’t have time to miss things around here.”
“Right,” Brett said absently.
He enjoyed getting a chance to say his goodbyes to a few of the crew, but he knew that it wasn’t really goodbye. After all, he lived less than ten minutes from the station. It wasn’t as if he was moving across the country.
An hour after he’d walked into the station to gather his things, he left with a box full of his items, some leftover cake, and his last paycheck.
In the past few weeks, he’d spent a lot of nights over at Lea’s place. So much so that he had a bag of clothes and things there at this point.
Each time he thought to return to his apartment, she would text him that she’d see him at home, and he’d head to her place. She’d even given him a key, and he had returned the favor.
She had a bottle of her shampoo at his place as well as a drawer or two of clothes, mainly scrubs, since his place was ten minutes closer to the hospital than hers was.
On nights where she had an early morning shift the following day, they would head over to his place instead of hers.
He’d gone with her to look at the space she was purchasing for her clinic. It was far bigger than he’d imagined. She talked about how Aiden was going to build out five exam rooms, the waiting area, two offices, and the reception areas, as well as restrooms.
The building was in a newer part of town, close to Lea’s house and a few new shops, including a big new grocery store that was due to open in less than a year.
With each new passing day, his body grew stronger again. He still struggled with his left leg, but he was building up the rest of him to compensate for the slight weakness.
Still, walking or standing on it for too long caused him a lot of pain in the evenings. There was no chance of him jogging or running anytime soon.
Thankfully, he had the hot tub at the camp or at Lea’s clubhouse to soak the soreness away.
Almost a week after his official retirement from the force, Lea finally signed off on him to start working at the camp. In order to prove his abilities, she’d taken him on an all-day hiking trip. He hadn’t known why she’d wanted to go on the trip at first. In the end, it had been a good thing that he’d had a good leg day and hadn’t complained once during the entire hike. When they had finally gotten home that evening, sometime after dark, she’d informed him that she’d signed off on him to start work that next day.
Of course, that evening he’d lain in bed, desperately wishing for a day of rest after that hike, but he was so excited to start work again that he pushed through his pain.
At least he’d no longer need to chase kids half his age through soft hot sand. Now he could look forward to easy days lounging around the pool or walking the grounds of the camp, watching over older people. Not to mention getting to spend more time with Lea and his friends.
“Are you excited for today?” Lea asked him the moment he opened his eyes.
He gathered her in his arms and kissed her before answering. “Very.”
To his surprise, she rolled him over and sat on top of him, looking down as her long hair fell around her face.
“Looks like Aubrey’s taught you a few new judo moves,” he joked, letting his hands run over her hips and butt.
Lea smiled down at him, then leaned forward and placed her hands firmly on his chest.
“You have no idea,” she purred, and he felt his entire body come alive in that instant.
Each time he touched her, it was as if it was the first. Discovering all the nuances of her body, finding what she liked and disliked, was like exploring a whole new world.
Whenever they were together, he wanted to spend as much time exploring her as possible. But they were both due at work in less than an hour, so he’d have to settle for enjoying her quickly.
That took him to a whole new level of excitement. The faster they moved, the more he demanded from her, and the more she demanded from him.
When they lay breathless on the bed, their arms and legs tangled in each other’s, he realized that he could easily spend a lifetime doing what they had just done.
“Wow,” Lea said against his chest.
He smiled. “I agree with that diagnosis.”
Then she shifted and let out a soft curse. “We’re going to be late.” She shoved him off her, and the next fifteen minutes wer
e spent quickly getting showered and dressed.
He had to admit, putting on a pair of khaki shorts and a camp T-shirt was a lot easier than a uniform with a gun belt that easily weighted fifty pounds.
For his first day on the job, he had been asked to join in the early morning meeting in the employee’s dining room. Since he’d attended many of the breakfast meetings, he’d figured he knew what was in store.
What he hadn’t planned on was every employee of the camp crowding into the room to welcome him.
He stood by a small podium while Elle introduced him and talked briefly about a few of the changes that he and the rest of the team had agreed on.
“Good morning, everyone. As most of you have heard, we have a new head of security.” There were several cheers and claps. “Today is Brett Jewell’s first official day.” More cheers. This time Elle had to hold up her hands to get everyone to quiet down. “This means a few changes.” A couple of groans could be heard throughout the room. “Good ones,” Elle added. “New digital security locks will be installed on all employee areas so that guests can’t wander into an off-limits area. And all employees will now have employee badges and key cards.” Elle held up a photo badge on a lanyard. “This is to help distinguish employees from guests and allow employees into restricted areas.” Brett already noticed a few employees wearing their new badges. “Brett will also send weekly security updates to your employee email and post them on the back-end website, so make sure you check for any further changes.” Elle glanced over at him. “Do you want to say anything?”
He quickly shook his head no.
“Okay.” Elle turned back to the room. “Since I have you all here, I wanted to let you know that we’ve decided to move forward with the glamping program.” There were several cheers, and Elle waited until they died down.
“So, welcome aboard,” Aiden said, nudging him.
“Thanks.” He smiled back at his friend.
“Let’s just hope you don’t get too bored,” Aiden added under his breath.
Within the first hour, Brett had more than a dozen calls. The new security system was having issues letting employees into the restricted areas. He’d wanted to hold off flipping the switch on the new system until he’d had a chance to test it out, but Elle and the other Wildflowers had wanted the system operational on his first day, so Aiden had moved forward with turning it on.
