Page 8 of I'll Carry You
“Yup. No problem.” She winced inwardly. He couldn’t help that she was a grouch tonight.Or can he?He had definitely added to her struggles.
“No kid tonight?”
She frowned, meeting his gaze. Something about him felt so familiar and goose bumps rose on her arms. Not that it was any of his business to ask about Colby. But he seemed like he wanted to be more congenial. “He’s at the front guest lodge. Asleep. That’s why I should get going now. Don’t want him to wake up and find out I’m not there.”
“You left him there by himself?” He raised one dark brow.
She gave him a funny look. The accusatory way he said it made it sound like she’d left him in the middle of the street to play in rush hour. Irritation pricked her shoulders, bunching her muscles there. “Well, when guests demand I pay them a service call at two o’clock in the morning and hang up on me, it doesn’t leave me much choice. Next time, maybe run the water for a bit before you assume it’s not working. Like I had suggested.”Or read the sign.
His features darkened. “Thanks again. Good night.”
The door closed with a bang behind her.
God, what a jerk.He deserved every bit of her rudeness. Laura wouldn’t be happy with her if he complained, though, which he probably would now.
Jen hurried back toward the front guest lodge. His comments about her leaving Colby alone had put her mom brain into hyperdrive, thinking of all the ways he could get up and injure himself.
Worse still, it reminded her of that horrible night a year earlier. Thank God for Sam and Garrett's levelheaded thinking and selfless actions that had saved Colby. She’d never been more terrified in her life.
Jen’s hands shook as she unlocked the doors to the guest lodge. She held her breath, listening for the sounds of Colby’s frightened screams. Thankfully, she heard nothing.
Shutting the door quietly, she locked the front door and slipped back toward the bedroom behind the front desk. The sounds of Colby’s soft breathing reached her, and her body relaxed.
Her coat crinkled as she slipped it off and unlaced her boots. She climbed back into the bed and curled her arms around Colby, tucking his warm body against her. Her mom said it was a mistake to co-sleep with him, that he’d have a hard time transitioning to his own bed later. Mom even suggested that if she ever got married, Colby might feel displaced by his stepdad.
Well, who cared if she never had another man in her bed again?
Kevin had promised all sorts of things, and look where it had gotten her?
She had Colby. She was young with so much life ahead of her, but already she felt he was all she needed. Just the two of them versus the world. And no one would ever convince her otherwise.
ChapterFive
Jason steeledhimself before he walked into the front guest lodge. If Jen was going to be a part of his everyday interactions while he was in Brandywood, he would have to play nice. He stared at the small ramshackle cabin. Barely over a few hundred square feet. It resembled a log cabin, which he guessed some guests found charming, but he wondered how Jen found enough space to sleep in that place.
She didn’t live here, did she?
He’d watched her struggle to pay the cashier at the drive-through the day before. Each time he thought about it, he felt a strange pressure on his heart. Just how poor was she?
He shook his head, the groaning of swaying branches in the trees bringing him out of his thoughts.
Now he really felt like a moron. As a kid, he remembered reading a book about a teacher that the students believed slept at school. Assuming Jen lived here felt a little like that.
He strode into the front guest lodge, pulling the glass door open. A bell jingled his arrival, a Christmas wreath on the door bouncing in the metal wreath holder. He’d been surprised to find a fully decorated Christmas tree in his cabin, too. They apparently went all-in during the holidays around here.
But Jen wasn’t at the desk. Instead, a pretty brunette sat behind the desk, staring at her laptop. She was older than Jen, by several years, it seemed. She gave him an easy, practiced smile and greeted him.
“I . . .” Jason set his hands on the counter. “I was looking for the woman who was working the desk last night.”
“Oh—Jen. Yeah, she does the night shifts around here a few nights a week. But I’m the owner, Laura Dawson. Can I help you?”
This was his chance to tell the owner all about Jen’s rude behavior. He searched Laura’s face for a moment, trying to gauge how receptive she would be.Not very. His skill with reading body language was something he prided himself on and the way this woman looked made it clear she regarded Jen as a friend.
Better to get Laura on his good side.
“She was very professional. Came and helped me out in the middle of the night when I couldn’t figure out how to get the hot water going. I wanted to thank her.” Jason reached for a red-and-white-striped mint from the candy dish on the counter.
He’d made the right choice. Laura’s dark eyes lit. “She’s great. Then again, she’s practically family, so I wouldn’t expect anything less.”