by Mona Ingram
“It got me thinking. It’s time for me to be honest, too.”
Her face fell. “You’re not going to do the documentary.” She tried unsuccessfully to smile. “It’s okay, I understand.”
He reached out and touched her hand, effectively silencing her. “Jamie, would you let me talk?”
She looked at him, confused. “I just thought...”
“I know what you thought, and you’re wrong.” He stared into his coffee then raised his eyes. “I have some rules when I’m out in the field. One of them is that I don’t get romantically involved with the people I’m working with.” He made a broad gesture. “The people who might benefit. It’s not ethical.”
Was he saying what she thought he was saying? An orchestra should be playing in the background right about now.
“I’m attracted to you, Jamie. You must know that.” He looked over at Goldie, who was drinking out of a dog dish by the burger shack. “I even like your dog.”
“You’re interested in me?” It came out as a squeak.
“Since the first minute I saw you with a can of bear spray in your hand.”
“Oh,” she said. “I thought maybe it was just me who was attracted to you.”
“No.” He looked into her eyes. “I won’t make a syrupy speech or anything, but you make me feel like life’s worth living again.” Nettie brought their burgers and he looked up. “I’m trying to tell Jamie that I’d like to get to know her better, but she doesn’t seem to believe me.”
Something unspoken passed between the two women. “She knows,” the older woman said simply, then walked away.
Jamie ignored her burger and leaned forward. “Are you saying I have to choose? You or the documentary? Is that what you’re saying?”
He was about to bite into his hamburger but paused. “You get right to the heart of the matter, don’t you?”
She ignored his comment. “Because if that’s what you’re saying...”
He stilled.
“I can get along without the documentary.”
Joy mixed with relief flooded his face. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He finally took a bite of his hamburger and washed it down with a swallow of coffee. “Eat up,” he said with a smile. “Nettie told me how you usually give Goldie most of your hamburger, so I got one for her, too.”
The dog was wolfing down a burger. Jamie watched for a moment then tried to talk, but her throat was clogged with emotion. When she could finally speak, her words were barely audible. “Thank you for thinking of Goldie.”
He gave her a tender smile. “Now eat,” he repeated. “You’ll need your strength if you’re going to take me flying tomorrow.”
“Really? You’ve decided to go up?” Suddenly energized, she downed the hamburger like she hadn’t eaten for a month. “What made you change your mind?”
He shrugged. “I was thinking back to the day I arrived at the Lodge and saw you jump down from the Beaver. I could see how much you loved flying. If I’m going to get to know you, I need to give it another try.”
Her heart expanded as she listened to him. “You won’t regret it. I’ll take you somewhere special.” She looked at her watch. “I suppose we should get back. Brooke runs the place, but there’s always something. I haven’t helped out much the last couple of days.”
They rose together. Craig wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked.
Jamie could feel his heart beating. “I’m more than okay,” she murmured. “But there is something I’d like from you, please.”
He pulled back slightly so he could look into her eyes. “What is that?”
“Another kiss, please.”
She raised her lips and he complied. “That’s a deposit,” he said as several people climbed out of a boat and headed for the picnic tables. “You’ll get the main payment later.”
Chapter Seven
Brooke forced herself to count to ten. Sometimes these college students just couldn’t think for themselves! She touched the earpiece, only half listening to the maid’s panicked inquiry. If she were honest with herself however, she’d admit that her impatience was mostly due to the fact that she hadn’t seen Billy today.
“It’s okay, Karen,” she said when she could get a word in edgewise. “We moved the soaps and shampoos to the storage room at the far end of the hall. That’s why you can’t find them.”
The front door opened; she looked up but was disappointed. “That’s what I’m here for,” she assured the maid and disconnected. The housekeeper’s son had broken his leg early this morning and Brooke had been filling in while Heather took him to the hospital for x-rays and a cast. Fortunately, most of the maids were familiar with the Lodge’s routine and required very little supervision.
Where was Billy? She’d bounded out of bed this morning, hoping that perhaps they’d have breakfast together or at least coffee, but he seemed to have disappeared. It wasn’t until about an hour ago that she’d thought to look in the parking lot for his car and discovered that it was gone.
No promises had been made last night, but she’d been so sure he would be here this morning. Or had she read too much into their conversation? She didn’t think so; there’d been unmistakable heat between them; heat that even now made her breath catch in her throat.
She wandered to the front of the lobby just as Jamie pulled up in the runabout. Craig jumped out and offered Jamie his hand. Brooke smiled to herself. Jamie was the most independent woman she’d ever met and she’d never seen her accept help from a man. The couple stood together on the dock, looking into each other’s eyes and a surge of envy caught her by surprise.
“They look good together, don’t they?” Leeza had come up beside her and stood watching the scene on the dock.
Brooke smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing.” She looked down at the chef. “By the way, did you see Billy this morning?”
Leeza thought for a moment. “He came into the dining room just before we started serving and grabbed a couple of pieces of fruit.” She gave her friend a sly smile. “Why are you asking?”
Brooke shrugged. “We spent some time together last night.” Her gaze drifted down to the dock where they’d been sitting. “He’s actually very nice.”
Leeza nodded. “You’re right and it’s about time we stopped calling him Slick Billy. He’s always been nice to everyone here. One of our favourite guests, come to think of it. Matt said that he and Billy were playing ball with some of the kids last night and that they might hang out together today.”
Brooke frowned. “Matt?”
“Matt Weber. The guy who almost got eaten by the grizzly.” Leeza flushed bright red.
Brooke stepped back and looked at her friend. She recalled checking Matt in yesterday. He’d given her a professional smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and he’d looked around as though wondering what he was doing here. He was one of those tall, lean types that women drool over in men’s magazines.
“I remember him,” she said now. “Insanely good looking. When did you meet him?”
“This morning. He was sick and Stacy asked me to go upstairs and check him out when she couldn’t find you.”
“So he’s okay now?”
“He’s fine. I didn’t need my St. John’s Ambulance skills.” She gave a shaky laugh. “There’s something about him, Brooke.” She considered revealing Matt’s problems but decided to keep them to herself. “He’s going through a rough time right now.”
“You’re attracted to him, aren’t you!”
Leeza nodded. “I shouldn’t be, but I am.” She watched Jamie and Craig as they walked across the lawn. “What are the odds? All three of us at the same time.”
Brooke exhaled slowly. “At least they’re different men.” She checked her watch. “I thought I’d see if Jamie has time to talk. It’s about business; do you want to be part of the conversation?”
“I’d like that. I’ll just go check on the kitc
hen staff.” She looked around at the empty lobby. “Our favourite table?”
Brooke nodded.
“Okay, see you in five minutes.”
* * *
Leeza studied the other two women as she walked across the lobby a few minutes later. It was amazing to her that the three of them had become friends, since outwardly they appeared to have very little in common. They differed not only in appearance, but in the way they approached life. Jamie was probably the most straightforward person she’d ever met. She met challenges head on and was unscrupulously honest in all her business dealings. It was unfortunate that the Lodge was suffering as a result of the most recent world financial crisis.
Brooke was another story altogether. Tall, beautiful and elegant, she wasn’t inclined to reveal a lot of personal information. But there was no doubt that she was a clever businesswoman. Leeza smiled. If anyone was a match for Billy, it was Brooke.
And then there was herself. People were always surprised when they found out that she was a chef. Hell, she surprised herself sometimes. Pale and short with cropped black hair, the woman who looked back at her from the mirror appeared closer to eighteen than to thirty two. Thirty two and dangerously close to falling seriously in love for the first time...but with the wrong man. She gave herself a mental slap and joined her friends.
“Everything okay in the kitchen?” Jamie asked out of habit.
“Everything’s fine.” Leeza settled in. “What’s up?”
Jamie shrugged. “I’m not sure. This is Brooke’s meeting; she has some ideas.”
Brooke turned and pointed to a small unused space that opened onto the lobby. “For starters, I’d like to turn that little alcove into a shop. I understand it used to be a store of sorts but when the campground was enlarged the store was moved out there.”
Jamie glanced across the lobby. “It really is wasted space. What were you thinking?”
“I want to carry items that will appeal to women. The men buy all their fishing gear and stuff in the campground store when they buy their fishing licenses, but we don’t have anything to interest the women.” She looked at the two other women. “Have you visited a spa recently?”
They looked at each other and shook their heads.
“No, well that’s okay. Spas these days make money from more than aesthetic services. They do very well from the product lines they carry. Nail care, skin care, facial supplies. You’d be astounded at the variety that’s available. Since coming here I’ve watched the women who come with their husbands and a lot of them are bored. We don’t even have fashion magazines they can buy. But if we can make the wives happy, the men are likely to stay longer. It’s win win. The best thing about the location is that it will take very little money to get it up and running.”
Jamie tried not to show her disappointment. “Sounds good, but I don’t have any money to experiment right now. Plus it’s getting close to the end of the season.”
Brooke nodded. “I know that. I have the money to fix up the space and buy the product. We should look at it as product testing. We can use it as a promotional tool for next year while we see which products sell well in this area.”
“Next year? What happens then?” Leeza shook her head. “I can’t keep up with you.”
A faint smile flitted across Brooke’s face. “Hear me out on this. It’s going to sound a little far-fetched at first, but we can do it.” She took a deep breath.
“Jamie, you own the lakefront property to the south of the lodge, right?”
Jamie frowned. “Yes, I own about a quarter of a mile to the south and slightly over a mile to the north. Back when my grandfather bought it everyone thought he was crazy. This was a remote area in those times, but he was obviously a man of vision who could see that there was only a limited amount of waterfront. Why?”
“Because I’d like to build several spa buildings on that property.” She edged forward on her chair. “I visualize them as being all natural wood and decorated in a soft, muted colour scheme. They’d be connected by covered walkways so guests could move comfortably from one treatment area to the other. That stand of trees is a perfect buffer between the main lodge and the spa area. I see meandering paths leading through the trees from the lodge to the spa.”
Jamie looked at her like she’d grown an extra head. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Brooke opened a file. “I started looking into this shortly after I arrived. Since then I’ve been in touch with a design firm that specializes in spas, the one that did the West Coast Spa, actually. They’ve done some preliminary sketches and given me a rough estimate of constructions costs plus what it would cost to equip the buildings. They even advised me on how to estimate the cost of running services to the buildings...power, water, all that stuff. It won’t be cheap, but I’ve allowed a generous amount.”
Jamie frowned. “How could you begin to estimate something like that?”
Brooke looked up quickly, then went back to the plans. “I asked the design firm how to proceed. They pointed out that you’d eventually need permission from the planning department, so I talked to them. They said they don’t anticipate any problems with what I outlined, and they put me in touch with some local people who were very helpful. By the way, they recommend upgrading our power service, but I’ve covered all that.”
She turned to Leeza. “If we do this right, it could be a winner. Leeza, you could come up with a special spa menu, offering healthy selections for those people who really get into it.”
Leeza shot a quick glance at Jamie and then looked back at Brooke. “Do you really have that kind of money?”
“Yes, I do.” She looked from one to the other of her friends. “I was talking this over with Billy last night and he asked a couple of interesting questions.” She laid a hand on Jamie’s arm. “I hope you don’t mind that I talked to him. He’s got a good business head.”
Jamie shook her head, too stunned to talk. “The first thing he mentioned is that a Spa is at odds with the concept you’ve got going here of a family resort. But I pointed out that there’s no reason why the two things can’t co-exist, as long as the spa is located on the south side of the Lodge. This building will act as a barrier between the campground and the Spa.”
“The other thing he mentioned was that I’d be putting up these buildings with my money on your property. It’s not as if I could pick them up and take them away if we have a disagreement. We’d have to have a lawyer draw something up of course, but I told him that it’s doubtful we’d disagree when it comes to important decisions. We’d make those based on what’s good for the Lodge and the Spa.” She held up her two forefingers and danced them back and forth. “The one supports the other, and vice versa.” She sat back in her chair. “What do you think?”
Leeza was staring at her. “I know it’s not polite to ask, but how in the world can you come up with money like that?”
Brooke paused for a moment, her thoughts far away. “I suppose you deserve to know.” She told them about her step-mother, and the investments that had made her a rich woman.
Jamie couldn’t speak, but Leeza voiced her thoughts. “I don’t understand how you managed to stay so nice.”
Brooke smiled, but it was a sad smile. “It’s not as if he kicked me out with nothing. Lots of people are much worse off than I.” She looked back and forth between Jamie and Leeza. “I know you’ll need time to consider the spa, but how about the store? I can have it ready to go and stocked in a couple of weeks. I’ve also written a brochure on the spa and if we decide to go ahead we can start giving it out to our guests.” She grinned. “Might as well start spreading the word.”
Jamie nodded. “By all means, go ahead with the store.” She looked at Brooke like she’d never seen her before. “Off the top of my head I like the idea but are you sure you really want to do this? The land may be mine, but the rest of it seems awfully one-sided.”
“I’m sure.” Brooke was as serious as Jamie had ever seen her.
“As I said before, I fell in love with this area the first time I saw it and this is a great business opportunity.” She finally smiled. “It will be good for all of us. I’d like to see Leeza with a share as well. I’m not saying we’ll make a fortune but it will ease your financial pressures and we’ll have fun doing it.”
“I might have to change my menu a bit but that’s no problem.” Leeza was thinking aloud. “We’ll attract a different type of guest with a spa.” She brightened. “Of course that won’t be until next year, but it will be fun to make some changes.” She turned to Brooke. “And I like your idea of a special Spa Menu. This is going to be exciting.”
Brooke smiled again. “I think so too. I’m going to...”
She stopped speaking as Billy came through the front door, plastic gasoline container in hand. “Hi ladies.” He acknowledged Jamie and Leeza, but his smile was for Brooke. “The lawnmower just ran out of gas and I can’t find Floyd.”
Jamie stood. “I saw Floyd this morning and told him what you were going to do but I didn’t think about running out of gas.” She turned to Brooke. “Can you contact him and see where he is?”
Brooke was already speaking quietly into her headset. Billy walked to her side with a silly grin on his face. “Afternoon, Brooke.”
She held up a finger. “Okay, I’ll tell him.”
Jamie and Leeza nudged each other as a blush crept into the cheeks of the normally calm Brooke.
“Hi, Billy. Floyd says to tell you that he keeps a forty-five gallon drum of gasoline in the maintenance shed. He’s at our neighbour’s place to the south, helping him fix his water pump.” Her curiosity got the better of her. “What in the world are you doing, anyway?”
Billy grinned. “Matt and I are building a baseball diamond on that level piece of land up behind the campground. We’ve been gone all day looking for equipment.” His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. “We decided if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right. We bought out all the baseball equipment in the surrounding area; that’s what took so long. We got bats, balls, gloves, and caps. We got bales of hay to make the backstop.” He checked his watch. “They said they’d deliver them right around now. We bought some of those white sandbags for the bases, and Revvy was good enough to cut us a piece of wood for home plate. I drew it up and they cut it.” He looked pleased with himself. “We scaled everything down so the kids will feel comfortable playing.”