Operation Valentine (Hazel Oaks Resort Book 1)

by Kelsey McKnight

  “As if you had a choice. Mr. Sutton wasn’t exactly subtle about any of this. And the two of them are so lost, I don’t think you could do any more harm. Really, you care so much, and you have this big heart. Anything you do will be well placed. If someone tries to say different, let me know, I’ll lose them in the woods.”

  She laughed again. He glanced at her briefly as they hit a red light, hoping to see those hazel eyes looking back at him, her real smile glowing in the fading sunlight. Instead, he saw her wipe a tear. He’d cracked the robot.

  “Don’t go getting all sweet on me, Hudson. I won’t recognize you.”

  “Not a chance, Nat. Not a chance.”

  *

  Topgolf was pretty crowded for a Sunday night with nearly every bay full. After a short wait, they went to their own section and ordered sodas, mozzarella sticks, nachos, and a sampler platter of fried food that would make the health-conscious coaches at the gym give him a stern lecture.

  Their bay was the last one on the second floor, and they sat close together on a sleek black couch with the food and drinks spread before them on a low table, and heaters blowing from behind them. Top 40 pop music was playing overhead, and the constant thwacks of clubs and cheers of the other players gave the whole place a cheerful mood Hudson had desperately needed.

  They were alone for the first time ever outside of the lodge. There were dozens of other people around, players, waitresses, spectators, but being holed up in the corner, away from Hazel Oaks added an intimacy to their evening. It made Hudson nervous to have nothing to distract them. Still, he wished he thought of taking her somewhere like this before, away from the lodge and the guests to really get to know each other. Maybe they wouldn’t have spent so much time fighting if they had.

  They had ordered their food as soon as they had got to their place, and it had just arrived when Hudson had finished setting up the first game on the little touch screen. He’d explained they were going for distance and put their names in. He thought just letting her hit the ball as hard as she could would let her loosen up and keep the game interesting. She seemed the type to have beginner’s luck. More than that though, part of the reason they were here was to get out some of their frustrations and anxiety regarding the Kents. What better way to do that than to hit the ball as hard as you can?

  “You ready for this?” Hudson asked as he picked up a mozzarella stick from the basket and went to look at the display of men’s clubs.

  Nat sat back in her seat and regarded him over the top of her soda cup. “No pressure, but I will be judging your first shot harshly.”

  “Wow, I wasn’t prepared for that comment.”

  “It’s like with the Olympics. I’m going to watch you a couple times, maybe max five times, and I’ll be an expert commentator who can’t actually do the skill myself.”

  “Well, at least you’re aware.” He finished his food and selected a driver, giving it a few exploratory swings. “You know this computer is actually going to judge the distance. When you hit the ball, it goes to a net with a sensor that will give you the distance, and then a score. You don’t actually have to critique me. The computer will do it.”

  “That takes the fun out of it.”

  “In that case, I look forward to your judgment.”

  He looked down at the ball, adjusted his grip, settled his feet, and swung. The ball went far but missed the two-hundred-foot target he’d been aiming for. Hudson turned around and glanced to Nat. “I’m waiting for my score.”

  “No, I can’t score yet. I have to see a couple different swings and whatever. You know, variety. I don’t even know what you’re doing or aiming for.”

  “Basically, you aim for whatever you think you can hit. The balls used in Topgolf are different than regular golf balls. They lack the same heft that let real golf balls go the distance.” He put another ball on the tee. “So, what’s going to happen is I’m going to go for that two-hundred-foot marker. I get ten turns, and then you get ten turns. At the end it’ll give us our final scores.” He adjusted his stance and the grip on the club and swung again.

  Nat clapped.

  “What’s with the fanfare?”

  She popped a chip into her mouth. “Isn’t that what people do when they watch golf? Clap politely after each hit?”

  “I mean you’re not wrong, but it wasn’t that great of a drive.”

  Hudson finished his round with Nat clapping politely after each swing, sometimes calling out a random number, her favorite being forty-two. When it was her turn, she seemed less than enthused as she looked over the women’s clubs. Now it was his time to shine.

  “You ready to wow me?” he asked, taking a sip of his soda.

  “I would be if I knew what I was doing.” She stood up and wandered over to the clubs. “They all look so different. Does it matter which I pick?”

  He followed her over and pointed to each selection. “Here, you have hybrids, drivers, and irons. For now, I’d go with a hybrid.” He picked one for her and she took it, looking unsure. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

  “What?”

  “Yup, your turn. Go on.”

  “You aren’t going to show me?”

  “I need to see what you’ve got first, then I’ll critique your swing.”

  Nat sighed and rolled her eyes, a smile spreading on her face. “Oh great one, I don’t even know how to hold this. A little help please?”

  “Since you referred to me as my given name, yes.” He gently took her hand and pulled her to the front of the bay. He positioned her correctly, telling her to bend her knees a bit, and then stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. “Okay,” he said in her ear. “Do you see all those brightly colored circles on the green? Those are targets. You want your ball to fall around the ones with the highest points. Each target has a number next to it; that tells you how much it’s worth. And there are targets everywhere so you’ll get points, no worries there.”

  “That’s not my worry right now.”

  “What is?”

  She turned around and faced him, the eye contact almost too intense. On the one hand, he was desperate to look away, but on the other, he wasn’t sure if he could. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” She patted his chest, her hand resting there for a few moments. Hudson knew she could probably feel his heart trying to burst through his shirt at just her touch. He smiled wryly, pleased nonetheless. Then, she dropped her hand, turned from him, and got back into her golf stance. He reached down and adjusted her grip, his fingers lingering on her hands just a moment too long. “Alright,” he said softly behind her. “Give it a strong swing. I’ll be watching.”

  He went back to his seat and watched her try to swing. The club scuffed the floor before even reaching the ball. She took a few steps back and tried it again, but again scuffed the floor. She sighed loudly and tuned to look at Hudson.

  “Yes?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

  “What am I doing wrong?”

  “There’s quite a list.”

  “Care to share?”

  Hudson shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of soda. He thought standing next to her in front of the tee was where he wanted to be, but watching her now, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get up. She’d taken off her jacket ages ago and was left in her leggings and a pale green sweater that brought out the forest-colored flecks in her eyes. The wind was blowing slightly sending her hair haphazardly around her. And while all of that seemed like enough of a distraction, it was the scowl on her face that amused him the most. She needed his help, and he needed to make her smile again. But he wanted to play with her a little bit, the sassy woman certainly gave him enough of a hard time.

  “If I do, I’d have to kill you. Did I say that right?”

  “Nicely played.” Nat tried again and still wasn’t able to hit the ball. She turned to him, putting one hand on her hip, pursing her lips. “I’m thinking you’re a bad teacher.”

  He waited a second before re
sponding, stroking his chin with his hand as if he was considering letting her continue making a fool of herself. “Whoa, don’t question my skills. Let’s start with going over the grip again,” he said, moving to stand next to her, hoping explaining things would keep his mind from wandering to other possible nights out together, cozy evenings by the fire at the lodge and dates, real dates, far away from Hazel Oaks where she could really turn off her customer service self and be simply Nat. “First, you need to fix your grip. Interlock your left pointer finger with right pinky finger, like this.” He mimicked the hold for her and watched as she copied, her brow knit in concentration. “Now make a V shape with the thumb and pointer finger of your right hand, then close your fingers.”

  “Like this?”

  “Exactly.”

  She stood there frozen, staring at him. “Now what?”

  “Put your feet shoulder-width apart, then swing.”

  Nat did as he asked and swung. The ball didn’t go too far, and she frowned up at him. “Did I miss something?”

  “Besides the target?” he teased as he set out another ball. “You just need to bring the club back farther and follow through. Oh, and try to not close your eyes. How can you hit a target you can’t see?”

  Nat looked at the ball, the green, and back to Hudson. “Do you think you can show me? I think I need your help doing the actual swing.”

  Hudson grinned. “Absolutely.”

  *

  Nat

  Hudson came up behind her, his hands over hers on the club, his arms draped over hers, his chest against her back. His woodsy scent of fire smoke and evergreen surrounded them, and she gripped the hybrid a little tighter, suddenly afraid her focus would shift from the club to him. They had never been so close to one another. It was both electrifying and completely foreign to her.

  She hadn’t thought he would put his arms around her when she asked for his help initially, but, in retrospect, she had seen this sort of move in enough movies and shows to know what she had been asking for here. Usually, the guys on television used this sort of move on the girls they were sweet on. Maybe this was just how he did it with everyone? On the other hand, it felt intimate. She wanted it to be unique.

  “Earth to Nat,” Hudson said in her ear with his usual cheery voice. “Are you listening?”

  Nat blinked. She hadn’t even realized he’d been speaking; her mind was too busy whirling. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something for another guest.”

  He gave her hands a small squeeze. “Remember, customer service Natalie isn’t here right now. We’re not working, you and I. There’s no one you can help here. So, let’s see how far you can hit this ball. I’m going to help you bring your arms back far enough and show you the follow through. Then I’ll step back and you can swing on your own.”

  She nodded, a little disappointed he’d be letting go.

  The sudden movement of swinging the club shocked her. He wanted her to really bring that thing around.

  “Alright, go for it. I’m backing up now,” he said in her ear, his cheek leaning against her head. She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the closeness so much it shocked her more than swinging the club had.

  Nat closed her eyes, trying to gather some semblance of mental fortitude and remember the tips Hudson had given her. She took a deep breath and swung. The ball hit one of the targets, and she cheered.

  “Nice shot,” he said, looking down at the screen. “That was a really good hit for someone who claims to not know how to golf. Did you just swindle me?”

  “Never can tell.”

  “I’ll just sit back here in case your beginner’s luck wears out and you let go of the club or something in the backswing.” He grinned and went back to the couch, picking up his cup and taking a drink.

  Nat set up another ball, adjusted her grip the way Hudson had shown her, then swung as hard as she could. She didn’t hit a target, but it did feel really good. She could see why places like this were so popular. With each hit, and the satisfying smack of the ball on iron, she felt her tension melt away a little bit more.

  Maybe it was time she and Terry spiced up their nightly exercise routine. She looked at Hudson, his face gleaming with pride for her. Then again, she thought, having Hudson as her golfing partner seemed like a bit more fun.

  *

  As they headed back to Hudson’s Jeep nearly two hours later, Nat was feeling completely energized. That could’ve had something to do with the memory of Hudson’s arms around hers, the warmth of his hands sending jitters through her body, but she didn’t want to think too hard about what that could mean. She just wanted to turn her brain off and bask in the memory of the feeling.

  Hudson held the passenger door of the Jeep open for her like he did when he picked her up. She climbed in and put her seat belt on, and Hudson walked around the car and then got into the driver’s side. He put the key in the ignition and then turned to her.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Marvin said that Mina used to love dancing. Like, salsa dancing, way back before they started a family and got caught up in their careers.”

  “Salsa dancing, okay. I can set that up. It was on my list of potential activities so I’ve done a bit of research.” She reached into her purse for her notebook and flicked it open as Hudson put the car into drive. Then he reached up and flicked the overhead light on for her. “Thank you. Maybe we can turn the study into a little salsa club. There are already speakers for that light elevator type music that plays in there. I don’t know, it could be intimate and special for them.”

  “I think that sounds great.”

  Nat’s brain started going into overdrive. The lights in the study dimmed, so they could do some mood lighting. They could pick up some big bouquets of long-stemmed roses to put in various places. She could take Mina out shopping for a dress to impress Marvin. That whole idea of picking out an outfit with a man in mind was exciting. She pulled her phone out of her purse and began looking up dance instructors she could hire to come to the resort.

  Suddenly the Jeep stopped, and Nat looked up. They were back at the resort. Hudson had parked next to her car in the employee lot. She turned to him, shoving her notebook and pen in her bag. Then she turned the light off. There was something a bit too much about it being on; she could see his features a little too perfectly. This just seemed like a moonlight kind of moment. “Thank you for tonight. It was really great and I needed it.”

  “Chalk it up to another one of my good ideas. Be careful, I think I’m ahead of you.”

  “Whoa, you’re ahead? Tonight doesn’t count.”

  “Why doesn’t tonight count? I thought I was proving how guys are way more romantic. Wouldn’t you consider tonight romantic?”

  Nat didn’t say anything at first. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was supposed to respond. Why had he taken her out? She thought, at the time, it was him showing his feelings, those feelings Terry said were there. But with that comment she was no longer sure. Was he just trying to show her up? Still?

  She felt like she couldn’t trust her feelings or her instincts when she was around him. Like she’d thought before, it was hard to tell when he was serious or just joking. It had been a long day emotionally, physically, mentally, all of the allys. The heightened sense of awareness and focus that had come with playing golf was leaving her and her brain was becoming mush.

  “I guess, if you’re into that sort of thing,” she said lightly before hopping out of the Jeep, hoping to leave him a little dazed and confused too.

  Then Nat hurried into her car, waving at him before pulling out of the lot. Once she was out of his sight, she groaned. Her mind was a mess and she didn’t know what to think. So, instead of focusing on the man with one foot on a plane to California, she focused on salsa.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Nat

  Nat was at the resort bright and early the next morning with a shiny, new to-do list. She wanted to talk to Mina and start setting up the salsa room so she could get th
e romance back on track. She’d emailed a couple instructors the night before and one had gotten back to her. They were all set for seven o’clock. While she didn’t think it would happen so quickly, there wasn’t a lot of availability for the instructor in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, so she would take whatever she could.

  Now, to break the news to the couple.

  Instead of putting the class on a schedule, she thought it would be much more romantic to have Marvin invite her. She pictured him writing her a lovely note asking her to join him for the evening. In order to orchestrate that, she thought it was best to have a meeting with Hudson. He had said he wouldn’t be at the resort for another hour. So, with the patience of a gnat, she sat in her office, creating a shopping list to best transform the study.

  She was running through it one last time when her landline rang. Before answering, she thought of chocolate, garlic bread, and stargazer lilies. She’d read in a book that if you thought of something that made you smile before you answered the phone, it would sound like you were smiling to the person on the other line.

  “This is Natalie Keller, head concierge at the Hazel Oaks Resort, how may I assist you today?”

  “Miss Keller, it’s George Sutton here. How are you doing this fine morning?”

  Nat instantly sat up straighter as if he could actually see her in the office. “I’m doing just fine Mr. Sutton. And yourself?”

  “Well, I can hear that pep in your voice, Miss Keller, so I’m already doing better.”

  “Terry mixed up a new blend of coffee, and it’s really getting me energized for the day.”

  “Ah yes, I always start my day with at least two cups, but if the blend at Hazel Oaks is as good as you say, I’ll have to get a bag or two.”

  “I can certainly sort that out for you if you’d like?”

  “Yes, please do. Anyway, I’m glad to hear you’re well. Now, tell me, how are the Kents doing?”

  Nat wasn’t sure how to answer. On the one hand, he really did care and he seemed genuinely concerned about their happiness. On the other, it was really none of his business about their marriage. True, it was technically none of hers. Oh, this whole thing was such a mess. She figured she’d mention what activities they were doing and not necessarily the emotions or the fragile state the marriage actually seemed to be in.