Operation Valentine (Hazel Oaks Resort Book 1)

by Kelsey McKnight

  “Yes, why?”

  “Sutton is coming here? To check on us?”

  “Oh, I told him about all the hard work you and I have been putting in, and he said he wanted to bring his wife here so they could experience some of that romance.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Nat paused for a second. Initially, she’d intended to but she’d found out about their trip just before the two of them had that beautiful trip to Finn’s and she’d been completely sidetracked. But she was being unfair; she should’ve told him. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. I meant to and I got distracted.”

  “See, this is what happens when you don’t make notes in your all-knowing notebook. You make these kinds of mistakes.”

  “Really, you’re making fun of my notebook?”

  “You’re gonna have to really pull it together if Sutton is coming. Can’t be making these kinds of mistakes.”

  Nat rolled her eyes but smiled at him. His humor was starting to amuse rather than annoy her. Definitely a good sign. “I really am sorry. When I called his secretary to talk about plans, she’d told me his wife doesn’t actually want to go on any hikes so I have them scheduled for things here. Don’t worry, I’m not just gonna hand you a schedule with a hike with the Suttons and be like, surprise. Enjoy your day. I’d have let you know in advance.”

  “Then it’s all good.”

  “Wait, weren’t you busy all afternoon? You didn’t cancel on anyone did you?”

  “Have some faith, geez. I got canceled on, for the first time in ages. I was waiting in the lobby for the Kents and they never showed. When I went to find them, Marvin told me to kick rocks.”

  “Trouble in paradise?” She looked worried, and Hudson momentarily wished he hadn’t said anything.

  “No, the opposite. He told me they don’t need a babysitter, that he and Mina were having a quiet afternoon in, then shut the door in my face.”

  “Then that’s wonderful! They’re spending time together without us orchestrating things, something they were both worried about.”

  “I guess you’re right.” He lifted the cup to his lips and drank, the whipped cream tickling his nose. It was hot and sweet, maybe a bit too sweet, but something he could certainly enjoy in Nat’s company. “This isn’t half bad.”

  “I swear, you have no taste.”

  “No taste for chocolate,” he amended for her. “It just means you can have my share.”

  She reached over and plucked a marshmallow off the top of his whipped cream. “Don’t mind if I do.”

  Her desk phone rang, and she gave him an apologetic look before answering it in her professional tone that was completely unlike the one she’d been using with him. Had she always sounded so casual with him, or was this a new evolution? If it was new, he wondered when it began. Was it a sudden change, something that happened all at once and completely? Or a gradual shift from coworker to something more?

  That’s what she was, wasn’t it? She was certainly something more. He couldn’t deny it any longer, even as he watched her taking notes in her little book as the person on the other line gave instructions. Every day they spent together brought them a little closer, making it difficult to imagine distance between them in the future. As alluring as California sounded, did he really think he would be alright with never sitting in her little office again or teasing her until she laughed that wonderful laugh that he found so infectious? He wasn’t so sure anymore.

  As soon as she was off the phone, he asked her, “Do you wanna get dinner tonight?”

  To his surprise, she looked disappointed, then she said, “I’m sorry, I already have plans. One of my friends is moving and a bunch of us are getting together after work.”

  “Oh, that’s cool. I was just seeing if you were free. But no worries.”

  She studied him over her cup and he looked down at his own, hoping she didn’t see just how disappointed he was. But then again, he’d asked her last-minute. She had a life and it didn’t involve waiting around for him to call. He should’ve done it last night or the night before.

  “Hey, Hudson, how about tomorrow night?”

  “Works for me. Leave from here, around eight?”

  “Oh no, I’ll starve. Let’s make it six thirty.”

  “Six thirty? Are you sure it’s alright for you to be leaving that early? Isn’t that against the workaholics handbook or something?”

  “Completely. But for you, I’m willing to break this one rule.”

  “Careful, Nat. When you say things like that, I get all sorts of excited. It’s not fair to play with a man’s heart the way you are.”

  “Somehow, I think you’ll survive. Thank you so much for the drink, but I need to check in with Rebecca about a guest situation.” Then she left the office with her mug, the fingers of her free hand trailing across his shoulders as she passed him.

  Hudson let out a deep breath. He really had it bad.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Nat

  Hudson and Nat spent the next few evenings together. They’d gone out to dinner, he’d taken her to the gym where, despite her fears, she didn’t severely injure herself. She was actually in great shape. They also had a movie night in. Each time he left her, Nat was more and more hopeful the initial seeds of romance would soon bloom. They had a connection that she couldn’t quite explain. On paper, they didn’t make any sense. In fact, they were polar opposites, but maybe that’s why they did seem to work.

  The day before Valentine’s Day, Marvin sat in Nat’s office. She was excited to see him since he’d been pretty absent since shaking off Hudson’s last attempt at getting the pair to go out with him. The Kents had canceled all of their premade adventures, with the exception of dinners, and asked for a rental car for more freedom. They’d even declined the sunset date at Finn’s house, requesting they have more privacy. Frankly, Nat was glad not to be babysitting anymore, because she’d always felt a little weird about chaperoning people older than her parents. But then again, it’d gotten her and Hudson to see different sides of the other.

  Marvin tapped the arm of his chair, the rhythmic sound one of excitement, not stress. “Natalie, first of all, I am so grateful for everything you’ve done for Mina and me. Truly, this trip has been a much-needed wake-up call about the state of our marriage. We’ve done a lot of talking and we’ve come to a decision about how to start off on the right foot. Tomorrow, we’d like to renew our vows.”

  “What? Oh Marvin, that’s just, that’s amazing.” There was nothing she adored more than a happily ever after, and she was thrilled to bits she had helped them find theirs again. Then the reality of their timeline hit her. “Pardon me for just a moment, but did you say tomorrow?”

  “Sure did. Mina and I want to have a little ceremony here with George and Ellie, and our daughter is coming up as well. We’re just thinking something small with a casual meal after.”

  Nat’s mind started whirling. Nearly every romantic spot inside the lodge had already been reserved for romantic dinners and small events. Even the greenhouse was booked for a morning proposal.

  “Marvin, I’m not sure we can squeeze something like that in on such short notice. We could maybe set something up outside, but the weather can be unpredictable here.”

  “I know it’s last-minute and I know it makes more work for you, but you’ve really changed things for us, and I know you can do it. Whatever the cost, the fee, whatever, I’m more than willing to throw some cash around to give Mina a perfect time. This is the place that brought Mina and me back together and, obviously things aren’t perfect, and we’re clearly still going to have to work on a lot but that’s what this vow renewal is about. It’s about promising to do that. We even have a couple’s counselor ready to help us at home. We’re going to make this work.”

  Nat flipped open her planner and skimmed the packed day. If they could make it work, then so would she. There were slivers of time where she could possibly fit something small in, but not enough to do a r
oom turnover or serve a full dinner. But how could she say no to him? “I’ll work something out.”

  “Excellent. Just tell the wife and me where to go and we’ll be there.” He stood up, shook Nat’s hand, and then headed out of the office.

  Nat drooped in her seat, not caring if her skirt wrinkled. What was she going to do? She started making a list of all the things she’d need and at the top of the list was break the news to Terry that she’d have to squeeze in another fabulous dinner. She doubted he actually meant casual. And even if he did, she wanted it to be special for them. Though telling Terry, that would actually be the most dangerous part of all this. A location was vital, but she’d need to have a talk with the whole team about where to hold the ceremony and meal. Then there was the decor, the officiant, maybe even a cake?

  There was a knock on the frame of her open door. She looked up and saw George Sutton standing there with his trademark toothy grin. She put on her best customer service smile and stood to greet him.

  “No, no, Ms. Keller, back as you were. No need for formalities.”

  “Alright,” she said, dropping back into her chair. “Well, welcome back to Hazel Oaks, sir.”

  He eased into the seat opposite her desk. “Thank you, thank you. Now, I’ve just seen Marvin and I have to say, a vow renewal? You and Hudson must’ve really worked your magic. Did you find a cupid to help you out?”

  Nat laughed her melodic customer service laugh and waved her hand at him. “Of course not, sir. We all know cupid doesn’t exist. Actually, Hudson and Terry have worked tremendously hard on this project alongside me, and I’m very proud of their ingenuity and dedication. And Rebecca, one of the stars on my staff, she took up a lot of my slack while I focused on the Kents. It’s really been a team effort.”

  “Yes, naturally. You have a fine team here. I’ve been meaning to ask you, this team, is there something I can do to show my gratitude for them?”

  Nat thought about Terry for a second. She’s been begging for a new oven for quite some time, and Rebecca had planned to have her wedding at the lodge when she saved enough. She quickly mentioned these things to Mr. Sutton and he took out his phone to make notes.

  “Easy enough. Tell Terry to send you the oven that she wants, and we’ll work on getting that for her. As for Rebecca, that would be my pleasure. Tell her the rental fee will be on me and we’ll give her a thirty percent discount on catering when she’s ready to book.”

  “That’s all so generous of you, sir.”

  “All your work has been generous, and Hudson, is there something I can do for him?”

  Nat opened her mouth and closed it again. She knew what Hudson wanted as well. He wanted that job in California. But if she said it, he’d leave. If she didn’t, she’d be selfish. She couldn’t ruin his career like that. Besides, if he wanted to move, she didn’t want him here, right? She wanted a man who would move mountains to be with her, not just climb them when they were trying to bring a couple back together. She could argue with herself for days about what the right thing to do would be, but in the end, she couldn’t deny Hudson’s true wish of leaving Hazel Oaks behind for the land of sun and surf.

  “Hudson is eager to move to the California property, the Jewel of Laguna. He’s mentioned being an adventure coordinator there a few times, and I think he’d really appreciate having a chance at a position.”

  “Splendid. He’d probably do well there. Tell him to send me his resume and I’ll personally pass it along to HR.”

  “Great,” she’d said, but she felt her smile crumble. This was one time she couldn’t fake it.

  “And you, we can’t forget about you?”

  She nearly told him all she wanted was a little more time to figure out if things with Hudson had a real shot or if he might stay with her, but she shook her head. “Nothing for the moment, sir. Can I get back to you?”

  “Absolutely, you have my cell.” He stood up and straightened his tie. “And also, Natalie, I know Marvin wants a vow ceremony, but I had a thought on that. Do you have any of the suites open?”

  “There are two of the junior suites open, but I don’t think they’d be big enough for the ceremony and the dinner. I just—”

  “Oh, I agree with you. The wife and I will move to one of them for our stay. My personal suite is certainly large enough to accommodate the vow renewal. We just arrived, so we haven’t even unpacked. I can have one of the front desk staff move us so you can get started.”

  “Mr. Sutton, that is fantastic. That does make things a lot easier moving forward.”

  “Then my job is done.” With that, he turned and walked out of the office after shooting her another wide grin.

  Nat knew she needed to start planning for the vow renewal, but she also knew she needed a minute or forty to pull herself back together or she was in danger of becoming completely overwhelmed. She called Rebecca and told her she needed to step out for about an hour. Then, she went to her car and got her running clothes. If ever there was a time where she needed to escape her thoughts, it was now.

  *

  Hudson

  Hudson spun his office chair side to side as he read over an incident report. One of the guests had fallen during a hike with one of the junior coordinators and hurt their ankle. Everyone present had insisted it was an accident, and that’s how the report read, but Hudson just wanted to make sure everyone was alright before closing the case. He called the guest to check on him but his wife said he was sleeping. She said the hospital said it wasn’t broken so he was just sore.

  When he finished, he headed to the kitchen for some food. He needed a late lunch before he had to lead a couple to a sunset proposal. The plan was to take them to the wishing well, which one of the groundskeepers had cleared, just in time for a wish and a ring. He even charged up the resort’s camera so he could take some good photos for a keepsake. But first, sustenance.

  He strolled through the lobby looking at the vases of flowers on just about every flat surface. Valentine’s Day wasn’t exactly his thing. He’d never really celebrated it with someone and just used the day after for a change to restock his candy collection at home when everything was on sale. But now with Nat in his life, he was trying to figure out what he could do. He talked a big game to her about how he was a king of romance, but now with his own Operation Valentine ending as a success, he had to think of something fresh. Though, he wasn’t above asking for a little help.

  “Terry,” he called when he entered the kitchen, which was still buzzing with post-lunch activity as the staff cleared for dinner prep. “I simply cannot get through another minute without your cooking.”

  Terry came out of the walk-in freezer, holding a clipboard. “Why can you never come during the hours we serve lunch to the employees? We have a cafeteria for a reason.”

  “Because I enjoy this one-on-one time with you…and I was dealing with a hurt resident who needed a trip to the hospital.”

  “Seriously? Are they okay?”

  “Yeah, their ankle wasn’t broken, but you know how I loathe paperwork.”

  “Alright, I guess that’s a good excuse for today. I’ll get you something.” Terry put the clipboard on one of the empty counters and washed her hands. Then she walked to the fridge near the back of the kitchen and started pulling ingredients out for the world’s best sandwich. There was ham, turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, some bacon probably from breakfast, honey mustard, mayonnaise with olive oil, and pickles.

  She started to assemble the sandwich, humming quietly to herself. Hudson watched her work after getting himself a drink from the fridge, trying to think of an opening. He wasn’t great with verbalizing his feelings. He’d basically been raised with drills, silent meals, and clean-cut order. And opening himself up like that wasn’t something he was wildly comfortable doing. But like with bungee jumping and paragliding, sometimes you just needed to take the leap.

  “Listen, Terry, I also wanted to talk to you about Nat.”

  “Oh yeah, what about her?
” she asked without looking up from her work.

  “Is she really into Valentine’s Day? Like should I do something big or small or should I ignore the day completely since this is all still new?”

  Terry turned from the sandwich and placed a gloved hand on her hip. “I am not telling you how to seduce my friend.”

  “What? Terry, mind out of the gutter. I just…forget it.” He took a long drink and stared at the finished sandwich she pushed in front of him. He didn’t want to tell Terry he’d never had a date for Valentine’s Day. Not a real one anyway. She’d definitely tell Nat and that just felt weird for her to know.

  “Are you really asking me this? Like you really want to know?”

  “Well, yeah, who else would I ask? You know everything.”

  She twisted the lid back on the mayo, beginning her cleanup while speaking. “Okay, then I’m ready to be serious. Nat does everything for everyone. She’s obsessed with organization and structure, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, give her a fully planned-out date she doesn’t need to worry about. Show her you put effort into it. She knows how much it takes to set up that stuff, and she will appreciate it for that reason. It doesn’t have to be this big expensive event, just something thoughtful.”

  “Okay, so nothing cliché, more like an act of service?”

  “You got it.”

  “You’re right. I got this.” And he turned to walk out of the kitchen, eager to check his schedule to see when he could devote a few hours to setting something up.

  “Uh, Hudson,” she called after him. “Your lunch?”

  “I don’t deserve you in my life,” he said, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek as he took the proffered plate.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, say it in chocolate.”

  “Done!”

  Hudson’s head was swirling with ideas. First, he wanted to plan something for the fifteenth and not on Valentine’s Day. She had a full day of activities between romantic brunches and spa treatments, so she’d probably be exhausted. Maybe that would be the first thing he’d take care of for her. He could go to one of the fancy boutiques in town and get her some bubble bath soap stuff and maybe some candles and more notebooks. That would be a good place to start.