Determined, she turned to him. “I’m really looking forward to the job.” Damn it, she’d already said that—or something like it. She didn’t want to babble.
“Maris hasn’t given you second thoughts?”
Phoenix shook her head. “Actually, she seems really nice.”
“She is. I’m fortunate that everyone who works here gets along really well.”
Perfect. The last thing she wanted was drama in her life. She’d had enough of that. The plan now was to work hard enough to keep the demons at bay, and otherwise live peacefully. “They all live on-site?”
“Yep.” He stood. “Come on. I’ll show you around while Maris opens your cabin and gets fresh linen inside.” He paused. “You’re aware that the cabin is small, right?”
“Yes. It’s just me so I don’t need a lot of room.” In fact, it’d be nice to have less to take care of. Recent events had proven to her that material things were far less important than she’d thought.
“We have some premium cabins, and a few available rental campers, but I try to leave those open to guests.” He carried his tackle box, towel and rod as they walked. “Over there is the cabin you’ll be using. There aren’t any units around it, but it’s close to the lodge, so there’ll be a lot of foot traffic going by. We have quiet time from 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., so no one should disturb you during that span.”
She gazed at the small wood cabin that would be her home for the foreseeable future. Screens enclosed a front porch just big enough for a rocker. A lattice skirt circled the base of the cabin. She envisioned some colorful pots filled with flowers to brighten the all-wood exterior, maybe a wind chime or two and a floral wreath for the door.
Decorating it, making it her own, would be fun.
“You’re welcome to get your breakfast from the camp store, but you do have a full refrigerator and a small stove. Each cabin can sleep four, but since you’re alone, I assume you’ll use the loft bed without unfolding the couch. There’s only a small TV, but you have Wi-Fi.”
She already knew all that from the brochures, so she only nodded.
Cooper paused, his light brown eyes staring down at her. “I know it’s not much—”
“I love it. It’s perfect.”
His gaze lingered. “I think you mean that.”
Every word. With a confidence she didn’t always feel, she said, “I intend to be very happy here.”
“Glad to hear it.”
She cleared her throat. “There is one thing...”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not very tech-savvy.” At her age, it was a terrible thing to admit. “Is there anyone to help me set up the Wi-Fi?”
Looking somehow relieved, he smiled. “We’ll make sure you get set up. No problem.” He continued on, his pace easy. “My house is up there.”
Phoenix glanced in the direction he indicated, shading her eyes as he continued to speak.
“I have two high school boys who come on Mondays to cut the grass. If it’s raining, they bump it back to the next day. It’s your job to keep track of their hours and to supervise them when necessary. Overall they do a good job, but sometimes need to be prompted to stay off their phones and to clean up afterward.”
“I’ll take care of it.” She looked back at his house again. Situated diagonally from her cabin, it sat atop a rise and overlooked the rest of the park.
“You can see that we’ve had some recent storms. A lot of cleanup needs to be done. Also, this is the time of year we check trees for dead branches. We don’t want any falling on a camper’s awning and doing damage.”
“I’ll go through the park and assess them all.” Though she walked alongside him, her attention kept returning to his home. Like the little chapel they passed, it was made mostly of stone with arched entryways and it had a wooden addition on the left side. A path led down to the deepest section of the lake, with posted signs indicating that part was private to him.
“I cut my own grass,” he said, as if he thought she was wondering.
“Really? It’d be a simple thing to add that area to the rest.” With a riding mower, it wouldn’t take much longer to keep the manicured lawn looking great.
“Not necessary.” He gestured ahead. “The supply building is this way, and the maintenance building is at the end of the lane.”
When Cooper took her arm, she automatically jerked back and would have fallen if he’d let go. Startled, she stared up at him and tried not to look so rattled.
Expression enigmatic, he slowly released her and indicated the limb in her path. “You would have tripped over it.”
Because she hadn’t been paying attention. Way to make a good impression. She forced a smile. “I’m sorry. I was admiring your house.”
He looked back at the house as if he’d forgotten it was there—and didn’t like remembering. When he returned his scrutiny to her, he looked different, more distant. “Did you catch anything I said?”
“I think so.” Not really, but she dutifully pointed, “Supply building, lodge, showers—”
Consideration brought his brows together. “Ms. Rose, you told me you researched the park to get familiar with it, right?”
“Yes.” Even without the tour, she probably could have told him where everything was located.
“I did the same.”
Not understanding, she asked, “You researched the park?”
“No.” He looked away as a woman opened her camper door and carried a bag of garbage to the curb for pickup. “I research all my employees prior to meeting them.”
He’d researched...her?
Well, of course he had. That was the responsible thing to do. But how detailed had he gotten?
He watched her as if he could hear her breathing, which had the effect of making her hold her breath.
With too much gentleness, he explained, “Social media being what it is, it’s not difficult to do.”
“No,” she said on a sharp exhalation. “I guess it’s not.”
“With you, I also found multiple news articles after a simple search of your name.”
Horrified, she took a step back.
“I do background checks and research on everyone I hire,” he repeated.
She wanted to leave...but knew she couldn’t. Where would she go anyway?
To her sister? No, Ridley was already too concerned. When next she saw her, Phoenix hoped to be back to her usual self, a woman her sister could admire rather than one she fretted over.
Her parents? God, no. She loved them dearly, but the last thing they needed was to start worrying about her again. They’d done enough of that already.
Back to a hotel? Though necessary at the time, it had turned into a miserable existence, like a self-imposed exile. Now that she was out, she never wanted to do that again.
She preferred to feel the sun on her skin and the earth on her hands.
This was her chance to make it happen, an opportunity to start over, to reclaim her life. She wouldn’t give it up just because her privacy had been breached once more.
Far too serious, Cooper said, “I haven’t mentioned your personal history to anyone else, and I won’t. Nothing I found factored into my decision to hire you.”
Well, that was something at least. “Thank you.” She drew a deep breath and, putting it in the simplest terms, said, “I was hoping for a fresh start.”
He stared out toward the lake. “I’m sorry for what you went through.”
With more accusation than she intended, she asked, “Why do you even bring it up?” She didn’t want to think about it, much less talk about it with a stranger. She definitely didn’t want his pity.
As if he couldn’t help himself, his gaze met hers again; neither of them looked away. “I mentioned it in case you need anything.”
Phoenix couldn’t blink. The sun behind him set a glow around his brown hair, emphasizing the breadth of his shoulders, his height. It was the oddest thing, but his size didn’t really intimidate her. Not anymore.
And it had nothing to do with what he’d just said, but rather it was something about him, some vague sincerity...or sadness?
She shook her head. What exactly did he think he could give her?
And why were they both standing there staring at each other?
Shifting her stance to break the spell, she said with conviction, “I’m fine.” Then thought to add, “Thank you.”