Relieved to see a familiar face rather than the boogeymen who haunted her dreams, Phoenix grinned. Daron she could handle. He was never serious, didn’t push, and she had no real problems being around him. “Actually, that was my sister.”
“Yeah?” His brows climbed. “Younger or older?”
“Older by three years.”
Suggestively, he asked, “Does she look like you?”
“Chubby? No. She has some red in her hair, but we have the same eyes.”
Daron pushed away from the wall. “Just so you know, you’re chubby in all the right places.”
She looked down at her chest, laughed and said, “Well, yes, Ridley and I have that in common.” It was so odd that she could joke with Daron in a way she couldn’t with Cooper. How she felt about Cooper made all the difference, but it still surprised her that she could be so easy with Daron.
“If she ever visits, I want to meet her.”
“Trust me, Ridley would insist on it.” She gestured at the riding mower. “I think it died, but if you can revive it for a few more weeks, that’d be great.”
“Why just a few weeks?”
“Because after that, Cooper says he’ll look into a zero-turn.”
“Whoa.” Daron rocked back on his heels. “How’d you talk him into that?”
“I just mentioned it.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve mentioned it to him a hundred times but he always just tells me to resuscitate the poor old thing.” He lifted the hood on the mower and began tinkering. “Because it came with the park when he bought it, Coop considers it nostalgic.”
Thinking of the photo of Cooper’s wife, Phoenix asked, “Were you here already when Cooper bought it?”
“Nah. I was working part-time in town at the grocery while going to school for an associate degree in business. Coop was in buying groceries when this older lady’s car died on her. I went out to the lot to get it going. I guess a few customers told Coop that I had a knack because after watching me work, he offered me a job—and I agreed. Best decision I ever made.”
Probably one of Cooper’s better decisions too, Phoenix thought. She knew Daron was invaluable to the running of the place. “Has it changed much since he took over here?”
“Are you kidding? It’s all different.” He rolled one shoulder. “Better.”
“New employees?”
“For the most part.” He grunted as he twisted something. “Most had already moved on or retired.”
Fascinating. She watched Daron’s arms flex, then something gave way. Frowning, he switched positions.
“I guess he changed the name after buying the resort?” That was the one thing that surprised her. Cooper didn’t seem the type to flaunt ownership, or to draw attention to himself.
Daron grinned. “I did that. The big sign up front used to say Cherry’s Charm.”
“The previous owner was named Cherry?”
Shrugging, he said, “That, or the name came from all the weeping cherry trees.” He adjusted a few more things inside the hood of the mower. “The sign was all but falling off the pole, so Coop told me to take it down. Talk about nostalgia—it was a vintage sign, shaped like an old camper, you know? I couldn’t see pitching something like that, so I removed the rust, repaired the lights, repainted it with Coop’s name and hung it properly.”
What a wonderful thing for him to do. “And the name stuck.”
“Much to Coop’s annoyance.” He raised his head from the engine to flash her a sheepish grin. “He eventually forgave me.”
Phoenix tried to resist, but curiosity got the better of her. “He’d already lost his wife when you met him?”
Daron paused, his expression troubled. “Yeah, that’s why he came here.” He glanced up again. “I think it was like a fresh start or something. A way to move forward instead of just...suffering.”
Her heart squeezed painfully at the idea of him hurting. She thought of the sign and whispered, “Cooper’s Charm. A good place to get away.”
“I guess Coop thought so, since he bought the park and he’s been here ever since.” Stepping back, he said, “Give her a go.”
Trying to reclaim her light mood from moments ago, Phoenix sat on the riding mower seat and, after inserting the key, she pressed the clutch, checked that the mower was in Neutral and turned the key. It fired right up.
“There you go,” Daron said with a bow as he closed the hood. “My work here is done.”
“Actually,” she said over the engine, “there’s some issue in the laundry.”
“Always is.” With a jaunty walk, he saluted her on his way out.
Phoenix sat there a moment, then she withdrew her phone and opened the ongoing text conversation with her sister. She typed in, Cooper’s Charm is a good place to get away.
Ridley replied with a smiley face.
They both knew that no matter where she lived, if she truly wanted the past behind her, she had to fully face the future.
*
A week later, Phoenix darted through a drizzling rain and into the camp store. It was still early, but she saw lights on and figured she’d join Maris in a cup of coffee. The two of them got along well and Maris was friendly without being intrusive.
Unfortunately, as she rushed in, her wet sneakers met the tile floor and came out from under her. She flailed in the air.
A strong pair of hands caught her under her arms. “Easy.” Those same hard hands got her upright and then lingered as she turned to see who owned that deep voice.
The shock of his touch hit her first, followed swiftly by a stab of...well, not exactly fear, but definitely uncertainty.
She was reflecting on the progress she’d made, pleased that she could think calmly enough to know she was in a room with friends, when she looked up—into vivid green eyes framed by sun-bleached blond hair, all wrapped up in muscled perfection.
Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.
Beside her, she heard a chuckle and turned her head to see another—more familiar—vision, this one with darker hair in a perpetually tousled state, rich brown eyes and a huge smile.
“Daron.” She straightened and stepped away from the man holding her. “I... Sorry, the floor is slippery.”
“Especially in the rain,” the man agreed.
“Don’t worry about it, Phoenix,” Daron teased. “All the women ogle Baxter. He’s used to it.”
Baxter said, “Shut up, Daron,” without any evident animus. “It was mutual ogling.”
Oh, no, no, no. Accepting his assistance without fear was one thing. Anything else was out of the question.
Daron whistled. “And the day just got more interesting.”
This time Phoenix glared at him. He pretended to lock his lips. Right. Like she’d believe that.
Daron might be a fun-loving, harmless guy, but he was rarely quiet.
Baxter, she knew, was the scuba instructor. She’d visually admired him from a distance several times—after all, she might be damaged but she was still a woman. She’d already known that Baxter was lean, strong and undeniably gorgeous. However, that hadn’t prepared her for seeing him up close. The man was put together very finely.
Rather than continue looking the fool, she pushed aside the nervousness and, putting on her most polite and purely social expression, she held out a hand. “I’m Phoenix Rose. We haven’t had a chance to meet.”
“Phoenix. Interesting name.” Thankfully, at least from her perspective, he picked up on her lack of personal attraction. “Baxter McNab. I’m the scuba instructor and director.”
“I’ve seen you with groups at the lake.” She looked down at the wet floor. “Thanks for the good catch.”
His gaze slanted to Daron. “Dumb-ass over there did the same thing, only I didn’t bother catching him.”
Daron dramatically rubbed his sexy behind. “I think I broke my...pride.”
From the other side of the counter, Maris asked, “Coffee?”
“You read my mind.” With a fleeting smile toward the men, Phoenix headed for a stool. “I hope this rain doesn’t last.”
To her surprise, Baxter took the seat right next to her. Until Maris refilled his cup, Phoenix hadn’t noticed it. Now it was too late for her to get up and move without looking rude, which would draw unwanted attention.