She smiled. “Not only that, but I’m going to try new things, enjoy myself, and relax.”
“You’re in the right place for all of that. If you’d like to start with a hike, I’ve got to take a group up to one of the lower summits this morning. It’s a breathtaking view. Definitely photograph worthy.”
“Perfect. I’m going to go up to the main house to talk to Jilly. I really appreciate you letting me stay here last night. There’s no need to comp the stay though.”
“It’s pretty standard.” He shifted in his seat, averted his gaze.
“I’m a hotel concierge. I know it’s standard for some things, but I’d say you upgraded me quite nicely to make up for the inconvenience.”
She’d comped plenty of stays in her time at the hotel. They didn’t do it for slight inconveniences. That was worth a free meal at the hotel restaurant. Besides, from what she’d seen of the lodge in person and what Gray had said, they needed the money.
He held both hands up. “That’s Jilly’s department, but be warned, she’s stubborn and unlikely to be swayed. She’s had ample practice standing her ground.” He picked up his coffee again. “A concierge? That sounds like a cool job. I bet you’re good at it.”
Presley nodded. “I am.” Even if she was underappreciated. Looked like there were more parallels between her professional and personal lives than she’d let herself admit.
Getting up, she started to take their plates, but Beckett stood as well. “Don’t even think about it. You cooked and you’re my guest.”
“Uninvited guest.”
Did he move a little closer, or was she just imagining it? Her breath hitched when he lowered his chin. “I’m sorry for your day yesterday, but I’m not sorry you’re here. Without him.”
An unfamiliar burst of energy… awareness danced through her entire body. She wanted to take a close-up picture of his eyes just so she could study the details. Memorize them.
“See you later?” Shit. Did she sound breathy?Chill. You’re totally chill.
“Absolutely.”
He held her gaze a moment longer then started the kitchen cleanup. Sexy, kind, great with kids, and he cleaned? So this was where the perfect men were kept. Good to know.
Hiking was a unique kind of hell. It looked all picturesque in people’s lying, stupid Instagram photos, but her ass, calves, and feet were killing her. Dead. The skin on her feet, the little that was left, was being rubbed raw by her socks. They felt wet, and she wouldn’t be surprised if it was with blood as well as sweat.
This shouldn’t hurt so bad. One Black Friday, she and Rylee spent a solid twelve hours on their feet, racing from one sale to the next. More than once, she’d closed down bars dancing on three-inch heels. How was that not preparation for anything life threw at her? The only reason she was able to continue putting one foot in front of the other was pride.
Mel, the woman who’d been on the boat yesterday with her husband, Richard, kept stopping—because, yes, despite being at least ten years older, she was ahead of Presley—to make sure she was doing okay.
How were people supposed to talk and walk uphill at the same time? That should count as a city girl Olympic sport.
Her toe caught on an exposed root, but she managed to stop herself from falling flat. Though maybe if she fell, they’d leave her here, go on without her.Save yourselves.Beckett was at the front of the group, and though his voice traveled back to her as he told them about the area, the words weren’t registering in Presley’s brain. Something about the view. It was beautiful. She could acknowledge that without snarling. The trees, the sun, the view of the lake.Blah, blah, blah.
Smacking her arm, she looked for the bug that had landed on her. Sweat dripped in uncomfortable places. She couldn’t even do some calm breathing because she was working too hard just to catch her breath. She smacked her arm again. What the hell kept landing on her?
How was this fun? Maybe it got more fun the more a person did it? Who would do this again? Because everyone else did, she took a few photos with her phone. She’d been getting notifications from her morning shot so she switched the settings, turning off the constant alerts. She was used to her photos getting attention, but today her friends and followers might be wondering if she’d been abducted from the much flatter streets of her city. Her socials, TikToks, reels, and posts tended to share her love of luxury at an affordable price. Hiking was free, but somehow, Presley had a feeling every bit of her body would be paying a hefty fee this time tomorrow.
She wouldn’t be posting a selfie of this excursion. A few great lake shots, maybe. If she looked at her reflection she’d cringe or cry. When she worked out in any capacity, her cheeks resembled tomatoes. There was nothing dignified about this.
Beckett strolled over and sat on the log beside her without even checking for bugs. Presley kept standing even though her back ached. She didn’t trust the wood not to have ants or some other insidious creature.
“You feeling okay?”
She smiled as widely as she could. “Definitely. This is amazing. Breathtaking. I can’t believe I haven’t done more of this. I have been missing out.” Oh. Her lungs were going to suffer for offering up that many words at once. Was it normal for a person’s heart to beat so hard? She pressed her hand to her chest. Way too much action happening in there. Did they have medical care here? Were any of them licensed in first aid? Did a person have to be licensed or certified? She frowned, wondering how good Smile’s medical services were.
Beckett stood up, pulled his backpack off his shoulders, and dug through it. Pulling out a beach towel, he laid it on the log.
“Sit down before you fall down. I won’t tell anyone you hate this.”
She sank down beside him and groaned quietly. It felt like her body wept in relief, but it was probably just more sweat. “I’m hot and sticky.”
He smirked, which would have made her blush, but with the incline, who could tell? Small mercies.
