Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
“You came to the right place. You can’t get more tranquil than the Greene Mountains.”
“What do you think I should do?”
“Me?” he asks, looking at me with amusement. “We just met. You want my opinion?”
“As an impartial observer, sure.”
He tilts his head. “I wouldn’t say I’m impartial.”
What does that mean?
“But I’ll give you my opinion. I think you should sell.”
I turn in my seat and study his face as he drives. “How come?”
“Because you want to sell.”
I laugh. “And how do you know that?”
“Because you’re here, thinking it over. If you still had the passion and fire for your company, you wouldn’t have thought twice about turning it down. A part of you is searching for more out of life.”
I open my mouth to retort, but there are no words. I just exhale long and hard as I turn back to the mountains, thinking about what he said.
Maybe this hot rugged mountain man has a point.
“This is the Greene Mountain Lodge?” I say, staring at it in shock as Duncan drives toward it. It’s stunning, luxurious, and exactly what I had in mind. “This is where I should have stayed. I didn’t even know about it.”
“It’s the hottest place in town,” he says as he pulls into the parking lot and parks his big truck. “It’s usually all booked up.”
“I can see why,” I say as I take in the sweeping view of the luxurious stone and log building situated at the base of a majestic mountain close to a sparkling lake.
I’m really hoping there’s an available room as we walk into the spectacular lobby with the giant stone fireplace. The doorman welcomes us and I suddenly realize that we must look like a couple walking in to get a room together.
I get all tingly from the notion. I wonder what that would be like…
…walking into a room with Duncan. Those big arms picking me up and carrying me through the door, tossing me onto the bed, the view of him pulling that shirt off in one swift motion as he walks over revealing all of that tattooed skin pulled tight over his clenched rippling muscles. The insane heat flowing through my body as my eyes slide down his hard chiseled abs and settle on the long thick shape of his erection jutting out against his…
“Are you okay?” Duncan asks, stopping as he looks at me.
“What? Yeah! Why? Huh?”
He puts his hand on my shoulder as he looks at me with concern. The feel of his hand on me sends a shiver rippling down my spine. I hope he didn’t feel that, but I know that he did.
“Yeah,” I say as he patiently waits for me to regain my composure. “It’s just… a really nice lodge.”
I swallow hard, shake the dirty thoughts out of my head, and quickly head over to the reception desk. Duncan hangs back, letting me handle this on my own.
A pair of identical twins are working at the computers. Their name tags say Tina and Tiffany and they both have the same strange black bob haircut and thick black-rimmed glasses. Neither of them looks up at me as I walk over.
“Hello,” I say to Tina after a long moment of standing there awkwardly.
I can feel the contempt dripping off her as she slowly looks up at me.
Geez… And people think New Yorkers are rude. No one working in customer service is this bad in the Big Apple.
“I was wondering if I could book a room,” I say in the friendliest voice I can muster.
“For when?”
“For right now?” I say with a forced smile.
“Can’t. We’re all booked.”
Oh shit.
“But… Do you have anything? Anything at all?”
“We had nine rooms available.”
“Okay,” I say, perking up as I get my hopes up.
“But someone just booked them all.”
“Shit,” I say, deflating once again. “That’s unlucky.”
“Super unlucky,” Tina says bluntly. “I guess you’re going to have to sleep in the bus station or something.”
“Or, in the park,” her co-worker slash twin sister says.
“Just watch out for the Sheriff,” Tina adds. “He’s quick with the taser.”
I don’t want to sleep anywhere but in a comfy king-sized bed.
“Is there another place in town?” I ask, desperate for a room.
“The inn,” Tina says as she turns back to her computer. “But it’s always full. It only has six rooms.”
Oh, crappers. They’re probably all booked.
“Would you mind calling the inn and asking if they have a room available?” I ask desperately.
The twins look at each other as if saying, ‘Get a load of this girl.’
“Please!” I say, threading my fingers together as I plead with them.
Tina rolls her eyes dramatically as she picks up her phone. She puts in the number and then sighs with contempt as she waits for the other end to pick up.
“Hello,” I hear the lady on the other end say.
“Do you have any rooms available?” Tina rudely asks.