Chapter One
“Reel your tongue back in, would you, Josh? If you can’t drag your eyes away from those chicks and focus on what’s going on here, we’re going to have to take our team-building lunches back on site.”
Josh shook his head as if to clear it and gave Logan a rueful smile. “Sorry, boss, but come on. I mean … look at them. You’re not telling me you wouldn’t?”
Aaron laughed. “That’s not the point. We all know he would. But not on work time.”
Logan smiled. “Exactly. I’m not blaming you for being interested. I am, too, especially in the little redhead. My point is that they’ll still be around once the workday is done. Work is work and play is play—ne’er the twain shall meet. Come five o’clock this afternoon, it’s a different matter. We can probably get them over to the Boathouse this evening, and that’ll be time enough to play.”
“Right now, this lunch is about us hanging out together off-site so we can talk about what’s going on.” He chuckled. “We’re here to bond with each other as a team—you have to save your attempts at bonding with a pretty lady for later.”
The redhead caught his eye and smiled. He smiled back. He got the impression she’d be up for whatever kind of bonding he suggested—but he’d have to save it for later, just the same as Josh.
“So, tell me what’s going on? What snags have we hit this week, and what do we need to set up ready for next week?”
The crew forgot about the girls sitting on the other side of the café as they took turns to share their progress and detail the problems they’d hit and the resources they needed going forward.
Logan loved these Friday lunches. Phase four of the development here at Four Mile Creek was starting to take shape. He loved his job as construction manager, and over the last couple of years, he’d managed to shape the crew into an effective team who got stuff done. These lunches had been a part of that. The guys gave him shit for throwing around phrases like bonding and team-building, and he let them—they didn’t like to look at it that way, but the truth was that it had worked. He’d been brought in to pull the project together; it’d been behind schedule with all kinds of problems. It hadn’t taken long to see that they all stemmed back to a horrible working environment. Now, instead of warring factions who blamed each other for any problems that arose, he had a crew made up of different teams who all understood the part they played in the big picture and pulled together to do their part.
He looked up when Brian, his scheduling manager, came into the café and cursed under his breath when Brian stopped to chat with the girls Josh had been ogling earlier. They only waylaid him for a few moments, but it was long enough to derail the meeting again.
Josh winked at Logan. “You can bet your ass they’ll be coming over to the Boathouse tonight. Brian doesn’t waste time. He could charm the panties off a nun.”
Brian grinned as he reached the table and overheard them. He slapped the back of Josh’s head. “You’re right; they said they’ll come to the Boathouse tonight. But even I don’t work that fast. I’d talked to the blonde one in town earlier, said I might see her over here.”
Logan sighed. The other guys were glancing over at the girls again; he doubted he’d be able to get them to refocus on work. It didn’t matter, they’d done all they needed to. He knew what he needed to work on this afternoon to smooth as many wrinkles out of next week as he could.
Brian smiled at him. “You’ll be out tonight, right?”
“I sure will. It’s Friday. Time to let loose.”
“And find yourself a loose woman?”
Logan grinned. “That’s right.”
“Damn!” They all followed Josh’s gaze to the plaza outside, where a woman was hurrying her way toward the café.
Logan reconsidered his choice of the redhead when he spotted this one. She was a little taller, long brown hair, pretty face, but it was the way she bounced her way across the terrace that really sucked him in. They were full; big, but bouncy. Maybe they weren’t real? He smiled. He wasn’t picky. He wouldn’t turn down the chance to find out.
She came inside and went straight to the girls at the table. He should have known. She looked like she fit right in with them. They were all kind of preppy looking—from money, by the looks of them.
“Oh my God, girls! You’ll never guess who I just ran into!” Logan cringed. Her voice had the same effect on him as nails on a blackboard. It was high and nasally, and … he shuddered. Not even that beautiful rack was worth enduring that sound for.
He glanced around the table. It seemed all the guys were waiting, just like he was, to hear who she’d just run into.
“Who?” asked the redhead.
“Roxy!”
“Roxy Buchanon?”
“Yep. Can you believe it? She lives here. She works on the front desk at the lodge.”
“Awkward!” exclaimed the blonde.
The redhead made a face. “Not really. It’s not as though she kept in touch either.”
The blonde looked guilty. “She tried harder than I did. It’s just …” She shrugged. “I feel bad that I didn’t even invite her.”
“Why would you? It’s not as though she was ever really one of us.”
“That’s not fair,” said the blonde. “She was.”
The brunette with the big breasts shook her head. “No. She wasn’t. We let her hang out with us, but she was only a scholarship kid. She wasn’t even pretty. None of the guys were interested in her.”
“But you had a crush on her brother,” added the redhead with a laugh.
Logan unclenched his jaw when Josh gave him an inquiring look. “Roxy’s a friend of yours, right?”
He nodded, surprised at how hard his heart was beating in his chest. He looked down and saw his hands curled into fists on the table. He was pissed. Those girls thought they were better than Roxy? They were full of it. She was worth more than all of them put together, any day of the week. Roxy was awesome.
He glanced back at the girls who were chattering and giggling, and his blood boiled. They’d better not be laughing about Roxy.
He turned when the café door opened, and she came in. His heart rate shot up again. It always did that when she came into a room. She was gorgeous, all long blonde hair and curves. If none of the boys at school or college or wherever she knew those girls from had been interested in her, they must have been blind. He’d love to get his hands on that body, but she was his friend.
He watched through narrowed eyes as she approached the girls’ table, and they all turned fake smiles on her and got up and greeted her with squeals and air kisses. She looked genuinely pleased to see them, and that hurt him for her. She deserved better than that.
“It’s so good to see you all!” She smiled around at them.
“And you,” said the blonde. “I had no idea you lived here. And I’m sorry I didn’t invite you.”
Roxy let it go with a smile. “That’s okay, we haven’t talked in ages. I’m so pleased for you. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” The blonde looked uncomfortable. “I’m afraid we’ve given them the final numbers for tomorrow night. I can’t add you at this point.”
“That’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“But we’re going out tonight. We’re going over to the other side of the lake, to someplace called the Boathouse. Do you know it? Would you want to come?”
Roxy smiled. “I’ll be there.”
The redhead glanced over at Logan and the guys and smiled. “We’re making friends here already.”
Roxy followed her gaze and smiled at them. Her smile faded a little when she looked at Logan. He hated that he seemed to have that effect on her. He got the feeling he pissed her off sometimes by just existing. He wasn’t going to let it get to him today, though. He smiled back at her and got to his feet.
He hated seeing her standing there looking pleased to see those girls when he knew what they’d just been saying about her.
“Hey, Rox.” He went to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.
The redhead’s smile soured as she watched, and the brunette raised an eyebrow.
He was more concerned with Roxy’s reaction. He joked around with all the girls in their group of friends, but he didn’t often dare with Roxy. She was too swift to put him in his place. She surprised him by smiling up at him and leaning into his side, as though, for once, she was pleased to see him.
“Hey, you.”
“I need to get the guys back to work, I’m guessing you need to get back yourself. But I just wanted to make sure that we’re on for tonight?”
Her eyes widened a little, but she nodded. “Yeah. We are.”
Logan wasn’t sure that she understood what he was doing. He wasn’t sure he totally understood it himself. He just wanted these bitchy, stuck-up girls to see that the boys were interested in Roxy now. He wanted to make them see—and to make her feel—that she was way better than any of them.
He couldn’t resist it; he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Go on, you’d better get back over there. I’ll see you later.”
Her cheeks flushed a little, and she nodded breathlessly. She was probably madder than hell at him for doing that. He’d hear about it later, no doubt. But at least it got her away from them and back to work. He didn’t want her around them until he could tell her what they were really like.
She smiled at the girls. “He’s right. I should get back. I’ll see you at the Boathouse tonight.”
Logan watched her leave and then turned back to the guys who were all watching him with puzzled looks on their faces. All except Aaron, who gave him an appreciative nod.
“What the fuck, dude?” asked Josh. “Why blow your chance with the redhead by making it look as though you’re with Roxy? You know that’s how that looked, right?”
Aaron laughed. “I believe that’s why he did it. Roxy’s a friend; those girls are nothing.”
“I wouldn’t say nothing,” said Josh. “They’re a potential score.”
Logan shook his head sadly. “Josh, Josh, Josh. You have so much to learn. The kind of score you’re talking about is worth next to nothing—cheap and easy. A friend is worth everything. And even if she weren’t a friend, Roxy is worth more than all of those girls put together, and if you can’t see that, there’s no hope for you.”
Josh blew out a sigh. “All right. I get it. It was kind of cool what you did there, actually. But I don’t think it’ll get you anywhere.”
“I’m not trying to get anywhere. That’s the whole point. Roxy’s my friend.”
Josh laughed. “Your friend who you’ve had the biggest crush on for longer than I can remember.”
“I don’t have a crush on her. At least, no more than any other woman. I like women. Especially beautiful ones. Roxy’s beautiful.” He shrugged.
Aaron held his gaze for a moment. “If you expect any of us to believe that …” His expression changed. “Or do you really believe that?”
“Believe it? Of course, I do. It’s the truth.”
Aaron chuckled. “Wow. There’s none so blind …”
Logan shook his head. “You’re the blind one. If I had a crush on Roxy, why wouldn’t I have done something about it by now?”
Aaron shrugged. “You tell me, boss. You tell me.”
Logan sat behind the wheel of the van he used to shuttle the guys over here from the work site and watched them get in. Aaron was nuts. Sure, he liked Roxy, but not like that. He pursed his lips. She was a friend. That was all.
~ ~ ~
Roxy was more than happy to get out of work once six o’clock rolled around. It’d been a long and busy week, and she had the whole weekend off for once. She usually worked at least Saturday or Sunday, often both. But the way the shifts had fallen, she had both days off. She pointed the car south down East Shore Road and headed home.
The timing couldn’t be better. She’d hate to have to work this weekend. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she’d seen Courtney strolling through reception earlier. And when she’d told her that all the girls were here for Lucy’s hen weekend, she’d been surprised, to say the least. They’d been her group of friends in college. At least, they’d been the people she hung out with. She blew out a sigh. Lucy was the nicest of them, and Roxy had tried to keep in touch with her for a while, but it had become obvious that their friendship was one-sided, and she’d let it go. She’d decided after yet another unreturned call that she’d wait for Lucy to contact her—and that had been over two years ago.
Now they were here for the weekend, and Roxy was glad that she wouldn’t be sitting on the front desk watching them come and go the whole time. If she knew them, there’d be an assortment of guys going back to their rooms with them over the weekend, and she wouldn’t want to be the one to enforce the policy of having no unregistered guests staying over.
She might not have to see them at work, but she would run into them tonight. She imagined they’d be easy enough to avoid. They’d be all about hooking up. Hopefully, Lucy wouldn’t—since she was the one getting married—maybe she’d want to hang with Roxy and catch up. That’d be okay. But other than that, Roxy guessed that they’d all be more interested in getting to know the local guys—intimately.
She made a face. Logan would no doubt be a willing volunteer. She still hadn’t figured out his weird behavior in the café earlier. If she had to guess, she’d say that he was probably trying to pique Courtney’s interest. He’d probably only come over to make sure that they knew that he’d be at the Boathouse tonight, too. Though that didn’t really make sense. Logan wasn’t the kind to play games like that. He was more likely to walk up to a girl he was interested in and tell her that he’d be there and that he’d be available to take her home afterward, too. There was no reason for him to let them know that he was her friend.
It didn’t matter what he was up to. A little shiver ran down her spine. Whatever it was, it meant that he’d put an arm around her and kissed her forehead. She shouldn’t be so pleased about that, but she was. She’d had a crush on him since the first day she met him. He was a safe guy to have a crush on. He was a player, in no uncertain terms. He liked hot chicks—and she could hardly be described as one of those. She could enjoy looking at him without ever worrying that he might return the interest.
Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts about just how gorgeous he was. She hit the button to answer.
“Hey, Maria. What’s up?”
“Hey, Roxy. I’m just leaving work now. I wanted to make sure you’re coming tonight.”
“I am. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone; it’s been a while since I’ve been out to see the band.”
“I know. I just wanted to make sure that you’re still coming.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I heard that some of your old friends are in town for a bachelorette party and that you didn’t even know they were coming. Are you okay with that?”
Roxy blew out a sigh. “I’m okay with not knowing they were coming and okay with not being invited. I’m less okay with wondering how on earth you know about it already.”
Maria laughed. “You know what this place is like. Gossip travels fast. Zack ran into Aaron at the grocery store, and he told him.”
“Wow. I didn’t think guys gossiped like that.”
“Sure, they do. They’re as bad as we are, if not worse. Are you okay with it all?”
“Yeah. I was just thinking that I probably won’t see much of the girls. They’re more likely to be on the prowl than want to hang out with me.”
“Oh. I see. Well, you don’t need them, anyway. You’ve got us now.”
Roxy’s eyes pricked with tears. “I do, and I love you guys.”
“Aww. I love you, too.”
“I mean it, Maria. You don’t know what it was like when they were my friends. They’re … mean, is probably the best word. I always felt second best, second class around them. They were all so much perkier, and prettier and richer—and they didn’t mind reminding me about that any chance they got.”
“They sound horrible. And no way are they prettier than you. You’re beautiful.”
Roxy laughed. “You’re too sweet. I’m okay. But they do all the clothes and nails and makeup and hair and all that stuff that I never really cared about. I always felt inferior, you know?”
“I hate that! You should never feel that way. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you come over and get ready with me at our place. I’ll do your hair and makeup—I’ll lend you something to wear, too, if you want. You show them, and more importantly, show yourself. You’d beat them at their game if you chose to play it. You just have different priorities; you care about more important things.”
Roxy thought about it for a moment and smiled. “Would you mind? That’d be kind of awesome. I know it’s silly, but I would like them to see me all dolled up and not just the frumpy clueless me they remember.”
“Of course. Just come over whenever you want. We’ll get ready together.”
“Won’t Zack mind?”
“No! He was only saying the other day that we hadn’t seen much of you lately. He won’t hang out for the hair and makeup part, but he’ll pick us out a great bottle of wine to enjoy while we’re doing it.”
“Okay, thanks, Maria. I’ll text you before I come to make sure it’s okay.”
Maria laughed. “It is okay, just come whenever you want. I’ll be home in twenty minutes.”
