“Smart.”
“I thought so.”
He grinned. Pretty and confident. A dangerous combination, if his lingering interest in her was any indication.
“You know, it just occurred to me,” he said. “Put Your Feet Up is a misnomer. If anything, your tours keep people on the go, not relaxing.”
She laughed. “True. The cabin you’re staying in? My grandparents developed the land and built the cabins in the eighties. Uncle Roy took over and when my folks got married, my dad offered to assist by opening a booking office. Soon they expanded the business by offering local activities and the company grew from there.”
“You mentioned your mother, but is your dad still involved?”
She hesitated, her eyes taking on a hooded look. Clearly he’d stumbled into something here.
“No. My father left for parts unknown years ago. That’s why my mom runs the business.”
“And you?”
“I help, as you can see. Mostly I worked here when I was growing up, then part-time while I was in college.”
“But you came up with the business model?”
She blinked, surprised he mentioned it. “Yes. It wasn’t really difficult to figure out ways to outsource some of the tours and still make a profit. For the most part people want someone else to arrange a tour, not make all the calls to different venues or worry about the costs or times. I do all that for a set fee.”
“You?”
“I mean Mama.”
At the heat in her voice, he backed off.
“What else should I know?”
Grace spent the next hour explaining the tour options and his responsibilities, answering questions and effortlessly fielding phone calls. She engaged with those on the other end of the line, laughing or reminiscing with prior clients. By the end of the conversation, he had to wonder why Golden didn’t appeal to her anymore. She ran the office seamlessly.
After her last call, when she’d mentioned someone named Nathan again, he had to ask. “So, Nathan? Is he the reason you need a new guide?”
“Yes. And full disclosure, he’s my brother. Unfortunately he took off a few weeks ago and my mother has only heard from him once. I have no idea when he’ll be back.”
“Noted. Anyone else in the family working here I should know about?”
“I have a sister, but she’s not involved.” She closed the thick folder and handed it to him. “I’ve enclosed employment forms you need to fill out and return to me. Any health issues I should be aware of?”
“For the most part, no. Allergies are about it.” What his family thought was childhood asthma had sidelined him when he was a kid. While his brothers had been outside running around, he’d stayed indoors, reading as a way to make the hours pass. Turned out he retained everything he read, which gave him extensive knowledge on quite a few topics. Didn’t hurt that he tended to be a geek. And he’d developed exceptional patience during that time.
Thankfully as he got older, the doctors realized it wasn’t asthma but severe allergies. Since they’d worked out the right medication, he rarely experienced any problems. “During allergy season I fill a prescription and I’m good to go.”
“Okay. I think that’s it.” She rose, grabbing a set of car keys from the desk. “Let’s go visit the warehouse. We can leave through the back door once I lock up.”
She smoothed her slacks, then headed to the front door, which nearly hit her as it opened. A preppy-looking man with shiny blond hair styled in an expensive cut, a slick smile, a tan polo shirt and blue Dockers walked in. If Deke wasn’t mistaken, he heard a muffled groan carry across the room.
“Grace Harper, it is you? Lissy Ann told me you were in town but I had to come by and see for myself.”
“Why, Carter Tremaine, you’ve just made my day.”
Was it his imagination or did her drawl suddenly grow more pronounced? Deke grinned at the fake enthusiasm of Grace’s voice. He could see why when he glimpsed the outward disdain on the face of the other half of the well-dressed Tremaine couple. It perfectly mirrored his wife’s expression yesterday.
“When you left Golden for the bright lights of Atlanta, we didn’t think we’d ever see you again.”
“As I’m sure you know, family matters brought me home.”
“Shame about your mama’s fall. Someone should really take care of that house of hers.”
Grace’s face turned red and her voice turned sharp. “What do you want, Carter?”
He handed her a large yellow envelope. “Lissy Ann compiled the information for the Summer Gold Celebration. I’m sure you can pass it on to your mama and Nathan.”
Grace hesitantly reached out to take the proffered envelope. “How neighborly of you both.”
“We’ve invested in extensive publicity with the hopes of putting Golden on the go-to vacation map, and this celebration should seal the deal.”
Grace stood before him not saying a word. If Deke didn’t already dislike the visitor, he might almost feel sorry for him. Grace’s stony silence threw the other man off.
“So, ah, can we depend on your commitment to the town and help during the celebration?”
“You’ll have to discuss it with Mama when she gets back.”
Carter looked skeptical. “But she’s always on board with civic projects.”
“Then there you go.” She opened the door. “Thanks for stopping by.”
Carter hesitated. “You both have a nice day.” He shot a final glance at Deke and exited out the door.
Grace closed it behind him with more force than was necessary and quickly locked the door. She then stomped back to the desk with a decidedly ferocious frown. Tossed the envelope as she went.
“I take it you’re not a fan of the husband either?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “Do you have people in your life whose mission it is to make you miserable?”
“Sometimes I feel like my brothers were put on this earth for the sole purpose of tormenting me.”
Her eyes lit up over their common bond. “The Tremaines have been pains in my behind since high school.”
“I’m guessing that’s part of the reason you live in Atlanta?”
“Yes.” In the overhead light, her green eyes sparkled. He liked her hair a bit ruffled, her cheeks bright with outrage. Made him want to kiss the stress away until she couldn’t think of anything but him.
Whoa! Hold it. Yes, she intrigued him, but where had that thought come from? Thrown, he clutched the folder tighter.
“Let’s get going before another town resident decides to stop in to confirm the rumors that I’m back in town.”
She led him out the rear door to a narrow lane running behind the buildings in this block. They crossed over gravel to a small patch of grass, which then led to a public parking lot.
“Mind if I drive?” he asked. “I do better with directions if I navigate myself.”
“Sure.” She stopped short when she eyed the white vehicle he pointed to. “It doesn’t have any doors.”
“Yeah. It’s a Wrangler.”
He could almost see her brain calculating the distance from the ground to the