Lark Lake Lodge

Chapter Six

New Friends and Butting Heads

The temp dropped considerably overnight. By morning I was chilled to the bone and even achier than the day before. I must have left the doors unlocked, as I awoke to Harlan opening the passenger side and climbing in. He held a travel mug that I prayed was coffee and something wrapped in foil.

“Morning,” he said, bright and chipper. Ugh. He was a morning person. I’d finally found a flaw in my perfect hermit Adonis. “Jesus! It’s freezing out here.”

I couldn’t help but look him over with my sleepy eyes. He’d showered already. Wearing faded blue jeans, boots, and a red plaid flannel that hugged his broad chest over his bright white undershirt, he looked like the Brawny paper towel guy starring in a documentary about grunge. Yum.

“Yes. I’m quite aware it’s cold.” I said, sitting up. “What’s all this?”

“Coffee and a breakfast burrito,” he said, handing me both .

“I don’t deserve you.”

“I know.”

I peeled back the foil and took a healthy bite of the burrito. The eggs were fluffy, the sausage was savory, and the cheese was nice and gooey. It was heaven in a tortilla. I let out a thankful moan, which made Harlan smile.

“Tyler called. He and his crew will be here soon.”

Oh shit. It’s window day!

After I gobbled my burrito and slammed some rich, flavorful coffee, I pulled some clean clothes from my suitcase and we headed inside. I used his shower again. Sure, it was a major mixed message for me to insist on sleeping in my truck, while acting as though I lived there in every other way. But I felt scuzzy and was willing to be considered a hypocrite if it meant washing off the remnants of falling in the gravel and wearing a mustardy lettuce hat.

Once I was dressed, we headed out the door, followed by Roger and Ralph. I trotted down the stairs toward my truck with the intention of moving it to the front of the lodge. A brief debate ensued over the pointlessness of driving over.

“This is literally a shortcut. Why would you drive?” he asked, pointing at the path between our properties and looking at me as though the idea was preposterous for me to even consider.

“I just thought it would be good to have my truck nearby,” I said, shrugging.

“Are you robbing a bank later? Where are you going?”

“Fine! Let’s just take the stupid shortcut. I don’t have the energy to fight you.”

We headed down the tree-lined path in the overcast, dim morning light. Tyler was waiting with a crew of workers who were chatting near their trucks on the gravel drive and drinking coffee.

I weathered a few comments and overtures from Tyler before he and his guys finally got to work. Harlan seemed to hover near me and I could feel his frustration build every time his friend flirted. It wasn’t prudent to enjoy his protectiveness as much as I did, but I couldn’t help myself. I imagined what it would be like to really have his protection; what it would be like to be his.

The crunch of tires on gravel shook me from my ridiculous daydream. A sleek, black BMW SUV pulled up the drive. Curious as to who it might be, I looked at Harlan, who was grinning.

A man who looked to be in his early forties got out of the driver’s seat. He was average height and slender, wearing tight jeans, a puffy down coat, and a matching chunky knit hat and scarf. He opened the back door and pulled out an enormous basket. This was champion level gift basketry. Harry and David would have seethed with envy to see this basket—if they were still alive. Were they even real people? As he approached, I spotted homemade jam, muffins, a jar of honey, and lots of little indistinguishable parcels.

“The welcome wagon is here,” the man said as he handed me the basket. “I’m Simon Trent. I own the Firebrand Inn. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

From the expectant look on his face, I wished I had. “Sorry, no. But I’m really new here. I’m Maisie. I’m the new owner of the lodge.”

“Yes. I know. Hence the basket,” he said with a staccato impatience.

I was having a hell of a time reading this guy. On the one hand, he was gifting me treats, and on the other, he seemed like he already didn’t like me.

“Michael and I—Michael’s my husband and business partner—we were talking over scones this morning about how it would be nice to come and say hello to our newest fellow innkeeper.” He gave a strained smile. “He couldn’t come along, unfortunately. Regardless of the chilly weather, we’re booked solid. ”

My arms started to hurt from holding the bountiful basket, so I walked over to set it on the lodge’s porch. A guy from Tyler’s crew was taking measurements of the large picture windows along the front. I caught him eyeing my jam.

Don’t get any ideas, buddy.

Simon’s voice took on a new tone. “Good morning, Harlan. You’re looking awfully rugged and…edible, as usual.”

“Wrong tree, Simon,” Harlan said with a half-smile.

“It’s always worth a bark, anyway,” Simon said, and then turned to me. “Michael knows Harlan is on my exit clause. If he, Pedro Pascal, or Idris Elba ever give me the nod, I get a hall pass.”

I chuckled and Harlan rolled his eyes. “Well, you better start working on the other two,” he said. “As cute as you are, you won’t be getting any nods from me.”

“He called me cute !“ Simon’s hands flew to his chest and he pretended to get all swoony.

My heart swelled watching Harlan play along. I would have thought a solitary rural dude would be uncomfortable being hit on by a gay man. Rob had been a bit of a homophobe and in the same scenario, would have been irked and likely would have spat out some awkward microaggressions—or hell, just plain aggressions. But Harlan was chill and accepting. It was refreshing and, like everything else about him, incredibly endearing.

“Now, I’ve been running the Firebrand for eight years, and I know all the inns and outs of innkeeping, so to speak.“ He laughed at his own little joke. “So, if there’s anything you want to know about the hospitality business, just give me a ring.”

He produced a card and handed it to me. Beside his name and title, it had a gilded, Art Nouveau-style figure of a woman holding out her hand. A burst of fire crackled in her palm. It was a lot for a business card, yet somehow lovely and tasteful.

“Thanks. I’m totally new to all this, so I’ll take you up on that,” I said .

“Great.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Well, I better go. I have to host a wine tasting at lunch and I’ll likely spend the entire morning in the wine cellar debating over what to serve.”

Before either Harlan or I could respond, Simon was headed back to his SUV. He waved before climbing in and driving away.

“It was only a matter of time,” Harlan said.

“What? What do you mean?”

“He came here to throw his weight around.”

He walked to the porch and I followed. “You think that was some kind of intimidation tactic? Why the lovely basket, then?”

Once at the porch, we eyed all the goodies. I picked up the jar of honey and read the homey, printed label. Crafted with Love, Firebrand Apiary . Of course they had an apiary. The Firebrand sounded like the Cadillac of cozy resort town inns. The amenities were sure to be endless, and I just knew the design would be breathtaking. If Simon’s intention was to intimidate me, it worked. I looked up at my ramshackle pile of logs and knew it would be years before I was even in the ballpark of the Firebrand.

“Look, I like Simon,” Harlan said. “I honestly do. He’s a really hard worker, a pillar of the community, and he can be funny when he relaxes a bit. But I think you should watch your back. He’s had his eye on this place for a while.”

“Really?” I was stunned. What could Simon possibly want with a trash pile of broken windows and possum nests?

“He tried to talk Randy into selling it to him about a thousand times. Randy always insisted it would stay in his family. When Randy died, Simon came around here trying to get contact info for your ex. Thought he could sweet talk him into selling. Needless to say, I don’t keep that particular number in my address book.”

“Thank God you didn’t have it. If he’d called, Rob would have sold in a heartbeat,” I said, placing my hand on his upper arm.

In an instant, the feel of his hard tricep made my cheeks flush and my stomach flutter, so I pulled back as though I’d touched a hot stove. He turned to me with a curious, cocked eyebrow. Immediately, I reached for and opened a bag of caramel corn and popped a few pieces in my mouth as a smoke screen to hide my wretched awkwardness.

When the sweet treat hit my tongue, my mind went completely blank, forgetting anything that wasn’t the explosion of salty and sweet euphoria I was experiencing. Dear God, even the damn caramel corn from the Firebrand was out of this world. I had to visit the place. And yet I feared it. It was sure be humbling.

“What I don’t get is why he would want this heap. It’s a hot mess and his place sounds idyllic,” I said with a shrug.

He stared at me in his usual way. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“You have the best property in the region,” he said.

I chortled, looking at the place and then back at him like he was crazy. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Not at all. The lodge has access to a private lake. You and I are the only properties on Lark Lake. It’s ours completely. And I know it’s run down, but the craftsmanship of this place…they just don’t make them like this anymore. Not to mention you have a huge sauna in the basement and the view from the balcony is pretty spectacular. You’ve got a goldmine, here, Maisie. It just needs a little TLC.”

My mouth fell open and I couldn’t stop blinking. How had I been so blind? I’d only thought of the place as my new refuge and design project. Never had I imagined its place in the hospitality community or what it meant to those that lived in the region. Harlan’s face practically glowed when he talked about it. I knew some of his hopes for the TLC I planned to give to the Lodge were in honor of his good buddy Randy, which made me want to lean into him and kiss his neck.

Get it together, woman!

I dropped the honey back into the basket and looked up at him. “Thank you, Harlan. I really needed to hear that. I’ve had many moments of doubt and more than once convinced myself I was a masochist for taking this on.”

“Oh, it’s gonna hurt,” he said with a smile. “But I think it’ll pay off.”

We both turned as we heard another car pulling up the drive. I thought maybe Simon wanted to come back and tell me how amazing the nature trails were around the Firebrand or maybe that he churns the damn butter himself. But it wasn’t Simon’s BMW that appeared on the driveway. An all-black Dodge Ram sped up to us, kicking up gravel and stopping on a dime.

A gangly, grinning young guy got out and closed the door behind him. He loped up to us in ripped jeans and a black leather jacket over a T-shirt with ancient Roman figures that said The Floor is Lava Championship – Pompeii, Italy . His shiny black hair flopped over his dark brown eyes. He shook it off his brow with a jerk of his head. His brown skin was smooth, except for a small blemish on his chin that had me guessing he was probably nineteen or twenty.

“Good. You’re here,” Harlan said. Clearly, he’d arranged for the young man to visit. I had no idea why. “Maisie, this is Miguel. He works for me in the kennel. I told him you’d have some work for him, too. He’s a badass handyman and a hard worker.”

“Nice to meet you,” Miguel said with a wide grin as he held out his hand to me. I shook it and smiled.

Harlan’s introduction echoed in my head, causing my fists to ball up and my lips to press into thin line as my anger built over his presumptuous overstep.

“So…you just hired someone on my behalf?” I asked Harlan, trying my best to keep my voice from rising and faltering.

“No. I found you the assistance you needed.”

“Um, nobody asked you to do that.”

“No, but it was obvious you’d need some part-time assistance. You really think you’re going to be able to get this place in shape on your own? There will be a million little fixes along the way and you need someone you can trust.”

“I can find someone I trust on my own, thank you very much.”

“Except you don’t know anyone here and I do. I’ve used my expertise to help you. So…you’re welcome.”

Liquid fire ran down my spine. Hadn’t my truck-sleeping stand-off given him even the slightest understanding of how much I wanted to do this on my own? And though I was thankful for him connecting me with Dale, Annie, and Tyler, this was a step too far. I wasn’t ready to hire any actual employees yet, and when I did, I really would have liked the opportunity to vet my own candidate. The man was going from helpful to overbearing, and it pissed me off.

“Don’t worry, Miss,” Miguel said. “Harlan didn’t promise me a job or anything. He just wanted to introduce us in case you’re looking for anybody.”

“Well, if I can afford to hire someone, I’ll be sure to get in touch with you,“ I said to Miguel, and then turned to glare at Harlan. “But I have a lot of decisions to make about my lodge. And I don’t need those decisions made for me by a pushy neighbor who thinks he knows best.”

“Why do you always have to be so damn stubborn? I’m only trying to help you.” He growled.

“If I need your help, I’ll ask for it. This is my place. I call the shots. Got it?”

His cheeks reddened. “You know what? Suit yourself. Go ahead and find a roofer, and a plumber, and someone to do the HVAC. I’m sure you can figure it all out on your own. As for me, I’ve got a business of my own to run. Miguel is here to help with that. He’s great with the dogs and I’m smart enough to ask for help when I need it.”

The exasperated aaargh I let out surprised me. Sure, I probably overreacted. But I didn’t want to continue setting Harlan-to-the-rescue precedents. We stared each other down as Miguel looked on awkwardly.

“Don’t let me keep you,” I said without breaking eye contact.

“Terrific.” Harlan let out a huff, threw up his hands, and marched to the path to his house.

“Bye,” Miguel said as he smiled and trotted after him.

Normally I would have felt instant remorse once I was alone. I’d ended most of the fights I ever had with Rob by apologizing. Upwards of ninety percent of the time it wasn’t my fault, but it was easier just to acquiesce. I’d rather be happy than right.

But this time was different. While I was thankful for Harlan’s support, it was becoming increasingly more invasive. I’d begun to feel like I was following his plans for my life. And while every idea he had was sound and every person he introduced me to was on the level, I had to shut it down. It was spinning out of control and I was at risk of losing the wheel.

As the two men disappeared amongst the trees along the shortcut, the adrenaline pumping through me subsided and my stomach wrenched. While it was imperative that I put my foot down and reclaim leadership of this renovation, had I made an enormous mistake?