Shocked.

I am absolutely shocked.

My interview with Hannah went much better than I'd expected. She asked me questions, and I answered them truthfully. For example, one of her questions was why I wanted to work for her family's resort. At first, I was skeptical about telling her about my life and what I've been going through. But I needed a job, and I felt the best thing I needed to do was be truthful with her.

I explained what happened to my mother, how I dropped out of college to take care of my father, how he went from using marijuana to the hardcore stuff. How I've tried helping him with no success, and how I couldn't bear living in his home any longer because of his drug use. I mentioned feeling I wasn't enough for him to quit using and feeling second or even third best in his life. And how I was suffering from watching him go down the path to death. I also explained to Hannah my fear if I stayed near my father any longer and continued watching him kill himself in front of my eyes, I'd end up being my mother—depressed, and where she is now—six feet under.

I also mentioned the accident I was in the day of my mother's funeral, how I got railroaded, how Ian expects me to pay for something I continue to feel was his fault, and how he offered me to work at a nightclub that's hiring. I didn't go into specifics about what kind of nightclub it was, fearing she'd judge my character as someone I'm not—all because of my being there. But what I said was enough for her to say, 'you're hired.'

"Really? You're hiring me?" My brows drew together, curious as to why she was quick to give me the job. "But you really haven't even begun the interview. Just asked a couple of questions and why I wanted to work here?"

A pleased smile formed on her face, and then she nodded. "Yes. I'm hiring you." Hannah stood. "And the reason is, I liked how honest you were right off the bat. I'm not hiring you because I feel sorry for what you've been through. I'm hiring you because I already know you'll be a great asset here. And anyone who can tell my— I mean, for you saying how you stood your ground to this millionaire asshole guy, telling him to kiss your ass. It tells me just how strong and amazing of a person you are. And that you won't take shit from anyone. Someone we desperately need around here."

With a smile, she stood straight, then jutted her chin towards the door. "Come on. Let me show you around."

Hannah walked us outside and over to a golf cart, waving me to get on. "Using this will be much easier and faster to showing you around. As large as this resort is, we have many of these for our employees to use. It's much easier driving around in this than it would be walking around. Unless you want the exercise, of course."

First, she drove me around the seasonal R.V. park, explaining each one of the guest's places, how their personalities are, where they're from, what they do for a living, and what I need to do and not do when they're staying here.

Next, she drove me around the visitors' campground area, explaining what needs to be done to each site before a renter arrives and after checking out. And then she drove me around the cabins and tent sites, explaining my job duties with them as well.

"Seems easy enough and seems pretty much self-explanatory," I said, looking around as she drove us down to the lake.

"It really is. We do everything we can to make all our guests happy, impressed, and relaxed. And to make them feel like they're at home... but without the stress that home life can bring," she added.

"Simple enough."

Hannah parked the golf cart, then had me follow her down to the pier. "All our seasonal guests have their own slip. And that area over there," she pointed, "is where all the visitors' slips are. We've never had problems with any unwelcome boat parking in these slips, but you'll still have to do periodic checks—making sure nobody is parking their boat where they shouldn't be."

"Okay."

Hannah turned and pointed. "And that area there, where those six docks are?"

"Yeah, what about those?"

"Those are all rental boats. Guests can rent them for either half or full days."

Sweet. I wonder if I'll be able to use a boat sometime?

"What about employees? Can they rent them too?"

She nodded. "Yes, employees can use them anytime. But you don't need to rent them. It's one of the perks we have here for our employees. So as long as they aren't rented out, and you're off the clock, you're more than welcome to use a boat."

"Perfect," I smiled, knowing now I can go fishing whenever I'd like.

"Lastly, that gas pump right there is for our guests only. Everyone staying here that has a boat will get a special card. It'll activate the pump for them. They can also push a button if there's an issue or they need help with something. It'll alert the office, and the one working will make a call out on one of these," she said, showing me her two-way radio.

"Got it."

A lot of information to take in all at once, but everything she's showed and explained seems easy enough not to forget anything. Next, she drove me to another building.

"What's this place?"

"This is our restaurant, bar, and arcade area. The days you're off from keeping the grounds clean, you'll be working inside here."

My lips twisted. "Do we not get a day off?"

She laughed. "Yes and no... meaning, you'll have your weekly set hours. And you'll get one full day off. But you'll also always be on call. So, even if you have the day off, there's always a chance of being called into work for whatever it may be."

Hmm... I'm not sure I'll like that, but I won't complain. I need this job.

We walked inside, where she showed me around the restaurant and bar area, and then the game room area with pinball machines, a pool table, a foosball table, a dartboard, and more.

Now, this is my kind of resort. Not only is this place extraordinarily beautiful, but they have everything! They have a mini-store, bar, and restaurant, and I can use the game room. The next best thing is that I can use a boat to relax and go fishing—I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.

"So, what do you think? Do you still want the job?" Hannah excitedly asked.

I grinned. "Of course, I still want the job!"

"Great! Then I probably should bring you over to where you'll be staying."

When Hannah pulled up to an area further away from the campgrounds, my eyes widened when I saw a beautiful place filled with the most beautiful looking park model homes I've ever seen.

"These homes here are where all of our employees stay, all expenses paid." She walked to the door, unlocked it. Then, with a smile, she handed me the key. "This one will be yours. It's fully furnished with everything you'll need. Including a washer and dryer. My brother also had these homes installed with a special water heater so you'll never have to use one of the park's showers."

I spun around, smiling while admiring the place. It's small yet open enough to move around in, and it has everything to make me feel like I'm living in my own apartment. Now I feel like I'll be living in one of those tiny homes, like the ones on that T.V. show called Tiny house.

It's absolutely perfect.

"I love it..."

"The only thing you'll need to do while staying here is to buy your own groceries. You can get some food here at the main office, but I'll tell you now. You'll want to go to the grocery store instead, which is about thirty miles from here."

"Okay." Crap. I never packed any food before coming here. "You'll have to let me know where that place is. I was in so much of a hurry to leave to get here that I forgot to bring some food with me."

"Sure, I can do that," she said, as my stomach growled, causing her to laugh and to look down at her watch. "I can bring you there since they close at eight; I'd hate to give you directions and get you lost again."

"Thank you. I'd like that."

Hannah opened the door. "Since we have about three hours until they close, I'll bring you to the restaurant first. That way, you can get something to eat and ask whatever questions you may have."

"You don't have to buy me food; I can wait."

She smiled. "I insist. Plus, all of our employees get one free meal a day while they're working."

"But I'm not working."

She waved her hand across her face. "No big deal. Just look at it as a welcome to our team meal."

I've only been here for a couple of hours, and Hannah has already made me feel warm and welcome. She's bubbly, friendly, smiley, and so down to earth that I can easily see myself befriending her.

"Hey Jason, can you grab us a couple of menus?" Hannah asked the guy behind the bar as we sat at a table.

"Sure thing, boss." He grinned.

Hannah leaned forward, grinning. "Jason is a sweetheart. You'll like working with him." She wiggled her brows up and down. "He's hot, isn't he? And of course, he's single if you're in the market and looking."

"I'm in the market. But I'm not looking to leave it right now either," I said, eyeing Jason as he walked around the bar. "But he is hot," I admitted quietly, not wanting him to hear.

"What can I get you two to drink?"

"I'll have a glass of water."

"Same," Hannah said, then pointed at me. "Jason, this is Tawny. Our missing piece of the puzzle."

Jason smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Tawny. Welcome to the Paradise Inn team."

"Thank you."

Jason walked away, and I looked at Hannah. "Is everyone this nice around here?"

"Everyone," she assured, smiling wide, then her smile faded, and she bit her bottom lip. "Well, everyone but my brother, that is. He's the only one who'll walk around here with a stick up his ass."

"How are you two so much different?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He's always been a bit of a hard-ass, but not as bad as he is now. And it all stemmed from his car accident. He lost his prized car and his fiancée that day."

My hand covered my heart. "Oh wow, that sucks."

"Not really. She was a bitch anyway. He should look at losing her as a blessing... anywho, you won't have to deal with my brother that much, anyway. Besides this baby of his," she said, waving her arms around, "he has some establishments he owns in the cities as well. So he bounces around quite a bit."

"So he just randomly shows up?"

"He likes making surprise visits to be sure everyone is doing as they're supposed to. So first, he'll inspect the vacant cabins—looking for dust, cobwebs, leaks, crumbs, you name it. And then he'll inspect the vacant camping lots—checking the grounds and fire pits for trash and making sure it's perfect for the next vacationers."

"So your brother is a stickler to perfection."

"It's why he named this place, The Paradise Inn Resort. Even though we're in Minnesota's northern neck of the woods, he still wants all his guests to feel as if they're staying in paradise."

******

Seeing how high the prices of the groceries are up here, I went into panic mode. I didn't have much money, and the credit card I have is damn near maxed out. I'd use what's left on it, but I have a cellphone payment due, and I'd hate to go without a phone while being somewhere I don't know.

I looked at Hannah. "When do we get paid?"

"Every other Friday. Payday was this past Friday, so in two weeks, you'll have a check with one week's pay."

I sighed.

Two weeks' worth of food I needed to get, and I have maybe sixty dollars to my name.

Well, I guess it looks like I'm going back to my college days where I'm buying the cheapest food I can until I can afford something normal and healthier.

Hannah's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped when she saw me loading my cart full of Ramen noodles. "What on earth are you doing? You can't live off that!"

"I have to. At least until I get paid."

Hannah frowned. "I can't let you live off of Ramen noodles. They're horrible," she emphasized, looking disgusted. "I have no problem with borrowing you money."

"No way," I argued, shaking my head. "I already owe money to someone; I don't need to owe two people money."

"I'm not worried about you paying me back. I can afford to help you out." Hannah winked and smiled. "Please. Let me help buy you some food. It's the least I can do for causing you to rush out the door as I did. That's entirely my fault."

"I'll be fine," I assured. "I'm used to eating this stuff, anyway."

Hannah scrunched up her nose, then shook her head. "Well, all right. Just know that the offer is on the table... when we get back, I'll get ahold of my brother and ask if he'll allow me to give you an advance. Two weeks is a long way away."

I smiled. "Thanks."

I felt a bit guilty on the way back to the resort. My grocery bill was a bit higher than what I thought it would be, and Hannah ended up saving me from the embarrassment of going through and removing some of the food the cashier had scanned and bagged.

Now, I feel like a complete loser. Hannah's probably thinking twice about why she even hired me and thinking she made a huge mistake.

After putting all my clothes, toiletries, and food away, I took a stroll around the campground, then walked down to the lake, found a bench to sit on, and watched the sun descend below the horizon.

Watching the sunset, magically coloring the sky with bright orange, yellow and pink coloring, had me thinking back to when I was a kid and when my parents took me camping. My mother and I would leave my father at the campsite, and we'd head down to the lake to watch the sunset.

God, I miss her so much.

I looked up at the darkened sky, took a deep breath, then closed my eyes—praying my mother will keep an eye on my father and asking that she make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

The following day, Hannah brought over resort t-shirts I'm supposed to wear while working, a two-way radio, my daily work schedule, then introduced me to the rest of the employees.

For the next four days, I busted my ass in the heat—mowed, watered flowers, cleaned out fire pits, and cleaned a couple of the empty cabins—double-checking every single spot in the cabins and making sure they were perfect.

After Hannah told me how her brother randomly visits and inspects everything, I didn't want to give him any reason to confront me about not doing my job. The last thing I wanted was for another asshole to be on my tail.

A knock at my door stopped me from taking a bite of my dinner—Ramen noodles.

I opened the door for Hannah and let her in. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Hannah asked as she walked in.

"Not really. I was just getting ready to eat my five-star Ramen noodles," I giggled, then offered, "Would you like some?"

"No thanks, I'm good," she said, shaking her head. "But I came over to see if you'd like to train in the bar with Jason tonight?"

"Sure. I'd like that."

"Good. Then you'll be able to make some money at least, so you can buy yourself something other than those," Hannah said, pointing at my bowl of noodles. "Oh, before I forget, I talked to my brother about giving you an advance."

"What did he say?"

"At first, he said no because of you being a new hire. But then I talked him into it. Actually, I begged him," Hannah laughed.

"How much will he allow you to give me?"

She shrugged. "He didn't say. All he said was that he'd see me later. Which means you'll be meeting him tonight."

My stomach turned. And then suddenly I didn't feel hungry anymore. "You can tell him I don't need an advance, that I said, I can wait. Because from the way you've talked about him, as well as the other employees, I'm not so sure I want to meet him."

"Don't be ridiculous. You need the money. Plus, it's time he acts like a decent human being and shows he cares about his employees for once. He can afford to help you by giving you some extra cash to get you by until payday."

A long, exasperated sigh escaped my lips.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he behaves himself and that he treats you with respect." She winked. "Besides, this will be good for him. He needs to learn to be more understanding."

"What am I supposed to wear behind the bar?"

Her eyes lit up brightly. "Wear one of the employee resort shirts I gave you, and then a pair of shorts that will make the guys drool when you bend over."

Now she sounds like Skye. That's exactly what she would say.

Jason showed me around the bar—showing me where everything is, how to run the register, and then he showed me where to find the alphabetized price list for every drink possible.

"See this bottle of scotch here?" Jason asked, pulling it down from the top shelf and handing it to me.

"Yes."

"This is the bosses. Nobody. And I mean nobody is allowed to drink it. He has it specifically imported here just for him."

"Got it," I said, placing the bottle back on the shelf. "He's a special kind of guy, isn't he?"

Jason laughed. "I suppose that's the nicest thing you can call him."

"Is he really that bad?"

"If you remain on his good side, he's all right. My suggestion? Just do what you're here to do. If you make sure everything continues looking like paradise, and you smile and act friendly to all the guests, you'll be just fine."

Since I've never bartended in my life, I'm hoping like hell this new boss of mine doesn't come in and watches me work behind this bar. Because I sure as hell don't know what I'm doing, and if I knew he was watching, I see myself screwing up someone's drink order, pissing him off, and firing me.

I was bending into the cooler, grabbing a bottle of beer, when I felt a hand rest on my hip. My heart stopped. I froze for a second, and then I snapped my head to my right, thinking it was the boss.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, but the boss asked that you bring him this." Jason said, lifting a whiskey tumbler filled with what I'm assuming is scotch.

"Why me?" I asked, standing straight and popping the cap off the bottle of beer.

Jason side smirked, then shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." He extended the glass towards me. "Here, take this, and I'll take that beer to where it belongs."

We swapped drinks. "Where is he?"

"He went to the back office. Do you remember where that is?"

"Unfortunately," I nervously sighed.

Life can be full of surprises, with some of those surprises not being so pleasant. So the best thing one can do is to be ready for what life will bring to you.

And now I know why they say to be ready. Because it's true—life is always full of surprises.

I walked into the office. And when I saw the chair behind the desk facing the other way, with a man's head peeking over it, and saw that he was twirling a pencil around his fingers, I assumed he was busy and that he was deep in thought. So, instead of alerting him, I was there; I quietly set his glass of scotch down on the desk, then quickly turned around, hoping to skedaddle out of his office before he knew I was there.

But that didn't happen either.

"Going somewhere?" He amusingly asked as I stepped one foot into the hallway.

His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. "I have to get back and help Jason," I said, my heart racing to beat the band.

"Jason is fine. Hannah is out there giving him a hand..."

His voice.

Why does it sound so familiar to me?

"Come back in, close the door, and take a seat. We need to talk."

What's with the men lately claiming we need to talk?

I closed the door, turned around, and widened my eyes. The jaw-dropping, panty-melting, gorgeous asshole-of-a-man with the most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen was staring at me. And Ian's smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary.

"You!" I loudly huffed.

"Hello, Tawny," he said enthusiastically. "Are you just as surprised to see me as I am to see you? Here? Working at my most prized resort?"

🤞🤞 I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!