Jase waited almost a full minute, exchanged a glance with Colton, then knocked again, louder. Still no response. He shuffled back and glanced up at the carved cedar sign above his head, confirming they were at the right place.
Colton rolled his eyes. “Let’s just walk in already.”
“Nah, man. Give ’em another minute.”
“What’d she say again?”
She. Jo Kendall-Archer. Their new employer. Jase had hung out in the coffee shop all night, while Colton was off . . . being Colton, waiting for a decent time to call Jo and let her know they’d arrived in Greenridge. When they spoke around 9:00 a.m. she’d said it was a busy day and to come in the evening and find her at the dining hall. She—or her husband Callum—would show them the grounds, outline what needed done, and then, if they still wanted the job, they’d finalize any last details and decide on a start date.
Jase glanced at the sign for a third time. Yep, definitely the dining hall. He hesitated another fraction of a beat, then smoothed his shirt down, and knocked again.
“Hello?” he called, opening the door. “Anybody home?”
Colton grunted and pushed past Jase—but stopped on the small rag rug inside the door, without going further.
The instant Jase crossed the threshold and shut the door behind them, he understood why his knock had gone unanswered. The beautiful solid wood door and walls were obviously well-insulated; not only had they kept him from being heard, they’d kept him from hearing the people inside. The music of clattering dishes and flatware, laughter and voices met his ears, and the tantalizing aroma of garlic and seafood made him extra aware of his hunger.
Colton shot him a wary look, all traces of his swagger momentarily gone. For a second, Jase couldn’t see adult Colton anymore, just the scrawny eleven-year-old he’d been when they first got lumped together at Mike Trent’s. He gave Colton a terse, understanding nod. For similar reasons, they were equally uncomfortable with big happy family groups—though their discomfort manifested differently.
Jase had mostly recovered from his encounter with the chambermaid who’d caught him and Colton cleaning up in the creek, but now he was hit with fresh apprehension. Still, he forced himself to move beyond the entrance and into the big communal eating area. His stomach growled audibly, just as a young girl’s voice piped, “It’s not funny!”
The roomful of faceless people, all backs turned to him, burst into laughter, and something inside Jase plummeted. Maybe this job wasn’t going to work out after all. He needed it, for sure, and was trying to be firm with himself about taking it—but he’d done a brief tour on his own, while waiting for Colton to show up, and it gave him pause. The River’s Sigh B & B advertisement hadn’t exaggerated at all. The fanciness of the cabins he’d seen online when he did some investigating had fooled him, but now he knew better. It was a wild place situated in a legit forest. There were some deadly hang ups and widow makers. And now there was this . . . crowd. He’d obviously misunderstood Jo, or they had very different ideas about what constituted “not many people around.” Yeah, probably the latter.
So why did he keep moving forward? He and Colton could leave. Jo and her husband would just write them off as deadbeats and find someone else. But even as the idea occurred to him, it was too late. A woman with copper curls and a pretty smile burst through a swinging door, coming from the kitchen. He was spotted.
“Oh, hello! You must be Jason-goes-by-Jase.” She crossed the room to him, wiping her hands on her apron, which was decorated with the words, “I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.”
As she beamed with welcome, he cursed himself for not splitting when he had the chance. He bowed his head, unused to such intense attention.
“I’d heard you arrived, that you were out . . . getting acquainted with the property, and I would’ve joined you, but,” she motioned in the direction of a swinging kitchen door, “I was cooking. Anyway, you’re just in time. I’ve already set you a plate.”
Hiraeth. The word appeared in Jase’s brain with no rhyme or reason, kicking like an angry goat. He could no longer remember where he’d first come across the Welsh word, though it was definitely in a book, probably a novel, but it had instantly resonated with him. He often got hit with this sort of useless longing, almost like homesickness, for some version of home that no longer existed for him, or that maybe never had. He didn’t trust rare flashes of early childhood memories that a certain scent or sound or some other intangible thing sometimes triggered. Wishful thinking just made you . . . wishful.
And that was the real reason he didn’t want to be here. Big, seemingly happy, noisy family gatherings, if that’s what this was, always threw a hard punch, reminding him of a truth he’d internalized long ago. They were something other people got to enjoy. They were not for him.
“Jase?” Jo’s voice had a concerned lilt. He started and Colton tensed behind him. Right. Colton. He’d forgot all about him for a second—and shoot, Jo had said something else while he’d been zoned out.
He shook his head. “Sorry, long day. I didn’t catch what you said.”
Jo studied him for a moment and her eyes stopped smiling. Or was he being paranoid? “I just asked if this is your brother. Colton, right?”
Colton came to life finally, sticking out his hand and laying on the charm. “Yes, ma’am. Colton Hislop, at your service.” He raved about how whatever she was making smelled delicious, effusively complimented what he’d seen of River’s Sigh B & B so far, and finished with a wink and a comment about how pretty everything was, especially the proprietor.
To Jase’s relief, Jo rolled her eyes slightly, but didn’t seem offended—and she definitely didn’t seem overly flattered or become flirtatious in return. Either extreme could lead to potential headaches with Colton. As Jo and Colton continued to small talk, Jase relaxed. Usually the charm Colton put on or discarded with the ease that other people slid jackets on or off annoyed Jase, but tonight he was grateful for it. It wouldn’t hurt for them to appear to have some semblance of social skills.
“Okay,” Jo continued, after she’d smiled and laughed at a few more Colton-isms, “we’ll discuss the nitty-gritty later. Let’s get you guys something to eat.”
“Thanks, that’d be great.” Jase meant it but was concerned that she hadn’t brought up the other important order of business. He should tackle it now. This place was in the sticks, and people were reluctant to pick up hitchhikers nowadays, especially big lugs like him. He’d managed to hitch a ride part of the way, then walked the rest, including the long driveway, but it had taken forever. He didn’t like his chances of having the same luck on the way out if they weren’t on the same page. And he didn’t fancy the idea of putting himself at the mercy of whoever Colton’s new friends were, when it came to getting back for work on time.
“Dinner sounds great,” he said, nearly repeating himself. “But just confirming . . . Callum, your husband, right?”
Jo nodded.
“He said lodging was included with this job, right? Or did I get my wires crossed?”
“Yeah—no,” Jo said, as if noticing his large backpack for the first time. She shook her head, then nodded, making her curls bounce—and Jase was suddenly reminded of the angry chambermaid from earlier. Her hair was a lot lighter than Jo’s, a stunning white blond, but it was the same riot of curls. And their faces were very similar. Jo’s younger sister maybe? Too old to be a daughter.
“I’m sorry,” Jo interrupted his thoughts. “Either Callum forgot to mention it, or it totally slipped my mind, but I wasn’t aware you were expecting to room here. It’s not a problem, though. We’ll hammer out the details after dinner.”
So apparently, he’d made the decision to stay, Jase mused as Jo led him and Colton to a massive cedar table, filled with enough food to feed an army. He hated the relief flooding through him, but at the same time, he couldn’t help it. Hopefully the job would last for a while. He’d never stretch things out or rip off an employer, but maybe when they saw how he put his back into things, they’d like his work ethic and find other stuff for him to do.
Okay, enough, he commanded inwardly as he caught Jo glancing curiously at him again. You spend too much time alone in your own head. You’re with people now. Quit the incessant introspection.
He hung his head. Oh, yeah, he was nailing the stop-talking-to-himself thing. Totally.
“Everybody,” Jo announced, “I’d like you to meet Jase and Colton.” She made a sweeping motion in their direction as she said their names. “They’ll be doing some tree removal and other work around the place. Jase, Colton . . . everybody.”
There was a cheery rumble of hellos and nice to meet you’s.
Jase nodded and tried to look friendly, to not feel on the spot—but only felt more uncomfortable.
The blond chambermaid was seated across from him, wearing what could only be described as a scowl.
Colton didn’t notice her expression, didn’t realize it was targeted at them, or didn’t care—one of the three. He slid into a seat with confident cheer, his smile only deepening as her scowl did the same.
Jase lowered himself into the chair beside Colton, figuring it would be weird to sit apart from him. He wanted to tell the girl they weren’t intentionally trying to piss her off—or he wasn’t anyway.
“I won’t overwhelm you with names right away. You’ll meet everyone individually soon enough, but let me introduce Aisha.” Jo motioned at the scowling chambermaid. “She’s pretty much in charge of everything cleaning and maintenance related these days, so if you have any questions, go to her. Ditto if you need help with anything.”
Aisha looked less than impressed by this arrangement. In fact, she looked positively furious. Jase felt the stirrings of emotions he’d been sorely missing as of late: curiosity, intrigue. What was her glitch? Why did she appear to hate him so much? There was no way they knew each other because he never would’ve forgotten someone as striking as she was.
Colton leaned across the table and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you . . . officially.” Jase couldn’t see Colton’s face, but he was sure Colton gave one of his douchie winks.
Aisha stared like Colton was offering her a poisonous snake, and Jase noticed that she had incredible jade-green eyes. Were they natural or were they colored contacts? He was also surprised to realize he was holding back laughter. He was used to any girl Colton turned his attention to practically melting on the spot. This was Aisha’s second encounter with him, and she was melting all right—in a volcanic temper-like-lava sort of way.
Colton didn’t withdraw his hand in embarrassment like Jase would’ve, however. After a long moment, she finally met Colton’s hand with her own. Jase was strangely disappointed that she caved—then felt like a traitor. He should be siding with Colton, not rooting against him.
“Don’t let your food get cold,” she commanded, pulling out of Colton’s grip. “It’s delicious.” Even the last bit, which should’ve been a complimentary observation, sounded confrontational—like the food better be delicious or else.
Jase obediently dished up a heaping serving of the food that had sent his senses into drool mode earlier: a garlicky prawn and scallop dish in a mouth-watering cream sauce.
Noticing that Aisha’s intense glare was now fixed on him, Jase fumbled for something to say and finally mumbled, “I’m looking forward to working together.”
She practically threw a bowl of crusty bread at him.