He’s still holding out his hand and Mercer nudges me forward with zero subtlety. Tripping on nothing, I take his hand, which is huge and totally engulfs mine.Gulp. He pumps my hand up and down seven or eight times, like his brain is caught in a loop. I squeeze his big hand and bite back a grin. He's extra cute when he's dopey.
“I’m Indigo. Everyone just calls me Indie, though. That rhymed.” I cringe at myself.
“I’ll wait for you by the front desk.” Mercer’s eyes tell me she has plenty of questions when I’m done with Mr. Hottie McHottiepants, my new temporary boss.
The door clicks shut behind her and I realize I’m still shaking Joe’s hand and staring straight into his eyes. I slide my hand awayfrom his and try to smile. I probably look like a raccoon caught in the trash can.
Unfortunately, he is back to business now. “Sunny tells me you want to fill in as a hiking guide sub in exchange for… showers?” He sits back in his chair, folds his large arms over his chest, and that smirk is on full display. He is enjoying this. The sleeves of his button down shirt are rolled to his elbows, revealing distracting forearm muscles. Who has distracting muscles in their forearms? Joe does.
“Um… yeah.”Full sentences, Indie.“I mean, Mercer said she could use the help. And I need a shower.” Face, meet palm. “Aplaceto shower.”Yes, that soundssomuch better.
He nods and mumbles something that sounds like, “Mercer definitely needs help.”
“What experience do you have?” he asks with a straight face. He is going to play this like a real job interview and not like we’re bartering labor for use of a bathroom. I’m so relieved he hasn’t asked why I don’t have anywhere else to shower that I don’t care.
“None, as you’ve seen firsthand. Mercer said I’d just have to come in on days when Troy sleeps in and carry the first aid kit.” I shrug.
He chuckles. “I appreciate the honesty.” Our eyes catch again. It is silent for a minute while he looks at me, working something out in his mind. He finally nods and cuts the connection. “Get with Sunny and fill out a new employee packet. Good to officially meet you, Indigo. Welcome to Nizhóní.”
Well, that was easy. “Okay. Will do. I’ll just…” I stumble backward a step. “I’ll go. Thanks.”
"Indie?"
Hearing my nickname in his deep voice makes me want to melt into a puddle. "Yeah?"
"How's the ankle today?"
“Ankle?” My brain is in screensaver mode thanks to Joe's face and physique and general charm. There's a cartoon cube bouncing from wall to wall where my brain should be. "What?"
He looks like he wants to check my pupils. "The cuts and the sting? Are you going to be ready to hike if we need you?"
I lift my ankle for him to see, rotating my foot like I’m a flip flop model. "Right as rain, thanks to you. I mean, it stings like crazy and I had to put ice on it and prop it up all night, but I'm not dead."Put your foot back on the floor and quit monologuing. He's watching you. Hey, there's that smirk we love.
Thankfully, my lunacy also earns me a deep laugh to go with the smirk. "Glad to hear it. Good to have you aboard, Indigo."
I close Joe’s door behind me with a quiet click and try not to skip down the main hall toward Mercer, who is leaning over the front desk, deep in a quiet conversation with Sunny. They both watch me walk up, grinning like two cats sharing the same juicy canary.
“So?” Mercer is trying and failing to hold back a huge grin.
“So?” I say as I stop at the front desk and they both look at me expectantly. I hitch my bag higher on my shoulder, waiting them out.
“Mercer tells me you had an interesting meeting with my brother.”
Herbrother? “Joe is your brother?” It makes sense, what with their blinding good looks and matching know-it-all grins. I don’t know how I missed it before.
Sunny looks at Mercer and mouths the word “Joe” theatrically. They both giggle. Mercer crooks a finger at me and Sunny and I lean in to hear whatever she’s about to tell me. Her eyes say it’s something to do with the juicy canary they were sharing before.
“That guy down there?” She whispers and hitches her thumb in the direction of Joe’s office. “The guy with the goofy grin, tripping over his words? That was not Joe. That was an alien that took over Joe’s body and is driving it around like a meat suit.”
Sunny gives Mercer the side eye and adds, “What she’s trying to say is thatusuallyJoe is all work and no play. Think Mr. Darcy, onlyless fun-loving. Apparently, Mercer saw a side of my brother just now that no one ever sees around here.”
Interesting. “I think I caught him off guard. We met last night, and not under great circumstances.” I wish I was beautiful and charming enough to knock Joe off his game, but I'm guessing it had more to do with his shock at having such an inept hiker interview for a job as a hiking guide. And I also figure he agreed to hire me to appease Mercer, who is ten times more pretty and persuasive than I am.
“You met last night? When? Where?What?” says Mercer the cat, pouncing on this new canary of information.
Then a group of sunglass-clad middle aged women breeze through the front entrance rolling humongous Louis Vuitton luggage behind them, and I am saved from this gossip session slash interrogation. “I’m not done with you, lady.” Mercer whispers in a rush and looks at Sunny, “Make sure she comes tonight.” And just like that she has her game face on and she’s greeting the women at the door. “Welcome to Nizhóní, ladies. If you come with me I’ll get you checked in and show you around the property and to your rooms. But first, who would like a complimentary foot massage and some cold lavender and lemon infused spring water?”
Later that night I park my van in front of a group of townhouses as the sun is ducking behind the hills. I follow the noise through a green courtyard to number four, exactly like Sunny had directed this morning when she had invited me to their weekly girls’ night as I filled out my new employee paperwork. I’m running late because it took me too long to decide what to bring, and I spent forever wandering the grocery store before grabbing a party pack of Oreos, my old friends. I rushed through the self checkout, and pushed the van to the brink most of the drive here.
