She leaned against the counter and rested her elbows on top. “Sounds fun.”
Ethan smirked. “Loads. You know how much I love mowing grass.”
Jackson elbowed him lightly. “He forgot how much he enjoys maintenance.”
“This is exactly why I’m the adventure guy. I enjoy doing the hikes and classes. Maintaining the grounds is not my forte.”
“I like making the grounds look nice. It’s an accomplishment I can see.”
“Which is great for you,” Ethan said. “But for me, I need to be moving and bringing fun to the guests.”
“It sounds like you guys have a great setup going with everyone wanting to do different things,” she said.
Ethan and Jackson nodded.
“It works out well, I think,” Ethan said.
She straightened up and looked over their shoulders at the door. “All right, boys. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Tessa.”
They ate their food in silence while they watched the television behind the bar airing a baseball game.
“I bet you see Lily on one of your hikes,” Jackson said.
“That was random. Why do you say that?” Ethan asked.
“It just seems like she’s here to get away from something, if that phone conversation was any indication. She’ll probably be trying to keep herself busy. What does she do for a living?”
Ethan gave his brother a look. “Why would I know the answer to that? The only conversation we’ve ever had was what you just overheard.”
“I got the impression you had met before.”
Ethan chuckled. “I caught her checking me out earlier when I was mowing the lawn.”
Jackson pushed a fry in his mouth. “See? Mowing the lawn isn’t a bad thing. The chicks dig it.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Right. I’m sure that’s exactly why Mia fell for you. For your lawn mowing skills.”
Jackson raised his eyebrows up and down quickly. “Among other things.”
“Perv.”
Jackson stood and threw some cash down on the bar. “Speaking of. There’s a little miss I need to give a dicking to.”
Ethan couldn’t help but laugh as he said goodbye to Jackson. If Lily were there, she’d be bright red. He wished he knew why he knew that, and he wished he knew why he hoped Jackson was right—that Lily would be on one of his hikes while she was in town.
Perhaps he needed a little excitement in his life, and her sass might be exactly what he needed.
Ethan walkedinto the back office of the resort after smiling at the front desk staff.
“Morning, Mama,” he said, as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head where she sat at a computer. She tipped her glasses down her nose and smiled up at him. Karen took care of most of the paperwork regarding the resort. She ran a good portion of the backend with the help of his father, James, when he wasn’t busy with general maintenance around the resort.
“Good morning, honey. How was your night?”
“Good. I went to bed early. I have a hike planned today with a full group.”
“Where are you heading with this one?”
