“She’s not my bunny.”
“Is she still winding you up?”
Paul massaged his sore shoulder.“No.She left this morning.”
“Perfect.Now you can relax.”
“I tried those gummies you gave me.”
“Yeah?How was it?”
“Horrible.I had a bad reaction.”
“What do you mean?”
Paul told his brother about the experience, and included Vanessa’s assistance.“I felt like I was having a heart attack.”
Kyle wheezed with laughter as Paul described himself stumbling out of the cabin, gasping for breath, only to be rescued by the woman he’d been trying to avoid.“She took your vital signs?”
“Yes.I could hardly breathe.”
“Holy shit,” Kyle said.“Maybe I gave you the wrong kind.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some edibles are stronger than others.I guess you got the full-tilt version.”
Paul raked a hand through his hair.“Jesus Christ, man.Next time you raid the evidence room, pay attention to what you’re stealing.”
Kyle chuckled at the cop joke.“Sorry.My bad.”
Paul sighed, shaking his head.
“The boys are with Allison this weekend.I thought I’d come out to visit.”
“Really?”
“Why not?Someone needs to teach you how to relax.”
“All right,” Paul said, pleased by the prospect.A weekend with his brother was a rare treat.They both lived busy lives, and didn’t hang out that often.Maybe a bit of fishing and carousing would lift his spirits.
After he hung up with Kyle, Paul noticed a cryptic message from Frank Wilson, the owner of the cabin.
“We need to talk.”
Paul returned his call with an uneasy feeling.
Wilson answered on the first ring, and he didn’t bother with niceties.“I just spoke with Sheriff Nava.”
Paul didn’t know why he hadn’t seen this coming.He sank into a kitchen chair.“Oh?”
“He said his daughter booked one of the cabins six months ago.He isn’t happy she got turned away in the middle of the night.”
Paul stayed silent, annoyed with the situation.Wilson had been unreachable so Paul had used his own judgment.He’d been hired to do a remodel not to welcome unexpected guests.Maybe he should have conceded the space to her upon arrival.It would have caused him less trouble in the long run.
“I apologized for the mix-up,” Wilson said, “and I offered to give her a full refund.But he’s insisting that I honor her reservation.”
“What do you want me to do?”Paul asked.
