Page 4 of Broken Boundaries

I run my hand along all of my newly hung clothes and try to decide what would be best. The internet was no help. I scoured the Moonlight Ranch website, and all I found were pictures of land and horses and cabins. No photos of employees to be seen.

I finally decide on black dress pants and a white blouse. This is usually what I would wear for an interview, but I figure it’ll work for today since I’m meeting the rest of the staff for the first time. I want to make a good first impression.

“You look nice,” Zach says, coming up behind me in the bathroom. He’s just rolled out of bed, but I’ve been up for awhile trying to prepare myself for today.

“Thanks. Do you think this is ok?”

He shrugs. “I dunno. Looks a little fancy for the ranch, but I’m sure they’ll give you a shirt or something.”

That’s entirely unhelpful. “Should I change?”

“No, babe. You look good.”

I sigh and take one final look in the mirror. I’ve done my makeup and made sure my curls are as tamed as they can be in this humidity.

“You’re going to do great, babe. Stop stressing.”

“I know, I just—I just don’t know what to expect.”

“You worked in the heart of Atlanta for years. I’ve heard some of your horror stories. This is going to be a cake walk for you.”

“Alright, well, I better get going. I don’t want to be late.”

“Have a good day, babe. We’ll go out to dinner tonight to celebrate.”

I smile. It’ll be nice going out just the two of us. It’s been a stressful few weeks with the move. While we’ve been together almost every day, we’ve been busy packing, unpacking, calling utilities, and cleaning. We haven’t gone on a date in weeks.

“That sounds nice.”

He gives me a quick kiss and then disappears into the shower while I grab my purse and keys and head out to my car.

Moonlight Ranch might be the only thing in Blue Haven that isn’t walkable from the town center, but it’s not that long of a drive before I’m passing under the iron arch welcoming me.

I park in the lot in front of the giant lodge and take a few calming breaths before I get out of my car and walk in. The lobby smells like butter and syrup, which I assume is coming from the restaurant off to the side. It’s packed full of guests enjoying breakfast.

I zero in on a large wooden desk, which I can only assume is the front desk. I wait in line behind a guest who is asking for directions to the stables. When she moves on, I take a step forward and smile at the woman behind the desk.

“Hi, I’m Aspen. Today is my first day. Mr. Calloway told me to get here at nine.”

“Oh, thank god!” the woman exclaims. “I was worried Brooks had gotten my hopes up for nothing. I’m Harper, the Director of Hospitality here at Moonlight Ranch.”

“It’s nice to meet you!”

“Let me get someone to cover the desk, and we’ll get started.” She picks up a phone and asks someone to come to the lobby.

“So, how do you know Brooks?” she asks while we wait for her relief.

“Oh, I’m dating his son. We just moved here, and Mr. Calloway was nice enough to offer me this position.”

“Just to warn you now, he hates being called Mr. Calloway,” she informs me. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Zach. How’s he doing?”

That’s right. I guess everyone here probably knows Zach. “He’s good. He just graduated with a criminal justice degree and will be starting the county police academy next week.”

Her eyebrows raise as if she’s surprised by that. “Huh. Good for him. Oh, here comes Jazz.”

A woman who looks around my age bounces up to the counter.

“Jazz, this is our new hire, Aspen. Aspen, this is Jasmine. She’s a lead housekeeper, but she’s cross-trained to help at the desk too in case you ever need it.”