Page 5 of Broken Boundaries

“Oh, ok, good to know. It’s nice to meet you, Jasmine.”

“Call me Jazz,” she corrects me with a smile. “It’s nice to have a fresh face around here. Let me know if you need anything!”

“Thanks.”

Harper motions for me to follow her down a hallway to her office. She grabs some papers from her filing cabinet and sits down across from me.

“Alright, so what did Brooks tell you about the position?”

“Oh, um, nothing actually.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, that figures. Well, you’re going to be working as his assistant and have morning desk duty. It’s usually slower in the mornings up until checkout time, so you’ll have plenty of time to do whatever Brooks needs, which honestly isn’t much. You’ll have access to his emails. You’ll respond to ones you can and flag the rest that he needs to respond to. You’ll schedule meetings and make sure he shows up to them. He’s terrible at checking his schedule. There also might be a few miscellaneous tasks that he doesn’t have time to get to. It sounds like a lot, but it’s really not too bad.”

I exhale in relief. I can handle this. “Ok, that sounds good.”

“Good. Your schedule is Thursday to Monday—off Tuesday and Wednesday. Weekends are busy here, so it’s all hands on deck.”

“I’m used to non-traditional schedules.”

“Perfect. Here’s the new hire paperwork. Go ahead and start filling this out, and I’ll go grab you some shirts. You can pretty much wear whatever you want to work. Most of us wear jeans and T-shirts, but we provide two Moonlight Ranch shirts. Just make sure you have your name tag on, especially if you’re wearing a normal shirt. What’s your size?”

I tell her, and she nods, leaving me alone in her office to complete the paperwork. It doesn’t take long for me to get everything completed and signed before Harper is back, handing me two T-shirts and giving me a tour of the ranch before we start training.

She takes me through the lodge, pointing out the restaurant, the gift shop, the game room, and the event space. Then we head toward the back of the lodge and out the door just as Brooks pulls up on a UTV.

“Mornin’, ladies.”

“Hey, Brooks,” Harper responds for us. I stand next to her, smiling awkwardly. I clasp my hands behind my back and then drop them immediately. Why am I standing like a soldier?

“Where’re you heading?

“I’m giving Aspen a tour of the property before we start training.”

He nods and turns his attention to me, giving me a once-over. I definitely shouldn’t have worn this blouse. Everyone is way more casual than I could’ve ever expected. “I can do the tour.”

“You sure?” Harper asks.

“Yeah. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do. I’ll take her around and bring her back to the desk when we’re done.”

Harper lets out a relieved breath. “Thanks, Brooks. I’m swamped.” Then she turns to me. “I’ll see you in a little bit, Aspen. You’re in good hands with Brooks.”

“Oh, ok.”

“Come on, Aspen. Let’s get going.” Brooks motions for me to get in the UTV.

Once I’m seated, he takes off across the massive lawn. Behind the lodge, there’s a pool that’s already filling with guests. We pass the pool area and head toward the cabins.

“We’ve got two types of rooms out here: the cabins and the cottages. The cabins are smaller and give more of a camping feel. The cottages are more like villas. They have separate bedrooms and full kitchen and living areas.”

“It’s nice that you have different options,” I say, looking at the small wooden cabins as we drive by.

“Our goal is to appeal to all families, but we understand that some people don’t enjoy basic camping.”

“I’m afraid I’m one of those people.”

He chuckles. “Something you and my son have in common, then. I could never get that kid to go camping with me once he got to a certain age.”

We drive further and come up to the stables. Brooks parks the UTV outside, so I assume we’re doing a more in-depth tour.