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Chapter Eight
Eyes closed, Espie inhaled deeply, then held it for a moment. The exhale was a satisfactory one, bringing with it a sense of utter relaxation throughout all her limbs. She tilted her head to one side, then the other, enjoying the delicious crack on the left side. When she opened her eyes, she stared straight into her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
“I will have an open door for opportunity. I will give trust a try. I will give love a chance.”
All things considered, Espie Ruiz was so not a say-uplifting-things-in-the-mirror kind of woman. She didn’t have the patience for yoga, and thought most new age stuff was crap. Even with a real life sorceress on speed-dial, she wasn’t one to reach out to the universe to help her. Espie preferred handling her business on her own, staying perfectly grounded in the material world in the meantime.
But after Luther had strolled into her life last week and turned everything upside-down—and they’d barely even talked—she figured it couldn’t hurt to give something new a try. So she said her affirmations in the mirror every morning, hoping that eventually they would come true. That she would open herself up to another person. That she would learn to put her trust in people more readily. That she would be receptive to love without fear of losing herself.
It was a mighty big task, but her new morning ritual had been a pretty solid stress reliever. Even if it didn’t actually do anything, she felt better, and that was all that mattered.
When she was done, Espie did a few more deep inhales and exhales, willing her mind and heart to be open to a new day. Then she stepped out of her bathroom, catching the light on the way. It was going to be a good day.
She donned her resort uniform—an off-white polo and dark jeans—and stuffed her feet into some comfy shoes, then set out for the day. She was scheduled as a floater for the day shift, helping out around the resort wherever necessary: tidying rooms, running loads of laundry, prepping for lunch and dinner rushes, sweeping the lobby.
Espie had no official job title. The resort was the only place in the world where she could be a Jack of All Trades, and honestly, she liked it that way. She liked not being tied down to one area in particular, and she also liked that she was useful to just about everyone.
The mechanical/maintenance staff had plans to train her on more technical parts of the electrical, plumbing, and hardware portions of the resort next month, just in time for the swarm of guests to arrive. But today, she was on duty to handle all the usual mundane problems, many of which she could solve in her sleep at this point.
She passed the small cabins scattered throughout the woods behind the resort. Miguel and Clarissa were getting ready to build their first house at the far end of the property, but for now, they were still living in Miguel’s two-bedroom cabin with their son Lucas.
Espie waved at her soon-to-be sister-in-law as she passed. Clarissa was hanging laundry as toddler Lucas rolled around in cub form nearby.
Espie’s cabin was just a one-bedroom shoebox, and once her big brother and his mate moved into their new place, she would get their old one. She always made note of the things she planned to change as she passed by the larger house, but her mind quickly moved on to the guest cabins as she followed the well-worn path back to the resort. Some of the gardens needed tending—a task their slacking gardener, Ilya, should have been keeping up. Some of the flower beds and cactus gardens were in such a sad state.
After swiping her nametag in at the employee kiosk on the front desk, Espie got her day started. As she predicted, she was needed just about everywhere. Two rooms needed to be changed over for incoming guests and their housekeeper was having a bad back day, so Espie was desperately needed to help her for most of the morning, just to ease the burden. From there, it was down to the kitchen to help the chef prep for the small lunch rush.
Usually dinner was busy, but a bus of bird watchers had stopped by on their way through Angel Fire, so on top of preparing salads and other basics, Espie went into the dining room to take orders and refill drinks for the additional forty people whom no one had expected.
All while wearing a smile on her face.
And why shouldn’t she smile? Sure, the work could be tiresome, the hours long, the chores ceaseless, but this was her life. This was her family’s livelihood, and Espie would bust her butt from dawn to dusk for a thousand days in a row if it meant keeping her family’s business afloat. Whatever she could do to help, she’d do it, and she wouldn’t complain, either. Well, she might complain a little, but that came with the territory when your bosses were Mom and Dad.
After helping clean the kitchen and load the industrial dishwashers, Espie migrated to the front desk. She covered for breaks, took messages, dealt with a screaming man who claimed they had overcharged him—they hadn’t—and did some clerical work. Then more cleaning and some laundry needed to be finished up. She was in the midst of chatting with a few guests in the lobby when her mom wandered into her peripheral view. The young couple she had been talking with wanted to know the best trails to take as beginner hikers, and Espie was more than willing to help them out.
“You’ll want to follow the green trail,” she told them as she unfolded a brochure of all the forested area on their property. Each trail had a particular color to denote difficulty. “You can maybe try the blue one if you’re feeling adventurous, but the red and orange trails are a little steep and are probably better for more seasoned hikers.”
“Thank you so much, Miss. This should make our trek tomorrow much easier,” the wife gushed, taking the brochure from Espie and sticking it in her purse. Waif-like and dainty, she looked better suited for a day at the pool, not out on the trails, but who was Espie to judge?
“Our number is on the back,” Espie told her. “If you get lost or need any assistance, just give us a call. Just remember that reception is a bit spotty, so you may need to step out into a clearing to make it work.”
“Will do, and thanks.” The couple headed off toward the exit to the cabins, chatting excitedly to one another, and Espie watched them go with a smile.
“Mija,” her mom called, waiting until the guests were gone before strolling over. She was dressed as the resort owner today, not the maid.
Espie leaned down and accepted a kiss on the cheek, wishing she could tell this woman, one of her best friends, that she had scented her fated mate. But there was still too much for her to think and worry about; she knew better than to tell her mom about Luther before the two of them managed to make it official.
“What’s up, Mom?”
“The Robinsons in cabin thirteen are complaining about strange noises by their rental,” her mom explained with a slight shake of her head. “They say it sounds like an animal.”
Cabin thirteen was situated closer to the woods than the other guest cabins, and was slightly more secluded so a young family of four could enjoy their weekend getaway. It didn’t surprise her to hear that something from the forest might be pestering them.
“Call and ask if they feel comfortable coming down to the main building,” Espie said, “and tell them that the staff will go investigate.”
“Be careful, mija.”
Espie grinned, her professional façade faltering a bit. “I always am.”
Her mom pulled out a resort cell phone and dialed up the number while Espie headed for the doors. Staff members were certainly on their way to investigate, only there wouldn’t be a couple of guys in polo shirts snooping around. Espie planned to intimidate whatever was bothering her guests back into the forest—whether her inner grizzly wanted to play tough today or not.
