Falling Fast, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 4) (12 page)

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Ginger kicked her boots on the threshold, knocking the snow loose as she stepped into the lodge. She threaded her way through the cluster of people waiting for tables. Harry Lawson, the supervisor for the floor staff at the restaurant and Delia’s right-hand, gave her a quick wave. “Gage had me hold the usual table, although he and Marley won’t be down tonight.”

Ginger paused by the small desk where he was managing a waitlist for tables. “Have you seen them at all today?”

Harry flashed a grin. “Of course! Marley brought Holly down to show her off after the first night back. I know you’ve seen her plenty, so you know how adorable she is.”
Ginger laughed. “Oh yeah. She’s about the cutest baby ever. I’m glad they’re taking some time to themselves though. I bet it’s been a merry-go-round with visitors.”

Harry shrugged. “I call it the baby craze. Whenever someone has a new baby, everyone flips out until they get used to it.”

A couple stepped to the desk. Ginger gave a wave and left Harry to work. Though Harry worked at a ski lodge in Alaska, he was far from an outdoorsy person. He prided himself on only skiing the bunny slopes and was heavily involved in the arts community in Diamond Creek. Delia had lured him away from another successful restaurant in Diamond Creek with the promise of year-round work. Many businesses in Diamond Creek were only open seasonally when the tourists flocked to Alaska during the spring, summer and fall months. Since Gage had reopened Last Frontier Lodge, it had brought back a flood of travelers to Diamond Creek during the winter months. Gage had also coordinated with a few local businesses to keep the lodge open in the summer for tourists seeking wilderness experiences, such as chartered fishing, flightseeing and other summer activities.

Ginger glanced around the restaurant. It was completely full, which was the case most nights. She felt a hum of pride for Delia. Delia had been so nervous when Gage offered her the job of managing the restaurant, reception and housekeeping staff. Not only had the job landed her in the path of Garrett Hamilton when he came for a visit and fell head over heels in love with her, but it had given her the financial stability and peace of mind she so needed being a single mother. Delia had done a fabulous job of making the lodge restaurant a local and tourist favorite in town.

Ginger’s eyes landed on the booth in the back corner of the restaurant, the one closest to the kitchen and the one Gage kept reserved for family and friends most nights. The moment her eyes coasted across Cam, her pulse rocketed.
Oh. My. God. You have got a serious thing for him. If you were hoping it wouldn’t be obvious to the whole free world, you’d better get a grip and fast.
Somehow, she’d gotten through the last two days without calling him even though she thought about it multiple times a day. The first day she’d been so preoccupied with Marley having a baby, she’d only thought of Cam in free moments and then when she went home. Day two hadn’t been so easy. Dear God. She was counting the days since he’d set her body on fire and shown her how weak the walls around her heart really were.
This is not good. Not good at all.
Meanwhile, he was front and center any time she showed up at the lodge and had been easily absorbed into her circle of friends, so it was pretty much impossible for her to avoid him.

Cam sat on one side of the booth with an elbow resting on the table while he gestured with his hand as he talked to Delia and Garrett. His amber hair glinted under the soft lights in the restaurant. Don pushed through the swinging door from the kitchen and snagged a chair nearby, angling it beside the booth. She gulped in air and tried to calm her racing pulse, but it appeared to have a mind of its own. She put one foot in front of the other and kept walking. When she reached the booth, Don glanced up and immediately gestured to the empty spot in the booth beside Cam. “Joining us?” he asked.

Ginger managed to nod, but she couldn’t seem to form words. Yet again, Cam’s mere presence stole her capacity to speak. She focused on hanging her jacket on the corner of the booth and fumbling with nothing in her purse as she sat down. When she looked up, she forced herself to look only in Delia and Garrett’s direction first. She didn’t need to try to look at Cam and have her body run wild.

“Hey!” she said brightly. “I love it when you give yourself enough time to eat,” she said to Delia, trying to talk about anything to keep her mind off of Cam.

Delia smiled. “I always give myself time to eat.”

Garrett’s arm was draped across the back of the booth. He squeezed his hand on Delia’s shoulder. “You usually eat on your feet. Pretty sure Ginger’s point was its nice when you take time to relax and eat with us.”

Delia rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. I try, but it’s always so busy.”

Garrett dipped his head and dropped a lingering kiss on the side of Delia’s neck. “Exactly, so what does it matter if you take a break?” he asked when he lifted his head again.

Delia flushed and grabbed her water for a gulp. She focused her warm blue eyes on Ginger. “How’s it going?”

Ginger shrugged. “Nothing new for me. I was worn out yesterday after being at the hospital for the delivery. I’ve decided if it’s that much work to be there, labor must be way worse.”

Delia nodded emphatically. “I can vouch for that.”

The waitress arrived to take her order. In need of something to take the edge off, Ginger ordered a glass of red wine in addition to her meal. By the time the waitress walked away, Don and Garrett were discussing something. Ginger tried to take a fortifying breath before she looked at Cam, but her lungs weren’t working so well. Without even looking his way, she could feel the heat of Cam’s body near hers. He emanated heat, like a slow burn furnace.

The moment she turned her head, his eyes snagged hers. His eyes coasted over her face like a caress, the warm amber of his gaze sending slivers of heat shooting through her. He arched a brow, his mouth curling up at one corner. “Hey there.” His words were low enough, she felt as if they were for her alone to hear. While his greeting was benign, her body reacted as if he’d whispered something naughty to her. She must have been silent a beat too long because he arched a brow.

Say something, you fool!

“Hey, uh, how’s it going?” she asked, her words coming out stilted. By this point, she wasn’t blushing just because he was near, but because she felt like a bumbling idiot.

“Pretty good. Don and I’ve been working our butts off the last two days. We have the new backcountry trails course ready to go. Just need to find out what signs Gage wants up there.” Cam turned to Delia. “Hey Delia, your dad thought maybe you’d know the plans for signs up on the trails. Any ideas?”

Delia, Don and Garrett turned their way. Ginger schooled her expression to neutral and prayed her blush had faded, or the light was too dim for them to notice. Meanwhile, her pulse galloped along, unperturbed by the inconvenience of her practically melting into a puddle at simply sitting beside Cam.

Don fiddled with a toothpick and gestured to Cam. “We’ve got those trails ready for the green light. It’d be nice to surprise Gage and open the course up sooner, but we both know he wanted some signs. Marley usually helps out with that stuff, so I thought maybe she talked to you,” he said with a nod in Delia’s direction.

“Marley planned ahead,” Delia said with a grin. “She figured you guys would finish up soon, so she had Risa at Midnight Sun Arts paint some signs. I can give Risa a call tomorrow and see if they’re ready.”

“Wow, Gage isn’t messing around about bringing this place up a notch. Marley mentioned to me he was gradually replacing the old signage outside and in the lodge with more artsy stuff,” Ginger said, feeling relieved to have something to focus on other than Cam.

“He’s on a roll,” Garrett said with a chuckle. “Gotta give it to him. When he told us he was moving here to revamp this place, I had no idea how well it would go. Of course, it helps to have the best chef in town running the restaurant.” Garrett dipped his head for a kiss on Delia’s cheek.

Ginger felt a curl of longing around her heart. While she’d been so happy to watch Marley and Delia find love, not for a minute had she experienced any hopes for herself. Until Cam. He was stirring deep waters, waters she’d hoped to leave undisturbed. She couldn’t turn back the tide, but she was still struggling to adjust to her feelings and was nowhere near feeling comfortable enough to hope for something more. Yet, her hopeful little heart, the one she’d been so successful at keeping quiet, kept chirping in her ear.

Delia flushed again and rolled her eyes. “I’m happy the restaurant’s doing so well, but Gage and Marley have really put the work in at every level. The trail signs are just more on top of everything else.” Her eyes bounced between Cam and Don. “Anyway, signs are on deck. I’ll call tomorrow.”

Don and Cam grinned simultaneously leading Delia to burst out laughing. “You guys are damn proud of yourselves, huh?”

Don shrugged sheepishly. “Hey, Cam put the hard work in. It’s not easy to be a step ahead of Gage, so it’d be nice to surprise him.”

Conversation moved along with occasional visitors pausing at the table, including Becky Wright, the teacher from work who’d been gossiping about how sexy Cam was. While Ginger wholeheartedly agreed with Becky, she wasn’t particularly comfortable having Becky notice she was socializing with him. She loved her hometown, but sometimes it felt like living in a fish bowl. Everyone could see too much too easily.

Becky was with her husband and son, so she managed only a coy wave, but Ginger mentally reminded herself to be prepared for Becky’s questions about Cam the next time she encountered her at work. After a slow dinner, the small group started to break up. Don left early as usual. Garrett left to pick up Nick, Delia’s seven-year old son, from his school basketball practice. That left Ginger at the booth with Cam and Delia.

Cam excused himself for a bathroom break. Delia leaned her elbows on the table and looked Ginger square in the eye. “So when were you planning to mention this thing with Cam?”

Ginger’s cheeks were hot as she stared back at Delia. She tried to play it cool. “What are you talking about?”

Delia leaned back and crossed her arms. “Don’t play that game with me. I’m not blind. You two are trying your damnedest not to look at each other, but when you do, I’m afraid I might have to call the fire department.”

Ginger put her face in her hands and groaned. “Oh God. Is it that obvious?” When she lifted her head and brushed her hair back, Delia nodded emphatically. Beyond being plain embarrassed, Ginger felt so exposed. She’d been so confident she’d never fall for anyone again that she was shaken.

“Okay, maybe there’s kind of a thing. Could we talk about it later though?” She gestured across the restaurant to Cam who was returning from the restroom. She watched as women’s eyes all over the restaurant tracked him, some surreptitiously, others blatantly. She sighed again. “Tell me why I had to go and have this…whatever…for some guy who has all the women drooling over him. It’s not ideal.”

Delia laughed softly. “You owe me coffee, so we can talk. In the meantime, who cares if other women drool over him? He doesn’t even pay attention. Except to you. And don’t even start with how you look. You’re one of the smartest women I know and beautiful on top of it.”

Ginger’s defensiveness eased. She had good friends, and Delia was one of the best. She was one hundred percent there for her friends whenever they needed her. Right now, even if Ginger didn’t like it, she needed her friends. “Okay, this ends now. We’ll talk later.” She kept her eyes trained on Delia when Cam got within earshot. “How late are you working tonight?” she asked, putting the conversation firmly back onto the mundane.

Delia lifted a shoulder. “Until the kitchen closes for orders, which means ten o’clock.”
As Cam slid into the booth beside Ginger, this time hemming her in on the inside of the bench seat, Delia glanced at her watch. “Speaking of work, I should get back in the kitchen. I need to take care of some pastry prep work for tomorrow morning.” At that, she slipped out from across the booth and stood. She looked to Cam. “After I talk to Risa, I’ll let you and my dad know. The signs might be ready to go.”

“Thanks for checking on those. I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cam replied with a smile.

Delia nodded, her eyes bouncing to Ginger. “G’night,” she said with a small wave before she hurried off.

It was just Ginger and Cam now. Ginger was close to melting and flustered by the almost overwhelming pull she felt for him. The pulse of desire between them had ebbed and flowed during dinner with conversation and the presence of others to distract her. Yet, here with him alone, the desire had a life force of its own. Heat swirled in her center, radiating outward through her entire body. She could feel the moisture between her thighs and clenched her legs together, as if she could will it away. That had the unfortunate effect of heightening her awareness, the subtle pressure sending streaks of pleasure through her. Her breath was shallow when she looked to her side.

Cam’s eyes were right there, as if he’d been waiting for her. They sat for several long moments, eyes locked to each other. Finally, she tore hers away and took a gulp of air. She felt his palm slide onto her thigh, so strong and warm. She wasn’t sure what he intended, but her body went haywire. She literally had to fight to hold still. She felt raw, exposed and filled with need. Unable to tolerate thinking of it in any other way, she focused solely on the physical desire. She wanted Cam like she’d never wanted any man, and he took her to places she’d never been. There was nothing wrong with exploring more of that.

She took another gulp of air and looked his way again. His eyes immediately lifted from the table to hers. His thumb stroked in a slow arc on her thigh, each stroke sending a throb through her channel. He cleared his throat. “I meant to call you if I didn’t see you tonight,” he said, his words low and taut.

She swallowed and nodded, shifting her hips restlessly. She hadn’t meant to, but her unconscious move nudged his hand higher up on her thigh, his thumb landing in the crease of her hip. He was so, so close to where she needed him. She was in serious trouble. She was sitting in the restaurant where half the town could see them, and all she could think about was having his magical fingers inside of her. She was seriously contemplating how they could manage this in the restaurant, including the logistics of how she could give him just as much pleasure as he could give her. In public. The table did conveniently mask the fact his hand was inches away from the center of her desire.