Cedar Lane Properties—The Wallace Brothers

Chapter 7

Crystal heard a knock on the partially open pocket door as she was bent over to place a shoebox on the rolling garment rack. Several new outfits now hung from the bar. She caused them to swing and rattle when she jerked up at the sound of Mike’s voice.

“Hey, ladies. I thought I’d come see if you need any help. I have some good news for you, Crystal.” She thought she detected amusement in his voice, probably from the sight of her ass bent over and the racket she made when she jumped.

Play cool, girl!

“Oh yeah? Did Allen hang himself in his cell?”

Ugh! A little morbid, don’t you think?

“I—I’m sorry. That was uncalled for,” she tried to recover. Marissa’s chuckle eased her tension. “I’m not sure what kind of good news I’d possibly get,” she added shyly.

“Some money was found in Caleb’s jacket. It’ll be brought to you tomorrow,” Mike smiled.

Well that’s a pleasant surprise, even if it’s only $5.

“How much?” Marissa asked the question she was uncomfortable asking.

“$1200.”

Crystal gasped. It wouldn’t last long, but...but it would buy her more time here. She suppressed the urge to cry. “Um—t-that’s great. It’ll buy me a few more days here to figure things out.”

Mike looked as if he would refuse, but instead said they’d discuss finances regarding her stay later. She’d find a way to make him accept.

Marissa pointed to two boxes by the garment rack. “Those go to Crystal’s room.”

“Got them,” Mike grinned and easily scooped up both in his massive arms. “I’ll be right back.”

“I still feel like a charity case,” she whispered to Marissa when he was gone. The view of his ass bent over hadn’t helped any.

“Don’t think of it like that,” Marissa cooed and held out her arms. Crystal gladly took the offered hug. “This is the start of a new chapter with new friends, ok?”

“Thank you. I’m very grateful,” Crystal told her honestly.

Once everything had been organized in the antique armoire and chest of drawers, Crystal sat down to complete the application. In her never ending quest to better herself, she was quite familiar with job hunts and the necessary paperwork. She listed two former employers and the genealogy professor as references, making mental notes to email them; something she hadn’t been able to do for months.

When the application was complete, she dropped it off at the reception desk, disappointed to find an older man working it instead of Mike.

“Ahh, miss. The boss is expecting this. I’ll see that he gets it right away,” George, his nametag said, winked at her. “Supper is being served now,” he added.

“Thank you, sir.”

“George is just fine, young lady.”

“Crystal,” she countered. “Please call me Crystal,” she returned George’s grin.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Crystal.”

Disappointed not to find Mike, or even Marissa in the dining room, she decided to get a tray and eat in her room. She’d use the time to set her new phone up and maybe go soak in the hot tub later. There’d been a skirted swimsuit in her size that Marissa insisted she take earlier.

**

Mike awoke with his usual morning wood, but this time, he knew it had more to do with a dream about a certain blue eyed, strawberry blonde guest he’d spotted soaking in the hot tub last night.

He had used all of his willpower not to join her. She’d had her head back, eyes closed, a look of bliss on her face. The pose caused her large breasts to strain against the wet material.

He knew what he had to do. He turned on the shower and stepped in to rub one out and get clean.

When he was dressed, he asked Joey to send Crystal to his office if she passed by and went down to his office to tweak the terms of his employment offer. She answered his “test” questions perfectly in neat handwriting and her background check was clean.

According to the duties she listed as having performed, she’d managed a mom and pop hotel with restaurant before. Managed except in terms of pay. Whether that was due to the difference between Missouri and California, the lack of a four year degree, or both, he wasn’t sure.

The teenage sounding female who answered the phone at the restaurant gushed about Crystal. “I, like, totally miss her! Things ran so much smoother when she was here!”

He had planned to offer Crystal full time with a generous wage at the new lodge, but thought better of it after his conversation with Marissa last night.

Marissa shared Crystal’s comment about feeling like a charity case. Mike feared Crystal would continue to think that way unless he arranged things so she felt like she was working towards a promotion.

If she agreed, he would send her to a paid training course offered by the consulting firm he’d gotten started with after college graduation when his grandfather gifted him some start-up cash.

Mike often sent his more inexperienced new hires there for training. Crystal was more than experienced, but from what he already knew about her, she might not see herself as ready. The course would introduce her to Missouri laws that might differ from California and give him time to schedule the finishing touches on the cabin he planned to offer her as housing.

Plans for the lodge had a heavy masculine feel and he realized he might want to consider reducing that. While his main guests would be male, women enjoyed hunting but that didn’t mean they didn’t want feminine touches.

For the first part of her duties, Mike wanted Crystal to be the lead in adding some feminine touches. She’d taken both introduction to construction and interior design courses. Under Hobbies, she’d listed converting part of her brother’s garage into a small room as something she’d like to do more of.

Mike still had plenty of construction and designing to do!

The phone interrupted his thoughts.

“This is Mike,” he answered.

“There's a state trooper here to see the guest in Room 7,” Joey announced. All of Mike’s staff knew the names of guests, especially those in Room 7, weren’t to be spoken out loud for confidentiality. It was probably the cash delivery, but he thanked Joey and headed to the foyer.