She was in complete shock and almost missed his next statement.
“Think about coming back to the office. I’ve secured a leadership position for you. Your supervisor had nothing but great things to say about your work ethics. She’s the one that suggested I move you to the eleventh floor.”
She held her breath. How long had she been trying to reach that goal? From the moment she’d learned about the leadership team positions almost two years ago, she’d worked on moving up in the company.
“I’ll think about it,” she said softly.
“Don’t take too long.”
“I’ll let you know by Friday,” she added before hanging up.
She was torn. Part of her wanted to tell her father where he could take his new job offer while the other part of her liked the thought of eating more than noodles and broth for dinner.
That night she had little sleep as she made a mental list of the pros and cons of going back to work for her father’s company.
The following day, Aubrey had gotten the call that Elle’s grandfather Joe had died. During her trip back down to the camp to console her friends, Elle had proposed that the friends all chip in and rebuild the defunct campground. She’d been the first one to jump at the chance. After all, there hadn’t really been anything for her back in New York. Her friends needed her. So, without a second thought, she’d pulled most of her money from her savings account to be with the only people she deemed family. And, in the process, she’d found her new life.
Chapter 2
Three months later…
Aiden stood with his back to the sun and felt his breath hitch in his lungs when the pretty redhead came bouncing down the pathway. Who the hell was she? he thought to himself quickly.
His cousin Elle rushed after her and called out the woman’s name.
“Aubrey, wait up,” Elle said.
He’d known Elle Saunders his entire life. The fact that they were second cousin had helped him secure the job fixing up the summer camp she’d inherited. It had been owned by her grandfather Joe, his great-uncle.
Shortly after Joe’s death, Elle had called him with a crazy idea, one that he jumped at.
Not only was he going to refurbish the entire campgrounds, but he was in charge of overseeing the remodeling of each of the twenty small cabins. He was going to take the old cabins, which used to house a dozen preteen girls, and turn them into exclusive private cabins that could be enjoyed by wealthy adults. It was just the project he needed at the moment.
Having Danelle break things off with him a few months ago had left him raw. He’d known better than to invest his heart into a woman who was damaged and unwilling to commit. Still, he’d hoped, and had a broken heart to show for it.
He figured the new camp project would help get his mind off his heartbreak and financial issues. Danelle had taken off with almost everything he owned after maxing out his credit cards.
She’d even moved out most of his furniture when he’d been at work, leaving him with only an air mattress, a worn leather chair, a single dish, and a spoon that she had probably forgotten in the bottom of the dishwasher. She’d even taken his refrigerator, washer, and dryer.
“Hey,” Aiden said to Elle when the two women stopped in front of him.
“Hey,” she said a little breathless. “Aiden, this is Aubrey.” She motioned to her friend. “Aub, this is my second cousin Aiden.”
Elle had mentioned her friend Aubrey tons of times over the years, along with Zoey, Scarlett, and Hannah, the other Wildflowers, as they called themselves.
“Hey,” he said, removing his sunglasses to get a better look at the sexy redhead.
Aiden had a type. Or so he’d thought. Every single girl he’d dated before had been tall, brunette, and built.
So he was slightly confused as to why he felt an instant sexual pull for the short, curvy redhead with porcelain skin and eyes the color of the sky on a clear day.
“Hi,” Aubrey said as she glanced beyond him. “Gosh, you’ve gotten so much done already.” She walked past him into the cabin.
He and his crew had pulled out the built-in bunkbeds and the old flooring and had cleared out the connected bathrooms, leaving only electric wires and exposed plumbing.
“I can’t believe how big this cabin is after everything’s been removed,” Elle said, walking in circles.
“There’s plenty of room,” he agreed, walking over to unroll the plans he’d drawn up for this particular cabin. “There’ll be a small sitting area and a kitchenette, a larger bedroom area, and the bathroom…” He motioned to the plans as both the ladies looked on. When he leaned closer, he was rewarded with the soft scent of Aubrey’s perfume. She smelled like flowers and sex.
He straightened and took a step back. He’d gone several months now without sex and knew that the pull was probably due to that.
As he talked to them both about the other cabins, his eyes kept darting towards Aubrey.
When she asked him about permitting and contractor licenses, he was a little shocked that she knew so much about the business. He talked to her about the city’s permitting schedule and how he was a licensed state engineer, which cut down on the time frame for work to start.
“Besides, Marg and I go way back.” He chuckled.
“Oh?” Aubrey asked.
He shrugged. “She used to babysit me.” He smiled. “She has a soft spot for me still.”
“Most women do.” Elle chuckled and nudged Aubrey, who blushed slightly. Her pale skin turned a soft shade of pink, causing his blood to heat. Elle didn’t notice it since she was too busy walking around the cabin again.
He watched as the two friends chatted about furniture, decorations, and the camp’s future. He watched Aubrey closely and wondered if she was single. Okay, a lot of other thoughts rushed through his head as well, but the first and foremost was if she was free.
He’d made the mistake of not checking to see if someone he was interested in was unattached before and it had burned him.
Elle’s phone rang and, after glancing down at it, she held up her finger and took the call. Shortly after answering, she stepped outside the cabin.
“So.” Aubrey turned to him. “You’re Elle’s cousin?”
“My grandmother Nancy and Elle’s grandfather Joe were brother and sister. My grandmother died a long time ago.”
“We all loved Grandpa Joe.” Aubrey’s smile brightened. “It’s funny, Elle had never mentioned you, at least not until we started planning this all out. Then you’re all she could talk about. How you’d just come back from college. Architect?” she asked as she tilted her head.
“Bachelor of Design in Architecture.” He nodded. “FSU.”
“I was going to school.” Her eyes turned towards the large windows his crew had ripped out earlier that morning. A few bugs buzzed in and out of the empty spaces.
“For?” he asked when she didn’t continue.
Her blue eyes moved back to him. “Art,” she said with a sigh.
“Sounds like you miss it?” He tucked his hands in his jean pockets.
She shrugged and walked over to the fireplace and ran a finger over the worn wood. He had plans to refurbish the old thing with oak. The fireplaces in all of the cabins would be modernized into gas fireplaces, but he planned on keeping the hearths classic and rustic looking. It would be part of the charm of each cabin.