A grin slipped onto his lips. "It's good advertisement for our youth product to look young," he pointed out.
I crossed my arms and scrutinized his interesting physique-er, his interesting reveal about the origins of the Herb of Youth. "So if this is such a big secret why are you telling me?" I asked him.
He smiled and shrugged. "You don't seem the type to sneak into a garden and steal a secret ingredient."
I snorted. "No, only the type to sneak around the lodge and cabins in the middle of the night, but to be honest you're probably right. I wouldn't know what I'd be looking for. I'm not that into vegetables."
"Then I'm afraid you're going to have a terrible time here. All our meals are served with vegetables grown from our garden," he told me.
I shrugged. "I guess I'm just going to have to be a meat-eater."
The corners of his lips twitched up higher and his eyes widened just slightly. I swore I saw a flash of strange color glide over his pupils, but the look was gone in a moment and I doubted my senses. "That can be arranged, if you desire it," he offered.
I shook my head. "Nah. My friend will probably convince me to try all the food here and I'll end up liking it. I'm funny that way."
"I'm glad to hear your friend can persuade you." He glanced at his wristwatch and frowned. "Unfortunately, it appears I have to cut short our interesting conversation. I'm scheduled to conduct a meeting this afternoon with a group of the less easily pleased patrons to discuss the menu, and I need all the time I can get to prepare for it."
I cringed and stepped to one side. "Good luck. I think you're going to need it."
I expected him to pass by, but instead he stepped closer to me and grasped my hand in his. He leaned down and pressed a soft, chaste kiss on the back of my hand. His eyes flickered up to me and I saw a hint of some strange, orange-ish color in them. The were the color of an autumn forest with a clear blue sky. "I hope to see much more of you later."
"Y-yeah, definitely," I stuttered.
He released my hand and straightened. "Have a good day."
Young left me alone, or so I thought. When the brush and trees hid him from view I heard a squeal. I spun around and glared at the bushes behind me. That squeal sounded familiar. "Susie, what the hell are you doing?" I snapped at the bushes.
Susie stepped out with a wide, sheepish grin on her face. She wore her bathing suit with the addition of shorts. A towel was draped over one arm. "You two are the cutest couple I've ever seen," she teased.
I nodded at her towel. "Aren't you supposed to be drowning in a hot spring?" I growled.
She shrugged and walked over to me. "It's no fun doing all this stuff alone, so I thought I'd catch up to you and see if you had a change of heart."
"You mean see if you could give me your big brown eyes look again and get me to come with you," I corrected her.
She winced and her bottom lip trembled. Her eyes got bigger, the better to see me with and mesmerize me with her puppy-dog look. "You don't have to be so mean about it," she whimpered.
"Oh no, you're not going to do this to me twice in the same day. No. Just no," I insisted.
She dropped the puppy eyes, but a sly smile slipped onto her lips. "Young and Abby sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love-"
"That's not how it is!" I insisted.
She slowly retreated down the path toward the intersection while still singing that diddy. "-then comes marriage, then comes Young with the baby carriage."
I picked up a non-threatening twig from a tree and chased after her. She laughed maniacally and turned tail down the trail with me hot on her heels.
Chapter 8
Susie led me on a merry chase back to our cabin where I caught her at the rear. We tumbled to the ground and I ended up on top of her as she lay on her back. I grinned down at her and wiggled my fingers. "Time for some revenge," I quipped.
Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Yep." Susie was notoriously ticklish and I took my revenge by tickling every nook and cranny of her upper body.
"No! Stop! Please! Uncle!" she laughed. Tears streamed down her eyes and she tried to whack my hands away.
Our fun was interrupted by a loud, angry voice that came from the other side of our cabin. "What do you mean you don't know what time I have my swimming lessons?"
Much was our surprise when Linda replied to the man's angry words. "I'm really sorry, sir, but only your attendant and Mr. Nelson the scheduler would know that information. I can go find one of them and ask them-"
"I can't find that idiot attendant! He said he's be right back and that was fifteen minutes ago! What kind of service are you guys giving me here, huh?" The man's voice echoed over the cabins and I wondered if people at the lake could hear him.
I climbed off Susie and she followed me as we tiptoed to the corner of our cabin. We glanced around the corner and saw the I-want-my-meat-charcoal-style guy from the night before standing over our little quivering attendant. His face was red and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. He glared down at Linda, who smiled back at him with a shaky smile.
"If you would just give me a few minutes I'm sure I could-"
"So you're going to what? Leave me here like that asshole did? Hell no, I'm coming with you, and you'd better move it!" he demanded.
"Of course, sir," Linda agreed. She inched past him, quivering in fear, but I wasn't going to stand for this.
I looked at Susie, who glanced back at me. "Ready?" I asked her.
She nodded. "Yep."
We both pulled up our sleeves, well, I did and Susie pretended to do so, and marched around the corner and over to the pair. Susie took hold of Linda's shoulders and pulled her away while I stepped in front of the guy. "You don't want to be too close to this," I heard her whisper to Linda.
I stuck my chin out and my full height reached to the middle of his chest. "Who the hell do you think you are yelling at our attendant?" I growled at him.
He sneered back. "Who the hell do you think you are," he shot back.
"A paying guest like you, and someone who knows how to treat someone who's trying to help you as much as she can," I argued.
The man crossed his arms over his wide chest and glared down at me. I winced. His volume was still set to eleven. "I paid good money to come here and I'm not going to get some sub-par service from an idiot girl!"
"She's new here, so give her a chance. You'd want a break if some ogre started yelling at you," I countered.
His face reddened and he dropped his arms to his side so his hands could ball into fists. "What the fuck did you just call me?"
"An ogre and a jerk. Does somebody need to tell you everything?" I snapped at him.
He raised one of his fists which was near the size of my head. "Why I should knock your head off-"
"Is there a problem here?" a voice spoke up. We all turned to see Mr. Young stroll toward us with another young man by his side. They stopped beside us and Young glanced from my face to that of the stranger. "Well?"
The red-faced man pointed a finger at me and nodded at Linda. "She interrupted me when I was talking to that employee of yours."
Susie scoffed. "Talk nothing. You were yelling at her and calling her stupid."
Mr. Young frowned at the man. "What was the problem with my employee?" The stranger cringed and mumbled something I couldn't hear. Young leaned toward him and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it?"
The man coughed and straightened. "I said she didn't know what time was my swimming lessons."
Young leaned away and raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, that's understandable considering she's not your attendant. For privacy reasons my companion here Mr. Nelson is the only one privy to all the schedules. However, if she refused to find out the time for you then-"
"She didn't," the stranger mumbled.
Young frowned. "She didn't what?"
"She offered to find my attendant and get the time," he rephrased.
/> The manager's face darkened and his eyes narrowed. "I see. I'm afraid you may have broken one of our rules for fighting, but I will personally look into the matter and-"
"I don't want any trouble. Just drop it." The man pushed past the pair of men and hurried to the lodge.
Young tilted his head toward the man at his side. "Make a note to find out which guest that was and his cabin number."
Linda pulled out of Susie's grasp and hurried up to the manager. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong. It was-" Young held up his hand and silenced her.
"I don't think any of this is your fault. He knew the rules about fighting and chose to break them. If anyone is to blame it's that ill-tempered gentleman." She hung her head, but nodded. He set a hand on her shoulder, and she dared raise her head to look him in the face. He smiled down at her. "You did pretty well for your first time dealing with a rude guest. Keep it up and you'll be a cabin manager in no time."
A smile brightened her pretty features. "You think so?"
He laughed and gave a nod. "Yep." Young looked past her to Susie and me. "But it seems I owe you two a special thanks for saving my little sister from a lot of trouble."
We turned to each other and then back to him, and both our eyes were big and blinking. "Your sister?" I repeated.
Linda moved to stand beside Young and her cheeks showed a faint blush. "My full name is Linda Young. I don't use it because I don't want people to know how I got my position."
Young wrapped an arm around both her shoulders and squeezed her against his side. "You earned your position today," he corrected her. He returned his attention back to Susie and me. "And I believe you two have earned a reward yourselves. How would a private dinner on the balcony suit your tastes?"
I shook my head. "It's great of you to-ugh!" I winced and rubbed my side as I glared at Susie. She'd elbowed me in the ribs.
"We'd be glad to take it," she answered for the both of us.
Young smiled and gave a nod. "Good. We eat at six sharp. Wear whatever you like."
"Even if it's nothing?" Susie teased.
Young's eyes fell on me and I detected a distinct hint of interest. "As tempting an offer as that is the rules must be obeyed, so you must wear something."
Susie's gaze flickered between us and her grin grew wider. "You know, I haven't been feeling well. I might have to sit this one out and let you two go alone." I glared daggers at my friend.
The man beside Young, Mr. Nelson, coughed into his hands. Young smiled at him and gestured to his friend. "It seems I haven't introduced my friend to you. Miss Lee and Miss Baker, this is Mr. Daniel Nelson. He's the financial adviser and time manager for the Gardens."
Mr. Nelson bowed his head to us, but Susie stepped forward and grasped his hand in a hearty shake. "Nice to meet you. I saw you around last time I was here, but I didn't know you weren't a guest. Don't believe those names Mr. Young gave us. I'm Susie and she-" she nodded her head toward me, "-is Abby."
"Don't shake his arm off," I hissed.
Mr. Nelson chuckled. "I like a good, firm grip. It shows sincerity." Susie released him and I gave him a more polite shake.
"It's a pleasure," I told him.
"That was a very brave action you performed," he complimented.
Susie snorted. "That's nothing. You should see her fight tigers."
I whipped my head to her and frowned. "I do not fight tigers," I hissed.
Nelson chuckled and kept his eyes on Susie. "You have a healthy sense of humor for a sick person," he commented.
"She does, doesn't she?" I agreed. "She must not be as sick as she thinks she is so I think we'll both see you tonight, Mr. Young."
"Please, call me Scott," he reminded me.
"Great!" Susie spoke up. "We'll see you tonight!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me into our cabin.
She shut the door behind us and I spun around and glared at her. "What the hell are you trying to do?" I questioned her.
She batted her eyes and practically floated across the room. "I don't know what you're talking about, dear friend," she replied in her best innocent tone. It wasn't very good because she was never very innocent.
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You tried to get me on a dinner date with that Young guy," I accused her.
"It's Scott, remember?" she teased.
"He's the manager of the resort and we just helped out his little sister, remember? He's just being nice," I argued.
Susie flopped onto the end of her bed and winked at me. "Uh-huh, just 'being nice' means a private dinner at his table."
"It means nothing!" I insisted.
Our argument was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Susie? Abby?" Linda's voice called through the closed entrance.
"Come in!" Susie shouted. I scowled at my friend. I wasn't done scolding her and she knew it.
Linda slipped inside and smiled at both of us. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for coming to my rescue."
My heart melted for the young girl. She really was like a little sister to us, and too damn cute for her own good. I wondered if she'd been raised in a monastery. "It's nothing really. We were glad to help out," I insisted.
Linda shook her head. "No, it really was a big deal. You see, as a novice attendant I'm not allowed to make physical contact with the guests to defend myself."
Susie's jaw dropped open and I frowned. "So if he beat you up you couldn't stop him?" she asked our friend.
Linda gave a nod. "That's correct, so you see how you saved me from a very awkward situation. If he had become violent I could have only run away."
"That's a stupid rule!" Susie argued.
"It's for the safety of everyone," Linda insisted. She smiled and bowed at the waist to us. "But anyway, thank you for rescuing me. Did you need anything before I prepare for your special dinners tonight?"
"I can't think of anything," I replied.
"Nope," Susie answered.
"All right, then enjoy yourselves, and thank you." Linda hurried out.
Susie glanced at me and nodded at the closed door through which Linda left. "You think she was raised in a monastery?" she asked me.
I snorted. "I was thinking the same thing, but I think she's just a little naive."
Susie's eyes took on a dreamy quality. "Ah, the days of youth. Do you remember when we were that innocent?"
I strode over to my dresser and rifled through my clothes. "You were never that innocent, now help me pick something out to wear for this mess you've gotten me into," I ordered her.
She slyly grinned at me. "I thought you said this dinner didn't matter."
"No, what I said was you were trying to set me up on a dinner date with a cute guy. I didn't say it didn't matter," I corrected her.
Susie jumped to her feet and pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Ah-ha! The tell-tale sign of a smitten woman!"
I rolled my eyes. "What?"
She slid over to me and wagged her eyebrows in my face. "You called him cute."
I pushed her away, but I couldn't wipe the smile from my face. "All right, I admit it. He's cute. So what?"
"So that's the first step in getting to the k-i-s-s-" I didn't give her a chance to finish because I launched a ball of socks at her.
She cringed and jumped away. "Using those are illegal according to the Geneva Convention," she scolded me.
"Good thing we're not in Geneva, so help me pick something out," I retorted.
Chapter 9
The rest of the day flew by and by five forty-five I was more than a little nervous. Susie noticed. "Will you stop pacing? You've got me with you, remember?" she growled at me as she sat at the foot of her bed.
I wore the wood floor boards through as I walked to and fro in front of her. "Yeah, that part still worries me," I quipped.
She smirked at me. "It's not like this guy is rich, handsome, responsible, and into you. I mean, if it turns out he doesn't really like you then so what?" she teased.
I stopped my pacing in
front of her and glared at my friend. "Sometimes I wish you'd keep your helpful words to yourself."
She beamed at me. "I try."
There came a knock on the door and I smoothed my clean blouse. Susie rolled her eyes, strode past me and opened the door. Linda stood on the other side. "Are you two ready?" she asked us.
"Yep," Susie replied.
Linda led us down the row of cabins and to the lodge. Dinner was served in the ballroom and I looked for the angry man, but he was nowhere to be found. Susie was more direct in her curiosity as she sidled up to Linda.
"So what happened to that guy who wanted to smash us?" she asked our attendant.
"I'm afraid he had to leave," Linda informed us.
Susie snorted. "He must have thrown a hell of a fit over that. And no refund, right?"
"Unfortunately, that's true," Linda replied.
I frowned at my friend and jabbed her in the side. She glared back at me. "What?" she asked me.
I lowered my voice so Linda couldn't overhear. "I think this subject's a little touchy."
Susie blinked at me and her eyes widened. "Ooh, right."
Linda directed us away from the ballroom and to the second floor. We bypassed the breakfast balcony and walked along the catwalk to the front outdoor balcony. The lights from the lobby ceiling and a few outdoor lights above the lower panes of glass illuminated the area. A table was set out there with an ice bucket, and two slender wine bottles chilled in the ice. Young and Nelson stood by the railing. They appeared deep in conversation, but broke off their talk when Linda opened the glass door and allowed us through ahead of her. I heard the door clack shut behind us, but didn't see nor hear Linda walk with us over to the men.
Young smiled and strode over to us with his arms spread wide. "Good evening. I trust you ladies brought your appetites."
"Yep. I barely touched my lunch," Susie replied. I rolled my eyes. She'd consumed the meat and salad meal with all the daintiness of a famished lioness.
"Good, then please have a seat." Nelson and Young both walked to the round table with its four chairs and scooted out two of them. I noticed the two chairs weren't side-by-side, but rather opposite each other.
Susie looped her arm through mine and dragged me to the table. "Come on, don't be shy," she whispered to me. She plopped me in the chair set out by Young and took the one offered by Nelson for herself.