Page 26 of Wrong Number, Right Cougar

“Oh my gods, I thought you were like… joking. But legit!”

Frank’s beast climbed on my cousin’s back, and they swam around the lake while the rest of us swam and played.

The mosquitoes started to get bad, and a few horseflies came out to play, so my mate called it quits, climbing out of the lake and drying off. Horse flies were the worst, and I didn’t blame him for being done.

“You owe me five bucks.” Frank held his hand out.

“Why?” Thorn asked.

“Not you. Just your mate’s cousin here. Because he said Thorn was going to get scared and run out.”

“To be fair… if I hadn’t been warned, that would’ve been a real possibility.” Thorn wrapped himself in a towel.

“Well, it tells me you’re the right man for this job. I know cougars are what you want to tailor this place to, but I can see this being a retreat for shifters with feathers, with scales—because you may be human, but you accept us all.” Frank seemed to know exactly what to say.

I hugged my mate tight, so proud of him. I hadn’t realized that any of this had been a test—or maybe all of it was, from coming here, to paint, and onward.

But by the time we climbed into bed that night, I was confident. That the resort was going to be successful. That our future was bright.

And that feeling? That was priceless.

15

THORN

I wasn’t a nail biter, but that changed from the moment the inspectors pulled into the driveway.

Yesterday when we left the lodge, I’d taken photos of the house, the cabins, and the grounds. We’d worked miracles, as the calluses on my hands could attest.

The new paint on the outside of the house and cabins gleamed in the late-afternoon sun. All the roofs had been repaired, and while Uncle’s house had needed little more than a lick of paint, a tidy, and a few missing tiles added to the roof, the cabins were unrecognizable inside and out. New carpet, brand-new fixtures in the bathrooms, and no more leaks from the plumbing or the holes in the roof. There was new wood paneling in the rooms, along with new window frames and glass.

And the grounds were pristine.

They didn’t need much attention because the mountainous backdrop was the star performer, but the grass was mowed, the trees and bushes pruned, and we weeded the garden beds and planted bulbs. They should have been planted in the fall to allow them to stay dormant during the winter, but these were summer blooms, so we hoped they’d sprout this year.

We draped our arms around one another as the sun set and we made our way back to our cars.

Now it was morning, and we’d arrived early and opened the doors and windows. Wilder brought flowers from his garden and placed them in vases in each room while I set out the garden furniture, some of which had belonged to Uncle and the rest we’d bought at a secondhand store.

No matter the result of the inspection, I was proud of what we had achieved. But unless everything was up to code, the lodge would remain closed until we made the necessary changes.

“You’ll regret that.” Wilder removed my hand from my mouth where I was ripping my nails to shreds.

I laughed. “You remind me of Dad when I was sucking my thumb as a kid.”

He leaned in close. “There’s only one thing you’re allowed to suck, other than food, and that’s me.”

“Stop!” I couldn’t greet the inspectors with a hard-on. I put on my sports jacket and went into the main house to make more coffee. But my already jittery nerves couldn’t take any more caffeine, not without food, and I’d been too nervous to eat this morning, so we sat outside, enjoying the spring sunshine.

The rumble of a four-wheel drive alerted us to the inspectors’ arrival. They were the same guys as the first time, both of whom Wilder knew well. We kept out of their way as they wandered around the buildings.

I wasn’t sure which was worse. Being able to see what they were doing outside, or imagining them inside each cabin and the house.

Wilder put his hand over mine as my knees shook and rattled the table.

“If there’s something not right, we’ll fix it.” If his stomach was churning half as much as mine, he was hiding it well.

“How long is this going to take?” I whispered. If there was bad news, I wanted it now. Best to rip off the band-aid.

---