Page 12 of Wild Rush Of Love
“Oh. Reena!” Alice jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry—”
“No, sit.” She raced over, eased Alice back into her chair then faced the man she assumed was the General Manager. “Cam?”
“Yes,” he said as he slid his chair back and stood.
“There’s a man in the foyer. Said he’s Harry’s lawyer. Jeremy Sturgis.”
“Shit.” Cam spun on his heel. “I’ll deal with him.”
“Hey.” Rush put his hand on hers. “You okay?”
“Me?” She looked down at him, could see the sorrow swirling in his eyes. “I should be asking all of you that. Can I do anything?”
Alice sighed. “Reena is our only guest tonight. I think it best if we just close up and start again in the morning. Hank? Rush?”
“Yeah,” the big guy Reena guessed was Hank stood. “I’ll leave the stew on the stove if anyone wants it but I’m going to head out.”
Rush’s fingers squeezed hers. “Want to have a bowl of stew with me? I can guarantee you haven’t tasted anything like it.”
“Sure. Do you need help closing down?”
“Damn. I need to call Desi, let her know not to come in.”
“She’s probably already on her way. She’s staying over in Broken Bay.” Alice glanced at her watch. “I’ll wait and let her know when she gets here.”
“Are you sure?” Rush asked.
“Yes. I’ll call Alex while I wait.”
“I’ll bring you a bowl before I go, Alice.” Hank nodded at Rush then headed through the side door.
“Why don’t we bundle up and eat out on the dock?” Reena suggested. “It’s a beautiful clear night out there.” She remembered sitting outside—in the dark—for hours after her aunt died. Something about the stars, the vastness of the universe, had helped her come to terms with her loss.
“Okay. I’ll get the stew, you grab your jacket and a couple of the blankets from the main room.”
By the time they made it outside, Reena had decided on how she wanted to direct their conversation.
“So,” she said as she settled into one of the chairs Rush had dragged out on to the dock. “Tell me about Harry.”
“He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”
“Oh?”
“He’s never met a soul he didn’t know how to help even when they didn’t know they needed helping.” She could hear the grin in his voice. “He took a chance on me when I first got here. I wasn’t old enough to work in the bar but I had a fake ID that he just arched an eyebrow at and gave me the job.”
“Trusting.”
“Oh no, I’ve seen him walk people out or shut them down. He has the uncanny ability to judge you in a split second.”
“You love him.”
Rush laughed. “Yeah, I guess I do. He’s the closest thing to a father I’ve ever had. My own couldn’t give a shit about me, which is how I ended up here in the first place.”
“You’ll miss him.”
“He’d stepped back from the Lodge in recent years so we haven’t been as close as we once were, but yes, he’ll be missed. The whole of Winter Lake will miss him. He’s the mayor and he has all these community projects that help out the town, its people. He’s always been a driving force, involved in everything in one way or another. I’m not sure what will happen now.” He leaned over and put his bowl on the dock beneath his chair, the stew untouched. “I don’t think I’m going to be good company tonight.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind the quiet.”
