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“My practicality keeps the doors open and the lights on.”

  He flipped me off. “Open the doors wider. I want a maid this time next month.”

  “I’ll get right on it,” I told him, having absolutely no intention of doing it and he knew it. “Maybe I’ll get you a cute little maid uniform. Do you like gray or black? Apron or no apron?”

  “I hate you.”

  It was his usual complaint. He enjoyed bitching. Most of the time, I didn’t mind listening. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “No, you won’t,” he said before getting into his car and starting the engine.

  I walked back to my cabin, not the least bit worried he was actually going to quit. He loved me and couldn’t live without me. Technically, it was the job he loved, and I was just the icing on top. Neither of us was cut out for the typical nine to five in a dark, cramped office.

  I couldn’t survive without sunlight and fresh air. I had tried to do the office work thing. I figured out I only had to work long enough to save up for a down payment on a piece of land. I had grand plans to live off the land and be a hermit. Then, the retreat had come up for sale and I knew it was what I needed in my life. I could make a living, live in the woods, and share my passion for the great outdoors with others.

  Things were a little slow, but I was hoping to gain enough capital to expand the business. More cabins meant more paying customers. I wanted to update the dining hall and add some kid-friendly activities. All that took money—money I just didn’t have.

  Chapter 4

  Cadence

  I rushed into the office, feeling a little harried after a wild morning with the girls. Everyone told me girls were easier than boys. They were liars. Hazel refused to wear the dress she had picked out the night before, insisting it was too ugly. How it got ugly in the nine hours she had been asleep was anyone’s guess. Of course, the laundry was piled up and the choice of clean clothes was very slim. That spawned a fresh new complaint about my incompetence as a mother.

  There was truly nothing worse than your child telling you how badly you sucked at parenting. Hazel wasn’t satisfied with taking me down and turned her anger on her sister. That was a bundle full of hell, wrapped up in shit.

  “Damn, you look frazzled,” Kassie commented as she walked into my office behind me.

  “I suck as a mom,” I snapped.

  “Uh oh, another rough morning with Hazel?”

  “You could say that.”

  “I hate to rain on your poo-poo parade, but we have a meeting.”

  I groaned, putting a hand on my forehead. “I forgot. I’m not in the mood for a meeting.”

  “No one is in the mood for a meeting,” she retorted.

  “When?” I asked.

  “Now. I was just coming to get you.”

  “Dammit,” I groaned. “Let me grab my computer.”

  She laughed. “You’re going to try and work?”

  I shrugged. “I can multi-task.”

  “If Joe catches you—”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  We moved together toward the conference room. All the seats were already taken at the table. We moved to the back of the room, each of us grabbing a folding chair and sitting down. I wasn’t going to be able to work. I sighed, checking the clock on the wall and hoping it was a short meeting.

  “Good morning!” Joe’s loud voice boomed around us. He clapped his hands together as he paced the front of the room. “How is everybody doing today?”

  There were faint murmurs as everyone responded, except for me. He really didn’t want to know how I was doing.

  “Great, great!” he said with way too much excitement. “I’m looking around the room and I’m excited! I’m excited to have a fantastic team of talented individuals. Each and every one of you is an intricate part of this team.”

  Kassie made a gesture that resembled a man stroking his own dick. I scowled at her. “Stop,” I hissed. “He’s going to see you.”

  Kassie rolled her eyes. “No one can see through that giant head,” she whispered, referring to one of our coworkers.

  “You’re mean.”

  She stuck her tongue out at me. I turned my attention back to our boss, who’d just pulled something from a stack of papers on the table.

  “This is going to be a great time!”

  I looked at Kassie. “What’d he say? What is that?”

  “Oh, you didn’t hear the gossip yet,” she said with a smile.

  “What gossip?”

  She pointed at the brochure. “Road trip.”

  My eyes darted back up front, focusing on what Joe was saying. “This is a retreat meant to foster friendships and promote teamwork. We are going to get very busy and I want all of us to be able to rely on one another for support. It isn’t just us that will be stretched thin over the next few months. Our families are going to feel the strain. We’re all going to hang out together, commune with nature, and get to know each other better.”

  “Our families?” I asked.

  “Yes! This is an all-expense-paid trip and I want to see every one of you there!”

  His voice was infused with so much excitement, it almost gave me a toothache.

  “Is this an optional trip?” I asked.

  The last thing I wanted to do on my weekend off was hang out with the people I worked with. I already spent more time with them than my own kids. Kassie nudged my knee with hers.

  “This is a mandatory work function,” Joe said. He said it in a way that was supposed to sound perky. It pissed me off.

  “I’m not going,” Kassie whispered, leaning in close.

  “You have to,” I said.

  She wrinkled her nose. “No way. I’ll think of an excuse.”

  I raised a brow. “Look at him. He’s very excited about this.”

  “I’ll tell him I’m allergic to trees.”

  “That’s original,” I told her before turning my attention to Joe. “Joe, where is this place?”

  “It’s a lovely wilderness retreat just outside of the city,” he answered, obviously thrilled I was showing interest.

  “And where will we be sleeping?” I asked. If my girls were going to be involved, I needed to know exactly what the accommodations were. “Is there a hotel?”

  His excitement grew. “No!” he practically shouted.

  “No?” Kassie asked with visible concern. “You can’t expect us to stay in tents. I don’t do tents. I don’t sleep on the ground.”

  Joe chuckled, his jovial laugh vibrating around the room. It made me want to strangle him. I was not a perky person on my best day. I was usually exhausted, flustered, and hungry because I never had time to sit down and eat a real meal.

  “We will have rustic cabins!” he said like he was gifting us new cars.

  “Rustic?” I asked. “Rustic as in cute and cozy, or rustic like we’ll need to get familiar with outhouses?”

  “I assure you all, the accommodations are satisfactory,” he said, holding up his hands. “This is a great opportunity for us all to get to know each other a little better. We can unwind after a day of team-building exercises with a drink while sitting by the fire in the clubhouse.”

  I had to admit, that did sound appealing, but as a single mom, unwinding didn’t happen on the same schedule as my single coworkers. I had to get the kids to bed, which was never a simple, easy task. By the time I would be ready to unwind, my coworkers would be halfway through a bottle.

  “When is this little shindig?” Kassie asked in her usual sarcastic tone.

  “Two weeks! We’re closing the office on Friday to give everyone time to pack and get to the retreat. Of course, you will be paid for Friday! That’s how important this is to the company!”

  There was a round of applause. I could definitely get on board with a paid day off. I just wished it wasn’t with the people in the room. I liked them well enough, but an entire weekend?

  Joe continued talking about the new hires and how the company was looking to grow the
business. It was the same speech we got every quarter.

  “Thank you all for your continued hard work and I look forward to getting to know you all a little better on our weekend away,” Joe said, effectively dismissing us.

  Kassie and I got up and made our way out of the conference room.

  “I’m getting out of this,” she said again, following me into my office.

  “He isn’t going to let you,” I told her. “I can’t lie to him, which means you can’t.”

  “Um, yes, I can,” she said. “Look at me. Do I look like the type of girl who goes traipsing through the woods? I don’t do rustic. I don’t sit by a campfire and roast marshmallows. I’m more of a fine wine, gourmet cheese on a bearskin rug in front of a gas fireplace girl.”

  I laughed. “You need to marry rich.”

  “I plan on it. That’s why I’m keeping all this in great shape.”

  “I don’t think it will be terrible,” I said, taking a seat at my desk.

  She cringed. “It’s rustic. What part of that description makes you think it isn’t terrible?”

  “I could use some time with my girls—away from the house and all the chores that go with it. I haven’t been able to give them a real vacation since Trent left. We could use a little weekend away, even if it’s with work people.”

  “I don’t see how you can think this is a good thing,” she said with a groan. “I’m going to go check my little black book of excuses. I can’t do a weekend in the country. My lungs require pollution.”

  I laughed, rolling my eyes as she walked out the door. I got to work. I had a small mountain to tackle. All the time with the new hires had put me way behind schedule. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about them for the day. They were off, which meant I could work without answering incessant questions.

  I worked straight through lunch, chomping on one of the Clif bars I kept in my desk. I looked at the clock and cringed. I was going to be late to pick up the girls. I hated making the call, but I did it, apologizing to my mother for the late hours.

  It was nearly nine before I dragged my tired ass through my mother’s front door, using my key to unlock it. The lights were off, except for the nightlight left on for Autumn. They were on the floor in the living room on a pallet my mom would have made. I took a moment to watch them sleep.

  “They fell asleep about thirty minutes ago,” my mom whispered, coming into the living room.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late. I tried to get out earlier, but I’m so behind.”

  She smiled. “You’re doing what you can.”

  The way she said it told me she didn’t approve. Her disapproval made me feel even guiltier. “Guess what,” I said, keeping my voice low.

  “You got a raise?”

  I scoffed. “No, I wish. The company is paying for a weekend retreat, girls included.”

  “Really? That is great. When?”

  “Two weeks. I think the girls will like it.”

  She smiled. “They’ll like spending time with you. I don’t think they’ll care where you are.”

  “I know, Mom. I know. I want to spend more time with them. You know I do. It’s just not so easy doing this on my own.”

  She frowned. “You need to make Trent pay. It’s bullshit he is getting away with this.”

  I shook my head. “It isn’t worth the effort. He’ll fight me and it will only cost me more money. I don’t want him to have any legal rights to my girls. He made his decision. I will not let him use the girls to get at me. He doesn’t want to be a father. I’m not going to force him to do it. If I try and get his money, he’ll try and hurt me. It’s just easier this way.”

  “Easier for who?” she asked. “It isn’t easier for you.”

  “Not right now, but it will be. I’ll move up in the company and I’ll make more money.”

  She shook her head. “More money is not the answer.”

  “Well, I can’t buy more time in a day,” I snapped.

  “I know, but you don’t need to make more money. Maybe you can scale back your work hours.”

  I wasn’t going to have the discussion with her. It was always the same conversation anytime I was late. I could technically afford childcare, but I didn’t want a stranger watching my babies. My mom loved my girls and they loved her.

  “Are their backpacks ready?” I asked, refusing to get into the same argument.

  “Yes, they’re by the door.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled before going back to the girls and squatting down. “Girls, it’s time to go home.”

  Hazel rolled to her side, rubbing her eyes. She sat up and got to her feet. Autumn followed. It wasn’t their first time. I got them up and into the warm car before driving them home. I got them tucked into bed, hoping to crash myself. I walked by the laundry room and cringed. We were all going to be wearing pajamas if I didn’t get my butt in gear with the laundry. I had to get a load in.

  I sighed before going into the laundry room and sorting out the dirty clothes. I’d sleep sometime when I was fifty.

  Chapter 5

  Gabriel

  I dragged two more chairs across the dining hall that also doubled as the meeting room for the groups. If I got that infusion of cash that I was hoping for, I was going to have a separate dining area. It would allow us to have a bigger kitchen and be able to provide more elaborate meals. For now, it was all I had to offer.

  The group coming in wasn’t necessarily large, but the kids were going to max out our accommodations. I had extra cots, but the cabins were small and not meant for more than one or two people. It would be challenging, but what fun was life without a few challenges?

  I counted the chairs, adding a couple of extra just in case there were unexpected attendees. The door opened and sunlight flooded the room as Leo walked inside. He wasn’t alone. I pretended not to notice and moved to grab the centerpieces I had special ordered from a local woman who made her living creating the things.

  Leo cracked a joke about the locals. I cringed. The man who was following him around the place didn’t respond. I assumed the man was a potential client, checking out the retreat before booking it. A lot of people wanted to see the cabins and check out the area before they paid our fee. I understood they wanted to look before buying and I had an open policy. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was hiding something.

  When Leo bombed yet another horrible joke, I had to step in. The guy was going to drive away business if he kept talking. I stepped forward. “Good afternoon, I’m Gabriel Cole,” I said. “I own the retreat. I can answer any questions you might have.”

  “Ah, Mr. Cole,” the man said with a smile. “You’re exactly who I was hoping to speak to.”

  I smiled. “What can I do for you?”

  “My name is Timothy Barnes. I work with a wildlife conservation group. We’ve recently received a donation to our foundation and are looking for a worthy cause to invest in.”

  I nodded, not sure where he was going with his speech. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Barnes.”

  “Please, call me Tim,” he said, shaking my hand.

  “What can I do for you, Tim?”

  “Your retreat was brought up in our recent meeting,” he explained. “I wanted to come out and see what it was you were doing here.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know that I’m doing a lot. I own the forty acres here. I have a wetland designation that is off-limits to everyone, and myself and my partner, Leo, whom you’ve already met, regularly check the area to make sure no one is trespassing. I have a small bird sanctuary where we like to rehab injured birds while allowing them to remain in their natural habitat as much as possible.”

  He nodded. “Can you show me around?”

  I wasn’t sure what to think. His visit was unexpected. I had no idea I was even on the radar for conservationists. “Sure,” I answered, turning to look at Leo who looked just as surprised as I was.

  I took him out the side door that would take us to the small bird area we had set u
p. “We’ve got netting around the area to keep predators from attacking any injured animals,” I explained.

  “Do you have any training with rehabbing wildlife?” he asked.

  “I’ve worked with a few people that have. Beyond that, it’s experience.”

  He nodded, studying the bird enclosure Leo and I had created. “Do you understand the danger of a wild animal becoming humanized?”

  “I do,” I answered quickly. “This area is made to keep any wildlife away from humans while offering them protection. We limit any interaction.”

  He looked interested, taking in all the little details that most visitors to the retreat overlooked. I led him down one of the trails that was rarely used that would take us to the wetland area. Most people didn’t care to see what they thought was the least desirable part of the grounds. It was bland, lacking trees or anything else that was perceived as beautiful. The wildlife in the area loved it.

  “This is an area that we leave untouched,” I told him.

  He had a serious look on his face, taking it all in. I could practically see him measuring and testing the area. I had no idea why a wildlife conservationist would be interested in my little piece of land, but it did make me happy to know my tiny little offering was noticed.

  “This is a wilderness retreat,” he stated.

  “Yes.”

  “Do your customers interfere with the conservation you do?”

  “Not at all. It’s the money I earn from the retreat that allows me to continue doing what I do here. There are strict rules in place about interfering with the animals. People come here to watch and observe. We’ve never had an issue with anyone hurting or damaging the areas.”

  He nodded. “Can you show me the residential areas?”

  I grimaced. “Sure. It’s not much to look at, I’m afraid. It’s a very small operation. Old and small.”

  He chuckled. “People put too much stock in new and big. Old and small is authentic and charming in my opinion.”

  I smiled. “I completely agree.”

  “I did my research before I came out here. Did you know the parcel of land bordering your east border is up for sale?”