I asked for a soda and glanced at the menu, cursing my choice. I needed to figure out some exercise, and soon. The salad looked tempting, but I knew myself and I’d be enjoying some carbs today.
“Hey. stranger!” A familiar voice rang through the air, and I turned to see Luna. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Hey, Luna. Have a seat and join me for lunch.” I urged her as she grinned, taking the seat across from me. “What are you doing here?”
Luna tucked a strand of straight black hair behind her ear. She looked beautiful with her russet skin, her Iroquois heritage shining through from her father’s side. I hadn’t seen her since shortly after high school and took her in with a warm smile.
“I stopped in to talk to your brother about setting up some yoga classes here for the guests. He thinks it would be a great addition and I agree. I just saw you walking through the lobby and followed you.”
Luna grinned and asked the server for a hot herbal tea and salad when she stopped back by to take my lunch order.
“I love my ceramic work but selling pottery doesn’t pay all the bills. I bought a farmhouse a few miles away and converted the separate garage into an art studio to work in. Did your mom tell you?”
Luna beamed with joy as she spoke, and her happiness radiated from her.
“She did and I’m so happy for you,” I told her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. I admired her many ear piercings and the little hoop in her nostril, knowing that Luna was always a free spirit. “Where else are you teaching classes at besides Peaks?”
“There are a few studios in the area that I work at and the gym a few miles away. It’s enough for a steady income and good for me as well.” Luna chuckled as I shook my head. She was a few inches taller than I was and, though curvy, her height showed them differently on her.
“I am the one that needs one of your classes. I am making poor life choices as far as lunch!” The two of us laughed together.
“You look incredible. How was it in the big city?” Luna asked with curiosity in her pretty dark eyes. She’d always been more of the nature girl and wanted to stay near her family.
“It’s a lot different. Think of busy streets and a lot of people. There’s just a certain vibe there that I love and miss, though it’s good to be home for a while,” I admitted as she took in my face with a frown. “When my ex lost the restaurant, we practically went in on together, I felt my heart break. I put my blood, sweat and tears into that place, not to mention my money. I couldn’t stay in the apartment since the rent was astronomical and Mom suggested I come home for a while.”
The server put our food in front of us. “I needed a break from all of it, and Jefferson is always looking for help here.”
“When you get a free minute, I’d love for you to come over for dinner. You need to see the place. It’s so perfect!” Luna gushed as I nodded in agreement. We’d been great friends in high school, and I missed her.
Luna was another piece of this place that I walked away from when I moved for college. I’d barely seen her over the last seven years.
We caught up over lunch and it sounded like Luna kept herself busy with yoga classes and her art. That was her dream back in school and it made me happy to see her living it.
Now, I just needed my dream back.
I agreed to call her soon when she left to head to a class. Finishing my drink, I thought ahead to the rest of my day.
I never found the Ben that my brother sent me to this morning. I ended up talking to one of the assistant managers that pointed me in the direction of the flower beds that always needed to be cleaned up. I should probably try to find him now and touch bases, and I dropped some money on the table before leaving the restaurant.
I couldn’t help but to look for Jack as I walked through the lobby. I didn’t see him and checked Ben’s office to find it empty again.
I walked back into the lobby, finding the same manager again. “Hi, Leslie. Could you point me in Ben’s direction?” I asked as I made eye contact with the pretty blonde.
“He’s just out front with some of the others. Big guy with a beard that you can’t miss,” she told me, pointing a manicured finger towards the glass doors. “Think Paul Bunyan!”
“Thanks,” I told her, running my hands down my braids as I made my way to the front. I looked around, seeing a man that stood tall above the others he spoke to that wore a blue jacket I recognized as being one of the lodge coats.
When he turned his head, I sucked my breath in. Leslie wasn’t kidding about the Paul Bunyan part if he turned into a model. Ben had a chiseled jaw that could cut glass along with an auburn beard that was closely cropped that matched his tousled curls that peaked out from under a dark hat.
What was it with the men at this place? Did Jefferson only know male models?
I finished looking Ben over before he saw me, taking in his broad, muscular build and enormous arms. When he looked towards me, sharp gray eyes narrowed in recognition.
“Avery?” He asked in a deep voice that sent shivers over my skin. “You look so much like your brother.”
“So, I’ve been told,” I replied with a smile as he reached his hand out. “You must be Ben.”
“That I am. Thanks for joining the team. There’s a lot to do,” he told me, coming across as all business. “Jefferson tells me you’re here for a few months.”