He shakes his head sadly. “You barely know me.”
“You’re wrong, Digger. I do know you. I know what’s going on inside that head of yours. And that’s a fact that scares you to death.” I stare him straight in the eyes, holding my ground.
Digger McKenzie is no mystery to me. He was hurt as a child and as a result he’s refused to let himself have the life he deserves.
A life I suddenly want to be a part of.
Chapter28
Digger
Once we get to the lodge, my morning fills up quickly—cooking breakfast for our lodgers and preparing the fishing gear to take a group of guys out on the lake. I normally love to fish, but my heart is not in it today. Not after an uncomfortable night in a chair, followed by an even more awkward conversation with Harper.
Instead of feeling at ease, I’m short-tempered and not in the mood to play host. I certainly don’t have the patience to deal with five dentists who are sport fishing during their corporate retreat. I don’t even bother to learn their names, instead assuming at least one of them is a Todd. After four hours with Todd and Co.—’cause, let’s face it, if the shoe fits—I pull the speedboat up to the dock. It’s three in the afternoon and they’re already sloshed.
I eye the float plane, wanting to grab Moose and head back out into the wild where I can be free of any responsibility. Which includes being free of a certain woman telling me she knows what’s going on inside my head.What in the hell was that all about?
I scan the deck for her, not that I really expect to see her down here without the kids. I look for her on the path. And finally, after rushing up the steps to the lodge, I push open the door and peer into the restaurant. She’s not there either. I’m left feeling oddly disappointed.
The door opens behind me and when I turn, I see a couple who look exhausted and out of place. They’re wearing clothes that, while a bit rumpled, appear to be far too chic for Gamble, Alaska. Their matching grimaces have me saying, “You must have driven up here.”
“My God, that road should come with a warning…” the man says. “I thought we were going to fall off the edge more times than I could count.”
“I take it you guys took Poker Creek Road to get here.” Total amateur move.
“I told you we shouldn’t have gone that way,” the woman says, pursing her lips.
“Oh, for …” The man sighs. “We saved over an hour.”
“Yeah, and look at us,” she says, pointing to herself. “It’s going to take me two hours to get this dust out of my hair.”
“You wouldn’t be covered in dust if you hadn’t insisted on leaving the window open,” he tells her.
“I was going to blow chunks if I didn’t get any fresh air!” she yells.
“It wasn’t all that fresh …”
“You must be the friends of Marge Simpson,” I interrupt them, hoping they’ll start to settle down.
Their faces light up, and the man takes off his sunglasses. Extending his right hand in my direction, he says, “Ethan Caplan. I’mMarge’slawyer.”
“Digger McKenzie.” I shake his hand while sizing him up. He’s roughly the same height as me and looks as though if he hadn’t decided to go to law school, he could have made it in Hollywood as a leading man.
The woman is dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a quilted vest over it, even though it’s a hot day. Her long black hair is almost gray from all the road dirt. “Prisha Choudree, Marge’s manager.”
“You two look like you could use a drink,” I tell them.
“I’ve never needed one more,” Prisha says.
“Don’t you think we should find Har … Marge first?” Ethan asks before glancing nervously in my direction.
“I’ll get you something for the road then,” I tell them.
Following close behind me, Prisha says, “Please don’t tell me there’s more driving involved.”
“Just a nice stroll along the lake to the cabin. Water, soda, beer?”
“Beer,” they both answer at the same time.