“Right,” Dean said with a smile. “If you want, I can show you the ropes,” he offered, leaning his elbows on his knees, trying to get closer to McKenna.
“Thanks, but Jules is doing a great job,” McKenna said easily.
“Well, then, maybe after hours, I can give you a full tour of the place?” Dean said smoothly as he shifted his entire body as if to say to McKenna,I’ll only focus on you.
“Thanks.” McKenna chuckled. “I’m good. I got the tour yesterday.”
“Oh, but you haven’t seen the well. You simply have to see the well.”
Jules rolled her eyes and, thankfully, McKenna saw and sighed. “Thanks, but no. I’m good. Sorry, I’ve got another customer. Nice to meet you, Dan.” McKenna got up and quickly left.
Jules laughed at McKenna getting Dean’s name wrong. She was almost hundred percent sure she’d done it on purpose.
“And he strikes out,” Jules said, making a swing with her arm and then cupping her mouth and making crowd noises.
“Bite me,” Dean said playfully, nudging her feet again. He didn’t make a move to get up and leave. Instead, he asked, “So, it sounds like you and Damion had a good weekend. You know, I was slated to go with him instead of you. When he asked you, he dropped me like a rotten lunch. I guess hoes do come before bros.” He nudged her leg again. “In this case, I’ll allow it, seeing as you’re my adopted sis.”
“Gee, thanks, bro.” She nudged him back, then pushed him off the chair completely. “Go flirt with guests. Maybe you won’t strike out and finally have that threesome you’ve always dreamed about.”
Dean laughed. “Who says I haven’t already had one. Your mom seemed to enjoy it.”
Jules laughed and stuck out her tongue at Dean as he shifted to sit were McKenna had just been.
Shortly after she’d gotten the job here, Dean had taken her under his wing. He had protected her like a sister and, after that day, she hadn’t gotten offended that he’d never asked to show her the well.
The well was a hot spring of clear water bubbling up in a swampy area on the campgrounds. They didn’t allow guests to wander there, since it was fairly dangerous, plus, there had been rumors a rather large alligator had been spotted not far from the area.
Still, some adventurous employees snuck out there and enjoyed the warm fresh water.
“But you did enjoy your weekend?” he asked, growing more serious.
“Yeah, we had a great weekend. Thanks for giving your spot up. How’s are things going with your sister?”
Dean’s younger sister by almost ten years, Sophia, was battling breast cancer. Thankfully, it had been caught early on. Even though she was only in her teens, their mother had demanded early screening, since it ran in the family. If she hadn’t, it could have been too late for the eighteen-year-old.
Jules knew that Dean, for all his outward appearance of being a player, was deep down an extremely nice guy. He’d been raised by a single mother, and he’d helped raise his younger sister when she came along. It ate at him, what Sophia was going through. She knew that he spent most of his free time driving back and forth to the hospital to be with his sister in Tallahassee.
“She’s hanging in there.” Dean’s entire persona changed at the mention of his sister. He looked happy, but underneath, Jules could see fear and sadness in his eyes.
“Tell her I said hi,” Jules said, laying a hand on his. “McKenna’s not your type.” She squeezed his hand. “She’s far too smart for you,” she teased.
He smiled. “Thanks for that.” He held his fist over his heart. “The arrow dove in deep. With that, I’d better get back at it. The dinner rush is almost over.”
“Yeah, now that I’m dried off, I’d better go help McKenna.” She motioned to the bar where several guests had bellied up to sit down.
Dean got up but stopped and looked down at her. “You and Damion. You’re good together. But if you break my man’s heart…”
She laughed. “I won’t. If anything, it’ll be the other way round.”
Dean shook his head. “If you think that, then you don’t know Damion that well.” He nodded to her and then disappeared down the pathway that led to the main building.
She thought about Dean’s words for the rest of the evening.
Shortly before sunset, she watched a very drunk Joe Tribberton stroll towards her, and she cursed under her breath. In the afterglow of the weekend, she’d forgotten all about the man.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Damion removed the drunk woman’s hand from his butt for the tenth time as theWind Chaserbumped against the dock. Then he had to reach up and steady her to stop her from falling overboard.