T

uesday morning had gone much like Monday: breakfast, news, get ready for work, walk to office, arrive first, watch everyone else trickle in. Without the added excitement of coffee and staff meeting of Mondays, Tuesday mornings were comparably slower.

But when nine-thirty arrived, and I still hadn’t seen Riley, I started wondering where she might be. I clicked over to our company calendar where all the primaries posted their meetings and schedules and saw her morning free, which meant she usually would have been to the office by then.

I made my way to Jasper’s work area and was greeted with a smile.

“Morning, Rose.”

“Hello, Jasper. Have you heard from Riley today?”

“She’s not in her office?” His tone was a mixture of concern and confusion.

“She hasn’t come in yet. I checked her schedule and there’s nothing there. Could she be at a meeting with a client or something she forgot to mark down?”

He shook his head and turned to his computer, bringing up the same schedule I was referencing.

“No, Riley doesn’t forget to mark things down.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

From across the room I could hear the phone in my office ringing.

“Will you try and track her down for me? Something’s not right,” I called the words over my shoulder as I rushed to my office. It was slightly unusual to hear the phone ring at all. The receptionist intercepted all my calls and the only people who used my direct line were usually my staff. I scrambled into the room and leaned over the desk, grabbing the phone with one heel off the floor. “Rose Finch, Rose City Events.”

“Oh, Rose, I’m so glad you picked up.”

“Riley? Is that you?” Her voice was scratchy and raw. “You sound horrible.”

“I feel horrible.”

“Oh, Riley, I’m so sorry. Do you need anything?”

“A new throat? Perhaps a new nasal cavity while you’re at it.”

“On it,” I joked, appreciating her sense of humor even if she sounded as though she was dying.

“Thanks. But seriously, I do need something.”

“Besides the next few days off to get better? Because that’s non-negotiable.”

“One day,” Riley offered.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“Fine. Two. But I need Jasper to take over all my meetings. He’s up to date on all the accounts and should do just fine. I just wanted to run it by you first.”

“Of course. That’s fine. Anything you need.”

I heard Riley sigh on the other end of the line and my heart strings tugged a little. She was clearly stressed about being sick and missing work.

“You’re the best, Rose. Really. I’m so sorry I can’t be more help. This hit me like a Mack truck.”

“Clearly. Is anyone there to help? Did Camden stay home?”

“I made him go to work but only on the condition that I’d call him or his mother if I needed anything.”

“Well, add my name to the list. If you need anything, just call.”

“That’s very sweet, but unnecessary. I’m just going to go back to bed. Forever.”

“Well, don’t worry about anything here. We’ve got you covered. And if two days isn’t enough time off to get better, take as much as you need.”

“Thanks, Rose. Calling out sick isn’t supposed to be this pleasant of an experience.”

“You’re delusional. Go to bed.”

She laughed, and I smiled. When she ended the call, I thought for a moment, my mind zipping through possibilities, weighing options, pros, and cons.

Jasper gave me an expectant look when I approached him again. “That was her on the phone. She’s sick and won’t be in for a few days.”

“Damn. She wasn’t doing great yesterday either.”

“I noticed. She asked that you take over her schedule until she comes back. Will that work for you?”

He turned back to his computer, Riley’s schedule still on the screen.

“I think I can handle it all just fine, but we may want to reach out to Daniels Homes and reschedule. That was an important account for her and I think she’d prefer to handle it herself.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked, my interest piqued. Riley was usually very diplomatic and professional.

“He works closely with her best friend, Hadley, and I just know it was something she was looking forward to handling. They’ve been discussing a partnership for months now.”

My mind went to work again, mentally going through every option and trying to figure out the best course of action.

“You think she would have a problem with someone else handling the first meeting?”

“No, I don’t think she’d have a problem with it per se. I just think she’d prefer to do it herself.”

“So, you don’t want to handle it?” I could understand his hesitation. He wanted to do right by Riley and I could appreciate that.

“I wouldn’t have a problem with it on my end. I don’t think it’s out of my scope of capability.”

“Okay, Jasper, I’m going to tell you what we’re going to do.” Pulling the chair out of the desk I was standing in front of, I took a seat facing him. “I’d like for you to take over everything on Riley’s schedule for today and tomorrow except the meeting with Daniels Homes. I will make sure it gets handled.”

“Are you going to reschedule?” he asked, not unkindly.

“No, I don’t want to bother the client or Riley. I’ll take the meeting myself. Hopefully that will show the client they’re a priority, and Riley will believe I represented her well.”

Jasper’s eyebrows rose at my words.

“I’m pretty sure Riley will be grateful.”

“She deserves the opportunity to get well without worrying about her accounts. I’ll make sure to explain to the client that she is the best primary planner I have and I’m only stepping in because it’s an unusual circumstance. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“I am too. Riley will be shocked you took the meeting, but in a good way, I think. It will mean a lot to her.”

“Well, like I said, she’s the best I’ve got. Speaking of which, you’ve grown a lot under her leadership. Soon you’ll be sitting at the Monday meetings with the primaries if you keep working as hard as you have been.”

“Wow, thanks, Rose. That’s really great to hear.”

He looked genuinely shocked by my praise. It wasn’t that I was stingy when it came to doling it out, but I generally showed my gratitude in other ways. Like with coffee and pastries.

“Let me know if there’s anything you need help with while Riley’s out, okay? Anything at all. We can rearrange some things to get you help if you need it.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that.”

He smiled as I stood, and I found myself smiling back.

When I’d returned to my desk, I clicked open the meetings Riley had scheduled later that day with Daniels Homes. The meeting wasn’t until 3 p.m., but the location had me narrowing my eyes.

“Washougal?” I said to no one, completely confused. “Why in the world would she be meeting someone in Washougal?” Washougal was far away. Well, far away in city girl standards. Especially if you were a city girl without a car. In fact, Washougal was in another state. I’d be crossing into Washington for this meeting. Twenty miles may as well have been a thousand. That was easily a thirty-dollar Uber ride. The money wasn’t an issue—just another tax write-off—but the location was questionable.

As far as I knew, Washougal was an empty town—there was nothing there. It was just a dot on a map. Why in the world would Riley be going there for a meeting?

Deciding it wasn’t worth the time or effort to keep worrying about it, I made an appointment for an Uber and then continued on with my work day, checking things off my list as I went.

A few hours after lunch I found myself in an Uber with a quiet but friendly driver, who could have been a murderer based on where he was taking me. The middle of nowhere. That was where I currently found myself. In the back of a stranger’s car, in the middle of nowhere. As soon as we crossed the state line into Washington, civilization started to disappear. Ten minutes later and buildings became scarce. Trees lined the roads and I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out we’d been driving into a national forest.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Navigation doesn’t lie,” he replied, not unkindly. “Google is smarter than all of us.”

“But... I’m afraid we’ll start hearing banjos soon.”

“I’m just going to the address you provided.”

“I’m just hoping I’m not heading to a meeting with a serial killer.”

“Well, just so long as I get you where you’re going...” His words trailed off and I realized he wasn’t fully concerned with my safety, just getting me to my destination in a timely manner.

The road winded along, taking us deeper into the wooden wasteland, until finally the car took a right-hand turn and began bouncing violently as we continued down a road made of gravel and potholes.

This can’t be right.

“Are you sure this is the way?”

“I’m sure this is the way to the destination you asked to be taken to,” the driver replied, not sounding as friendly as he had ten minutes ago.

The trees became thicker and the space between them thinner, making it difficult to see anything but trees. The car slowed, even though we were already hardly moving, and suddenly we were in a clearing. The road didn’t come to anything in particular. It simply ended.

“Here you go,” my driver said, putting his car in park.

“Where in the world am I?”

“You seem to be at a vacant lot along the Washougal River.”

“I’m so confused.” I peered around the driver’s seat and sure enough, there was a river in the background. There was also a very large maroon truck with the words Daniels Homes on the side parked as close to the water as it could get, so that gave me a little bit of comfort. But quite literally, the only other thing around was a port-o-potty.

“Have a good rest of your day,” the driver said, clearly trying to get me out of his car so he could be on his way.

I pushed the door open and stepped out, only barely making it a safe distance from the car before it started reversing back down the long stupid gravel road.

Take me with you.

Turning, I looked around the large clearing, hoping for some clue as to why I was standing in the middle of Mother Nature.

“Hello?” I called out, hoping someone would answer me. “Mr. Daniels?” Surely, he had to be around somewhere if the giant truck with his name on it was any indication. I moved toward the truck, taking in the scenery. If I wasn’t so confused about the location, I would have been enthralled by it. It was quiet and serene. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the river crashing over rocks.

As I neared the water I heard a rumbling noise, some rustling, and as my gaze followed the sound, something tight gripped my arm and yanked me to the side, pulling me away from the noise. I would have yelped, did in fact, but it did no good because a hand came up to cover my mouth, stifling my cry.

Strong arms were wrapped around me, and those arms clearly belonged to a very large person. A man, if I was correct. They usually didn’t make women that large. Or strong.

“I’m really sorry,” he whispered as he hauled me away, and then suddenly it was dark. And smelly. Foul smelling, in fact. And his giant body was pressed very close to mine, but not only because his arms were around me, but because we were in a very tight space.

A port-o-potty to be exact.

“I promise I’m not trying to hurt you,” he whispered as he spun me around to face him. “My name is Aiden. This is my property. If I take my hand off your mouth, do you promise not to scream?”

My eyes were darting wildly back and forth between his, my heart hammering away at my ribs, my lungs laboring to take in all the oxygen that little port-o-potty could hold. But his eyes were kind and he didn’t look as though he wanted to hurt me. I nodded slightly.

Our gazes locked as he slowly took his hand off my mouth.

“I’m really sorry,” he whispered again. “I was out there waiting for someone to arrive for a meeting and when I turned around two bear cubs and their mama were heading my way. This was the only place I could get to hide.”

My eyes were wide at his story, but I couldn’t have moved if I’d tried.

His one arm was locked around my waist, and his other hand, after it had fallen from my mouth, came to rest on my hip. Both of my hands were against his chest, which was covered in a soft, red flannel shirt.

“Are we in a port-o-potty?”

The blue tint of the plastic made it hard to discern the color of his eyes. He had brown hair that needed a trim and a beard much in the same fashion. He looked exactly as I imagined a man who lived in the mountains would look. All he needed was a giant axe and he’d be Paul Bunyan. He was half Greek god and half sexy lumberjack. It was a little overwhelming. Especially since his big arms were still wrapped tightly around me.

“I would have climbed in my truck, but the bear cubs were blocking the path.” He was still whispering. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been around a mama bear and her cubs, but you don’t want to mess with them. I figured if I hid in here, they’d eventually go away. But then I heard you out there, yelling and shit, and I thought for sure they were going to eat you for a snack.”

“I didn’t see any bears.”

“You didn’t?”

“Trust me, if I’d seen bears you would have heard more screaming from me. And I probably would have come in here on my own.” I looked around at the portable bathroom and noticed it was new, which was the only good thing about the situation I found myself in that moment. It smelled like plastic and grossness, and I wanted to bathe in hand sanitizer, but at least it hadn’t been sitting around for weeks being used.

“I’m Aiden,” he whispered, his voice softer somehow. “As in, Aiden Daniels. Owner of Daniels Homes.”

“Rose. I’m Rose.”

“I was expecting someone else.”

“Riley’s sick. She couldn’t make it.”

“Sorry she’s sick. Not real sorry you’re here. Even if there’re bears.”

His lips ticked up at the sides slightly, and I thought maybe he was smiling, but it was so slight it was hard to tell under the beard.

We both heard the distinct sound of tires on gravel coming down the road and then Aiden’s voice rumbled through me again. “That’ll be Hadley.”

“What about the bears?”

“You stay here. I’ll go take a look around and tell Hadley to stay in her car. If it’s safe, I’ll let you know.”

“And what if it’s not safe? You can’t take on three bears.”

“Well, I’m hoping they’ve moved on.” Then he smiled bigger and it was clear, even under his beard. “Don’t worry about me, Rose. I can take care of myself. Lock the door behind me.”

Before I could respond, he opened the door and left me standing in a port-o-potty all alone, which was strange because I felt very lonely even though I’d never been in a port-o-potty with someone else before. I never thought I’d want someone to come back into one with me, but I did.

My heart was pounding, both because Aiden Daniels was the first man in a long time to make me think about him in anything other than a passing way, but also because he might get eaten by bears.

I wrapped my arms around my waist, not wanting to touch anything even though it was “clean.” I listened, trying to get any bit of information I could.

I heard Aiden’s footsteps and the car come to a stop. The door opened, and I heard Aiden’s deep voice. It sounded calm and rational. It was met, however, with a loud, not-so-calm voice, and the two began to bicker. I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, but after a few moments the door closed again and it was quiet.

It was quiet for much longer than I was comfortable with.

It seemed like forever. Standing alone in a port-o-potty made time stand still, apparently.

When I finally heard footsteps again, I sighed in relief when they were slow and measured. I figured if Aiden was being chased by bears he’d be running, not walking at a leisurely pace.

He knocked gently and said, “It’s safe to come out now, Rose.”

“Are you sure?” I yelled, hoping he could hear me through the plastic walls.

“Pretty sure. Looked all around and saw no bears. I can get my shotgun out of my truck if it’d make you feel better.”

I unlocked the door and stuck my head out. “No need for shotguns,” I said, looking around.

Movement out of the corner of my eye had my heart jumping into my throat and my hand coming to my chest, but I exhaled relief when I saw it was just Hadley getting out of her car.

“When I asked to see a site before you broke ground, I didn’t think it would involve hiding from ravenous bears.” Hadley shut her car door. She was driving a cute Prius, which looked totally out of place. In fact, I wondered how it had made it down the gravel road at all.

Hadley had been in the office a few times to see Riley and after working so closely with her for a few years, I’d heard a lot about her best friend.

“You’re not Riley,” Hadley accused, more confused than anything.

“She’s sick.”

“Sick? She didn’t mention anything about it.”

“I made her take some time off. A few days. She sounded terrible. But it was important to her that someone be here for the meeting, so here I am.”

“I’m just going to call her real quick,” Hadley said as she turned away from Aiden and me.

“I’m sorry the meeting has gotten off to such a weird start. I usually don’t have meetings like this to begin with. If there’s no structure, I normally have them in my office. But Hadley wanted to see the site and it worked with Riley’s schedule.”

“It’s no problem,” I said, trying to smile even though my heart was still racing and my eyes were still searching for giant mama bears with enormous claws. In an effort to calm myself, I smoothed my hands down my blouse, continuing down my skirt, then made sure my hair was still pulled back into a tidy ponytail. “It’s an interesting location for a home,” I observed, trying to move the conversation forward. I wanted to leave the bear infested area ASAP.

“That’s sort of our brand. Luxury and isolation. People want all the conveniences of modern homes without the city life. They want views and no neighbors. Wi-Fi and babbling brooks. Craftsmanship and convenience. Simplistic opulence.”

“So, you build big beautiful homes in the middle of nowhere for people who have too much money lying around?”

“Precisely.”

I couldn’t claim to have seen any of his work, but something told me he was very good at his job.

“Aiden builds the most gorgeous houses you’ve ever seen,” Hadley said as she approached us from behind. “And you’re right. Riley sounds terrible.”

I held my hands up. “Hence my presence.”

“Riley’s the best,” Hadley said to Aiden. “But if there’s anyone who can do a better job, it’s Rose.”

I was slightly overcome and surprised by her praise. Sure, I knew who Hadley was, but I’d never had any deep or meaningful conversations with her. I definitely couldn’t comment on her work ethic, although I could admit I was pretty sure she was the very epitome of a boss lady seeing as how she ran her very own company, like me, and seemed to be very successful. As a fellow female business owner, I respected her, so it meant a lot that she’d vouched for me when I really didn’t think she had a reason to.

“Well, I appreciate that. Really. That’s very nice of you to say. But I’m only filling in temporarily. This account is very important to Riley, so she’ll be taking over as soon as she’s well again.” I turned to Aiden. “And Riley really is the best. You’ll be in good hands with her.”

“I couldn’t care less who pulls off the fundraiser, as long as it’s done right and does the job.”

Oh, good, we can stop beating around the bush and get back to business.

“And what is your objective with the fundraiser?”

“To make money.”

I had to hold in a laugh.

“Anything more specific? Did you have a goal in mind? A cause?”

“Aiden wants to start a foundation that would build houses for needy families. Free and clear.”

My eyes widened and fell back on the beast of a man who was currently backdropped by the beautiful scenery one could only find in the Pacific Northwest.

“You want to build houses for people? Like, donate houses?”

He nodded, his gaze never leaving mine.

Hadley took the opportunity to add more.

“Not just houses, either. He wants to build community gardens and neighborhood recreation centers. Daycare facilities. He basically wants to serve the underprivileged community and give them opportunities to live, work, and thrive when they otherwise might not be able to even afford rent. Portland has the fastest growing real estate in the western side of the US and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for people to afford housing. People who’ve lived here their whole lives are being evicted from their homes and then the landlords rent them out for three times the amount.”

“All right, Hadley, I think she gets the idea.”

He was still looking at me and I wasn’t sure I ever wanted him to stop.

“He wants to use his success to bring awareness to the housing crisis and help good, decent, hard-working families in need.”

“Okay, Hadley...”

“He’s basically the Robin Hood of contractors—taking money from the rich to give to the poor.”

“Goodbye, Hadley,” he said sternly, finally taking his gaze off mine and shooting her a glaring look.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she mumbled under her breath. “It was good to see you again, Rose. You should come to Taco Tuesday with Riley and me sometime. But since she’s home sick I think I’ll go pay her a visit. Bring her some soup.”

I looked her way just as she was giving me a finger wave. Then she looked at Aiden again.

“I’ll see you at the Belmont property on Friday, right?”

“I’ll be there. Like always.”

“Great. Thanks for not letting the bears eat me. Justin will be grateful.” She winked, waved again, then walked back to her car.

We both watched as she made a slow U-turn and then disappeared amongst the trees.

“Sorry about Hadley. She can be a little dramatic sometimes.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” I answered quickly. “I’m sure if she’s Riley’s best friend she’s a great person. You are the company you keep, after all.” Suddenly I was spouting old adages like a grandmother. “Anyway, you want to have a fundraiser,” I stated, trying to refocus the conversation.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, lifting his hand to the back of his neck, forcing my eyes to watch his biceps bulge under the flannel fabric of his shirt.

Why was flannel suddenly sexy? I hadn’t ever considered the whole lumberjack movement to be attractive, but I couldn’t deny my immediate and surprising attraction to Aiden. Granted, he wasn’t some twenty-something kid, wearing flannel and sporting a trendy mustache while he drank espresso. No. Aiden was the manliest man I’d ever encountered, and I’d come to that conclusion after very little time actually being in his presence.

He was the epitome of manliness.

Rough. Rugged.

The real deal.

There was no pretense in his flannel-wearing. He didn’t put it on because it was cool or in. He wore flannel and Carhartt because it was durable and probably withstood all the abuse he put his clothes through.

“Do you actually build the houses?” I asked before I could stop myself. It wasn’t typical that I let my brain run away with my mouth, but I clearly wasn’t operating on all cylinders. I blamed my brain malfunction on the fact that a few minutes prior I’d been hiding from bears in a portable bathroom.

“I do what I can,” he replied humbly. “I used to do more of the actual construction, but since the business has grown so much I’m usually bouncing between the office and sites, managing more of the day to day operations.”

“I get that. I used to do a lot more planning as well. Now I’m at my desk a lot.”

“Do you miss it?”

His question surprised me.

“Yes and no. I like being the boss and being in charge, but I do miss the interaction with people on a daily basis that wasn’t always me telling people what to do or work-related. Sometimes it was fun to talk about place settings or venue options. And I definitely miss the cake tasting.” I realized I was smiling. And not the fake client smile I usually wore while at work, but a real, genuine smile.

“You like having your cake and eating it too,” he replied, a slow smile stretching his mouth wide.

“I guess you could say that.”

“Well, sounds like we’re both in for a good time then. I’d love to have cake at my event.”

“I’ll put that on the list, then.”