Page 9 of A Very Grumpy Navy SEAL (Wolf Valley: Grumps #10)

NINE

Lula

I wake up warm. Like, really warm. The kind of warm that comes from having six-foot-four of solid Navy SEAL wrapped around you all night.

A soft sigh escapes my lips as I blink open my eyes. The sunlight is already creeping in through the edge of the curtains, casting golden light across the hotel room walls. I stretch slowly, not wanting to disturb the quiet peace of the morning.

Only...the bed is empty.

Well, half-empty.

My fingers skim across the spot beside me and land on warm sheets, which means Koa got up recently. I roll onto my back and listen for a moment. The faint sound of running water comes from the bathroom, and I smile to myself.

Koa’s in the shower.

I sit up, the sheet slipping to my waist, and glance at the bathroom door. It’s cracked open enough for steam to escape, curling into the air like something out of a daydream. Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I switch it on. I scroll through the messages from Ledger and open my email.

And there it is.

The email I didn’t think I’d get.

Subject: Job Offer—Project Manager Position

I sit up straighter, my heart racing. My thumb trembles slightly as I open the message and start to read.

Dear Lula,

Thank you for interviewing with the Baker Sisters Enterprises. We were impressed with your background, your ideas, and your energy. We’d love to offer you the position of Project Manager starting Monday.

The job entails managing scheduling and logistics for the three Baker Sisters businesses: Wet and Wild, Shelf Indulgence, and Masterbeaters. Duties include organizing inventory, coordinating suppliers, running social media, and updating and maintaining the business websites.

We hope you accept, and we look forward to working with you. Please stop by today to fill out the onboarding paperwork.

Warmly, Olive, Saffron, and Maple Baker.

I read it three times to make sure I’m not hallucinating. Then I throw myself back onto the mattress and let out a scream of joy into the pillow.

Koa opens the bathroom door, a towel around his waist and his dark hair dripping onto his shoulders. “Lula? You okay?”

I shoot upright. “I GOT THE JOB.”

His eyes widen, and he grins. “Seriously?”

“Yes! The project manager role with the Baker Sisters. They want me to come in and fill out the paperwork today. I start Monday!”

He grins, and damn it, even freshly showered with a stubbled jaw and water still clinging to his abs, the man is heart-melting. “That’s amazing, Bunny. I’m proud of you.”

My cheeks heat as he crosses the room, leaning down to kiss me soundly before I can say anything else. My heart practically gallops in my chest. It feels so good, so easy, having him here, celebrating with me.

He pulls back slowly. “Want some help getting ready?”

“Only if you want to be late, too,” I tease.

“I’ve got time.”

I laugh as he kisses his way down my neck, but something about his words niggles at the edge of my mind. “Wait, when do you have to leave? To go back to base?”

He pulls back, and his easy-going smile from a moment ago is gone. “Sunday.”

Sunday.

The word hits me like a brick in the chest.

That’s in two days.

“Oh,” I whisper, looking away.

He doesn’t rush to fill the silence, and that makes it worse. I already feel the ache of him leaving before he’s even gone.

I’d started to imagine what it might look like if he stayed. If we stayed.

But now that feels like a dream with an expiration date.

“I’ll go with you to the Baker Sisters,” Koa says, his voice low and soft. “Make sure everything goes smoothly.”

I nod and swing my legs out of bed, moving toward the bathroom. “Thanks. That would be nice.”

We get dressed in near silence. Not angry, just quiet. Like neither of us wants to break the bubble.

Once I’m ready, we head into town together. The Baker Sisters’ shops are all lined up next to each other on Main Street. I spot Olive inside the bakery, and she grins, waving us in.

She greets me with a hug and a huge smile. “You ready to make this official?”

“More than,” I say, returning her grin.

She passes me a stack of onboarding forms, and I settle onto one of the chairs by the window to go over everything. Koa takes a seat beside me, lounging as he watches me work.

The sisters rotate in and out. All three of them are warm, funny, and full of vision for the future of their businesses.

By the time I hand over my final signed form, I feel like I belong here. Like I have a purpose again.

Koa stands when I do, and Iris offers me one last smile. “We’ll see you on Monday, Lula. Welcome to the team.”

“Thank you,” I breathe.

We step onto the sidewalk and into the late morning sunshine. I’m still buzzing with adrenaline, but the weight in my chest hasn’t lifted. Not completely.

Because now I know I’m staying.

And Koa… isn’t.

We walk the few blocks back to the hotel in silence. I clutch the paperwork in my hand, my mind going a million miles an hour. We climb the stairs side by side, and I follow Koa to his room.

“Lula…”

I want to beg him not to say anything. I want to stay frozen in this moment. I don’t want to have to think about what will happen in a day or two or three. I just want things to stay the way they are.

“We need to talk,” Koa says, bursting my dream of remaining in our little bubble.

My heart lurches.

God. Please don’t let this be him ending things before they’ve even started.