Page 3 of An Omega Fox for Walker (Beartastic Summer of Love #4)

Walker

After the office chaos, I spent the rest of the week clearing my desk in preparation for my vacation.

I wanted to be back before the new owners got there, feeling the need to have my boots on the ground before their loafers landed.

When I closed my office door behind me on Friday night, I still had no clue what to do with three months of vacation.

Maybe I’d make a few day trips, go to museums or a little hiking.

Camp and let the bear roam in the local mountains.

Fact was, I hadn’t planned on any big trips and had all my money invested in long-term bonds and such. I could weekend or maybe even go somewhere modest for a week, but three months? If I bought tickets for anything at the last minute, it would cost the earth.

I was going to be so bored.

A fact that set in about fifteen minutes after I arrived home.

That was how long it took for me to eat the takeout I’d grabbed along the way in celebration for my time off work.

I was trying to look at the bright side.

I could do some fix-up work around the house, paint the guest bath, hang the blinds I’d bought for the living room.

Maybe plant a garden. Make good use of the time available to me.

But that wasn’t a vacation, was it? Had I worked so hard for all these years only to work while on my break? That didn’t sound fair. I stomped into the shower, seeking a clearer frame of mind, and of course, no sooner was my hair lathered up than my phone rang from the living room.

My first thought was to let it ring, probably only a political call or a scam, and it finally stopped.

But when it rang again, I ducked my head quickly under the spray to get the worst of the suds off then grabbed a towel on my way to the living room.

It might be the office with a question about something.

They’d promised not to bother me while I was gone, but that didn’t seem realistic, even though I had done my best to leave them equipped to handle everything I could think of.

“Walker here,” I answered, pretty sure it was the office. “What did I forget?”

“Huh?”

“I thought it was my work calling.” Now, I thought to glance at the screen.

“Eddie, I’m sorry. I just took off for vacation and thought maybe someone had a question about one of my files.

So, what’s new?” We hadn’t spoken in a couple of years, at least, although we’d been close growing up.

Life took up all my time, and probably his, too.

“Your alpha dad told mine that you have the whole summer off, and I couldn’t believe it. You never take vacation.”

“Shocked me, too. But I had to use it.” I gave him a quick summary of what was going on that led to my unexpected free time.

“So, yes, Dad was right.” I’d have to visit the folks as well.

If I drove, that would take a few days round trip.

I needed to get a calendar and figure out at least one thing to do a week.

“That’s great news!”

“Umm, thanks?” Eddie had always loved summer vacation. When we were kids, he was at the lake every day he could manage it. So, it probably did sound great to him.

“What do you plan to do with all that free time? Go island hopping? Take a cruise?”

“Funny. No, I’ll probably just fix up some things around the house, maybe go camping, see the dads, you know.”

“That doesn’t sound like a very good vacation to me, Cousin.” He tsked. “Not much imagination.”

“If I’d had any time to plan, I’d have done something more. But last-minute arrangements are so expensive, I just can’t do it.”

“Then this is your lucky day. How soon can you get here?”

“Where exactly is here?”

As it turned out, “here” was his new resort in the White Mountains.

And the word “resort” was not quite descriptive of the casual location I would be spending my entire summer visiting.

Eddie had invited me to pose as a guest, someone there having a great time to help get things going during his first summer in business.

How could I say no? My bear missed being surrounded by nature, I had no desire to spend my time off hanging blinds and painting a bathroom, and how hard would it be to look like a happy tourist?

I’d be spending my vacation…on vacation.

Delighted at an opportunity that arose just when I needed it, I packed up shorts and T-shirts, swim trunks and hiking boots, and got in the car for the best summer of my life.

All my angst about being forced to take my time off faded once I left the city limits.

Nature closed in around me, and my bear rumbled happily inside me.

Act like a happy tourist? I could hike, swim, sit by a campfire, and take long naps in a hammock with the best of them.

Did he have hammocks? If not, I’d buy one in the nearest town. This was going to be perfect.

The road up into the mountains was less than ideal, two lane and in great need of repair, more potholes than asphalt.

Not going to make for happy guests at the resort or anywhere else the road ended up.

Winter weather could be hard on roads in these mountains, but generally the state was quicker to make repairs in the spring. Or so they claimed.

But when I saw the lake, blue water sparkling in the sun, pine and other trees ringing its shore, my spirits lifted again.

Who wouldn’t enjoy a summer here? Maybe my dads and Eddie’s had set me up with this just so I wouldn’t be down in the mouth.

I might have been a little bit grumbly when I spoke to my parents. Not to say whiney.

A sign guided me off the road and up a long drive to a cabin overlooking the water. It was large and could use some work, but no doubt my cousin was going to improve it now that he was in place.

I parked right in front and grabbed my duffel bag, thrilled to get started as a professional tourist and enjoy my time off.

Eddie came out to meet me and we exchanged a back-slapping hug. “Cousin, thanks so much for coming to help out. You have no idea how much I need you.”

“How hard can it be to have a good time?” I asked, following him up the porch steps. “You’re right by the lake, too. I think I’m going to toss my things in my cabin and go have a swim.”

“Sure, but first we have Canasta on the screened-in porch.”

“Love Canasta. Where’s my cabin?”

“About that…”

My cabin was the least fancy, but since I was there to help out, it made sense I wouldn’t have a view. He’d want all the best places for the paying customers. But it was also pretty run-down, and would be fixed sometime over the summer. I could rough it.

He’d failed to mention, however, that the main job requirement was attending every activity he scheduled, even if I was the only one. S’mores by the fire pit and bingo in the lobby were great, the first dozen times, but three weeks into my vacation, I needed a vacation.