Page 10 of Colton On Guard
After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she flashed an impersonal smile and disappeared into her office.
Which left him alone in the front counter area, with nothing to do but wait for his group to arrive.
The tour went off as planned, and even though he made sure to be attentive and give his guests the best possible time, his thoughts kept returning to Genna. He didn’t know what it was about her, but he’d thought about her more than he should have.
He had three more tours after this one. He’d better keep his attention focused where it needed to be.
When he returned with the morning group to headquarters, Genna had already left for lunch. Spence was filling in for her. He laughed when he noticed Parker looking around for her. “She’ll be back, cuz.”
“Who?” Parker asked, fooling no one. “I need to eat something before I go back out. I was hoping I could get Genna to bring me something.”
“So call her.” The phone rang just then and Spence went to answer it.
Pulling out his own phone, Parker scrolled through his contacts until he found Genna’s number. Then, shaking his head, he decided he’d just go grab something to eat himself. He had another batch of clients due to arrive in an hour. Who knew? Maybe he’d even run into Genna when he was out.
After asking Spence if he wanted anything, Parker jumped into his truck and headed off. The closest fast-food place also happened to be his favorite. Pulling into the parking lot, he did a quick scan to see if he could spot Genna’s car. Once he realized she must have gone somewhere else for lunch, he decided to go through the drive-through and take his burger back to eat at RTA.
He’d barely finished eating when he spotted Genna’s little red car pulling up. His heart rate accelerated as he wadded up his wrapper and tossed it in the trash. He couldn’t help but watch as she crossed the parking lot. With the sun in her gold hair and her jaunty walk, she embodied everything he found attractive in a woman.
As she breezed through the front door, Spence looked up from the computer and greeted her. “I’m glad you’re back. It looks like my next group and Parker’s are back-to-back.”
“Great,” she said, smiling at him. She barely even glanced at Parker. “I like being busy.”
As if on cue, several SUVs pulled up.
“That’s probably my group,” Parker said, keeping his voice casual. “Let me know once you get them checked in, please.”
“Will do,” she chirped, still avoiding eye contact.
“Thanks.” Stung, Parker went back into the storeroom, pretending he needed to get supplies.
Spence followed him. “What the hell was that?”
Not even bothering to pretend he didn’t know what his cousin meant, Parker shrugged. “I’m not sure. She seemed fine when I left this morning.”
“You didn’t do something, did you?”
“No,” Parker replied. “I did not.”
“Is it like this every day between the two of you?” Spence crossed his arms.
“No. Maybe she just had a bad lunch. No idea.” He glanced at his smartwatch. “I’ve got to go. I’m due to take my group out in ten minutes.”
“Wait. Are we still all meeting up as a group tonight for dinner and drinks?” Spence asked.
“Yes.” Parker didn’t tell his cousin that he’d been looking forward to tonight all week. Maybe once Genna was out of the office, the two of them would be able to interact in a friendlier manner.
The instant Parker stepped into the main area, several of the guests greeted him. As regulars, they always made sure to book tours with him. All of the tour guides had their favorites and, honestly, seeing the familiar faces from years past just made the outing more enjoyable.
“Is everyone checked in?” Parker asked, directing his question to Genna.
Without looking up from her computer, she nodded. “Yes. You all are ready to go.”
“Excellent.” Looking around at all the guests’ excited faces, he grinned. “Let’s head out.”
They all followed, talking at once.
The rest of the day went in similar fashion. He brought back one group, had a small break, during which he did his best to avoid Genna, and then his next batch arrived.