Page 3 of Colton On Guard

“Why do I feel like you Coltons are ganging up on me?” Genna asked, only half joking. “Surely you can find someone else?”

“You’re already trained!” Lakin and Spence replied in unison. “And our family knows and trusts you.”

The doorbell chimed yet again. “This is getting ridiculous,” Genna muttered, going to answer. Sure enough, two more members of the Colton family had arrived. “Abby and Sasha,” she said, stepping aside and gesturing them to enter. “Did you all plan this or is it a spontaneous gathering?”

Seeing Lakin and Spence there, the two new arrivals burst out laughing. “Definitely not planned,” they said. “We all just really would appreciate you coming to run the office at RTA. You’re perfect. We heard you’d turned the job down, so we stopped by to see if we could change your mind.”

Now resigned, Genna crossed her arms. “The only person not here is Parker,” she said, not bothering to hide her irritation. “Is there a reason for that?”

Spence shrugged. “I think he’s a little upset that you hung up on him. What’s up with that anyway?”

Though she felt her face heat, she refused to air her dirty laundry to Parker’s family. Clearly, he hadn’t told them anything about what had happened a year ago. Therefore, neither would she.

“Everyone, I’m very sorry, but I’m just not interested,” Genna said. “I hate that you wasted your time coming over here, but me working at RTA just isn’t going to happen.”

Spence looked at Lakin, who nodded. “Do you happen to have a pen and paper I could use?” he asked.

Perplexed, she went into the kitchen, grabbed a pen and the pad she jotted her grocery list on and brought it out for Spence. “Here you go.”

He jotted something down before handing the paper back. “We can pay you that,” he said.

The number he’d written was far higher than she’d expected. “You must really want me to work for you,” she said. “I’m not sure what to say.”

“Just say yes!” Lakin exclaimed. “You know you want to.”

Though Genna knew no such thing, she was also well aware she couldn’t make that amount of money working anywhere else in Shelby.

“I’ll think about it,” she said, hoping this attempt at compromise would be enough.

Apparently, it wasn’t. No one made a move to leave. Abby and Sasha exchanged a quick glance. “We’re sorry,” Abby said. “But we really need you to agree to take the job before we go.”

“No pressure,” Lakin added, clearly tongue in cheek.

Spence shook his head. “This is serious. At least, to our family. Rough Terrain Adventures is important to us. And to the town.”

She almost took pity on them. Almost. She understood where they were coming from and, if not for the fact that she’d have to work alongside Parker, she would have accepted their offer the moment she’d seen the salary.

“I don’t like being bullied,” she finally said. “And the more you all try to pressure me, the less likely it is that I’ll accept your offer. I need some time to think.”

“How long?” Spence asked, appearing worried.

“I can let you know by morning.”

Spence nodded, the others murmured their agreement, and they all trooped toward her front door. Only Lakin lingered. She waited until the others were gone before turning to face Genna. “There’s something you’re not saying. What is it?”

In years past, Genna might have blurted out the truth. Now, she simply shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lakin. I promise to decide quickly. I’ll call Spence the second I know.”

Expression crestfallen, Lakin nodded. “It’s just that I feel so guilty. They’re all acting as if me leaving is a death knell for our business. I’m finally doing what I’ve long dreamt of and, while I know they don’t begrudge me that, apparently RTA is having difficulty functioning without me.”

“I’m sorry.” Genna gazed at her old friend. Lakin would be shocked if she knew the reason for her hesitation. Lakin clearly adored her brother and Genna refused to say or do anything to change that. “I’ll let you know as soon as I decide.”

Lakin nodded. “I’m sorry for the intrusion.” Tugging on her long braid bashfully, she smiled. “I promise I’ll still love you, no matter what you do.”

“Right back atcha,” Genna said. “Isn’t it nearly the end of the season anyway? Snow will be starting soon.”

“That’s true and, yes, it does mean some of our adventures will be coming to an end until spring. But there are a lot of snow enthusiasts. We’ve added snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice-skating and snowshoeing to our ski trips.”

Which ensured RTA didn’t have to close down for winter. In other words, Genna would still have a job.