Page 49 of Colton On Guard
When she returned, Parker had placed two toasted bagels and a tub of strawberry cream cheese on the table. “Breakfast,” hesaid. He looked so pleased with himself that she wanted to kiss him.
Better if she didn’t. Instead, she fed JB and, once her dog had eaten, sat down at the table to break her own fast. Funny how making love the night before could improve one’s outlook on life.
They decided to ride into work together. Once both dogs were in his truck, Revis in the back and JB in Genna’s lap, they headed to the office.
When they arrived, they walked in together, both dogs trotting along side-by-side.
“I have the first excursion of the morning,” Parker said, his boyish smile tugging at her heart. “I’m taking a large group out fishing. That’s perfect for an overcast sky like it is now.”
He stretched, drawing her gaze. Then, realizing where her thoughts had inevitably gone, she shook her head at herself and blushed. “Well then, we’d better get busy,” she said, making her voice brisk. “Let me get signed into my computer so I can get everyone checked in and you all can be on your way.”
Not five minutes after that, a private bus pulled in and parked. At least fifteen people got out, all rushing for the front door. Though the sign clearly asked people to form a single line, several of new arrivals rushed the counter, all talking at once.
Though this sort of thing tried her patience, Genna got everyone sorted out, politely insisting they all wait their turn.
It turned out most of folks were guests of one man named Miles Franklin, who owned a large vacation property in town. He’d booked the fishing trip as a treat, one last thing to do before his guests left. He insisted on being first, and since he’d paid, Genna figured that made sense. He had an exaggerated sense of self-importance, but aside from that, he seemed decent.
Either way, she treated each person the same way, with her usual mix of friendly efficiency. They all seemed excited aboutthe possibility of catching fish and a few confessed they’d never been fishing before.
Once she’d checked everyone in, Parker took over, shepherding everyone outside and down the path that led to the boat docks.
Watching them go, Genna breathed a sigh of relief. This particular group seemed as if they might be a bit challenging and, honestly, if she’d been Parker, she would have enlisted Spence’s help. But Parker hadn’t appeared concerned and he’d been doing this long enough to know what he could and couldn’t handle.
Spence arrived about an hour after Parker had left. “Good morning,” he said, heading directly to the break room to grab a cup of coffee. When he returned, he settled in one of the office chairs and rolled up next to Genna.
“I checked the bookings today. Parker has a large group right now, doesn’t he?” He grinned. “We switched. I get tired of taking people fishing. So he’s doing that and I’m taking the next group on a nature hike.”
Though she hadn’t known that, she nodded. “Well, your group isn’t too shabby, either. You leave in twenty minutes, right?”
“Yep.” He glanced at the parking lot, which so far only contained the private bus from earlier. “If they show up, that is.”
Almost as if his words had summoned them, several cars turned into the drive. As they parked, Genna opened the check-in software. “I’m ready,” she told Spence. “I’ll get them logged in and turned over to you in a hurry.”
As people filed in through the front door and arranged themselves in a single line, she processed each one. Marveling at the difference between the two groups, she processed them quickly.
Once the last person had been logged, she gestured to Spence. With very little fanfare, he herded them outside and they started on the path that went up the mountain.
A short time later, Parker and his group returned. Just like before, they pushed through the front door, jockeying to be the first at the counter. Their mood seemed markedly different, and she caught herself glancing at Parker several times, just in case he wanted to give her a hint.
Instead, he crossed his arms and watched from the back of the room, his smile decidedly forced. Several of the customers grumbled loudly while waiting in line.
This time, Miles Franklin hung back, letting all his guests check out before him and sending them all out one by one to wait on the bus.
Finally, he was the only one of the group left inside. “I’d like a full refund,” he demanded, glaring at Genna. “Not a single person in my party caught a fish.”
Since this request had come up before, as unbelievable as it seemed, Genna had her answer prepared. “I’m so sorry, sir, but the agreement you signed clearly states that catching a fish is not guaranteed. We are not responsible for nature.”
As she finished speaking, his expression darkened. “I don’t care. I paid you people a lot of money to make sure my friends had a good time. We’ve already informed my cook that we are having a fish fry tonight. How can we do that if we don’t have any fish?”
The anger simmering underneath his measured tone sent a chill through her. She glanced at Parker, very glad he was there. He watched silently, arms still crossed, but, judging by his intent expression, she could tell he’d jump into action if the situation got out of control and turned into something she couldn’t handle.
She could only hope it didn’t go that far.
CHAPTER 11
Watching while Genna tried to calm Miles Franklin down, it took every ounce of self-restraint Parker possessed to keep from intervening. This was definitely a case where the customer was not always right. Plus, the guy was needlessly being a total jerk.
But Genna’s role as the office manager meant handling the customer interactions, both good and bad. Though this type of situation luckily had been rare, he needed to make sure she felt comfortable dealing with it. Unless she indicated the wanted him to step in, he’d let her handle things.