Page 84 of Grumpy on the Mountain

There's an elegant glass apothecary jar filled with gourmet chocolates—dark chocolate sea salt caramels, raspberry truffles, and those little gold-wrapped Ferrero Rocher that I'm obsessed with.

How did they even know?

A sleek rose gold pen holder shaped like a geometric pineapple contains the most gorgeous collection of writing instruments I've ever seen. There are gel pens that write like silk in metallic and pastel colors, a fountain pen with actual gold trim, and those clicky four-color pens that remind me of high school.

A tiny succulent garden sits by the window in a hand-painted ceramic planter, and there's a custom mouse pad featuring a gorgeous aerial shot of Stone River Mountain with arrows and bright dots to identify key points of the land surrounding us.

"This is..." I trail off, running my fingers over the smooth desktop. "This is gorgeous."

"Thought you'd like it," Jamie says, looking pleased. "Sienna mentioned you have a sweet tooth, so I stocked the candy jar. And Linda from the general store helped me pick out the pens."

"Jamie, this is just…"

My eyes pop wider. I can't believe it. I seriously have no words.

It's like the whole town has conspired to make my first day perfect. That's the kind of town I'm starting to be integrated into.

I feel it in my bones now… there just isn't a place like Stone River in the world.

"Thank you," I manage, my throat tight with emotion. "This is incredible."

"Just wait until you see the computer system," Jamie grins. "It's going to make your life so much easier."

And he's right.

The setup is intuitive and comprehensive, even for me. It's designed to handle everything from scheduling to resource coordination. As he walks me through the various programs and databases, I start to feel more confident about actually being able to do this job well.

"The learning curve isn't too steep," Jamie says, noticing my focus. "I can tell already that you've got good instincts fororganization, and the team will help with anything you're not sure about."

"Speaking of the team," I say, glancing around at the busy operations room. "It's quite the crew. How many people work here full-time again?"

"Twelve regular staff, plus volunteers who rotate in for specific operations." Jamie's expression shifts into a weird sort of look that I can't quite place. "Though we could always use more experienced hands. Especially tactical coordinators."

Something in his tone makes me look at him sharply, but before I can ask what he means, one of the radios crackles to life with an incoming call, and his attention shifts to the emergency.

The morning races by in a flash, and at exactly twelve-thirty, I look up from my computer to see Beau in the parking lot carrying a thermal bag and two coffee cups from Betty's Café.

He sees me peering out at him and waves me out. The sight of his broad shoulders filling out a flannel shirt, dark hair slightly mussed from the wind, that serious expression softening the moment he spots me makes my heart skip.

I've missed him.

We settle at a picnic table in the sunshine, and I watch in fascination as Beau's eyes automatically scan the area, assessing everything with the kind of unconscious thoroughness that speaks of deep training in places like this.

"How's the first morning going?" he asks, handing me one of the coffee cups.

"Good," I say, accepting the drink gratefully. "Overwhelming, but good. There's so much to learn."

"You'll master it in no time." He unzips the thermal bag to reveal what appears to be gourmet sandwiches, fresh fruit, and homemade cookies. "Betty sends her regards. And lunch."

"This looks incredible," I laugh. "Do you think she packed enough?"

"She doesn't believe in small portions," Beau says dryly.

I laugh and grab half a sandwich, biting into sourdough, turkey, and some fancy cheese that's perfectly salty.

"So… have they upgraded the radio system yet?" Beau asks, nodding toward one of the communication towers Jamie showed me earlier. "Surely the range is limited in heavy weather."

"How do you know that?" I ask, taking a bite of what is turning out to be the best turkey sandwich in existence.