Free Stay With Me, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 5) by J.H. Croix Page A

on the counter before taking another swig. “Okay then. Whaddya say we call Mom?”

8
    E li drove away from the harbor after dropping Ryan off with Cliff to get the boat ready for today’s charter. Jessa would be joining them with a couple and their young son. Eli wanted to grab a few coffees and some bakery items from Misty Mountain Café for the morning. Red Truck Coffee was great for a quick stop, but if one wanted more than a snack, Misty Mountain was the place to go. As he drove over, he considered the call last night between Ryan and their mother. It hadn’t been terrible, but it hadn’t been great either. Needless to say, their mother’s response wasn’t a surprise. She wanted Ryan to return home right away. When Eli confronted her about their father moving back in, she’d gone quiet. He felt like he’d entered a time warp. He couldn’t count how many times he’d begged his mother to leave his father. Yet again, he found himself doing the same thing—this time on behalf of his little brother. The call ended in a stalemate.
    He turned into the parking lot for the cluster of stores where Misty Mountain was. It happened to be the same parking lot where Jessa had backed into him. He couldn’t help but smile at her concern over the potential harm she’d done to his truck. As Eli thought about last night and looking forward to seeing Jessa again, he was a muddle inside. In the decade since he’d removed himself from the toxic world of his father, he’d found it easy to steer clear of any hint of relationships. Oh, he hadn’t been celibate, but he kept things light and casual. Yet, he’d never met anyone like Jessa. One kiss with her and any time he thought of her, lust jolted through him. He parked in front of Misty Mountain and jogged inside. Moments later, he headed out with a carrier filled with coffees and a bag of fresh pastries. Against all expectations, the anticipation of seeing Jessa overrode his instinct to avoid entanglements. His mood was light as he drove back to the harbor.
    When he reached Otter Cove Harbor again, he parked where he usually did in the back of the lot by a cluster of spruce trees. He kicked his door shut, juggling the coffees and pastries. As he began to walk across the lot, Jessa’s distinctive little blue truck came into sight at the entrance. His smile was reflexive. She waved when she saw him and pulled into the spot beside his truck.
    She bounced out of her truck wearing a red parka over black leggings and red rubber boots. He definitely would not lose sight of her on the water. While her outfit was entirely practical, her vivid colors stood out among the typical boots worn in Alaska. The common brown and black boots were nothing against her bright red pair.
    “Good morning! I’m not late, am I?” Jessa said as she walked to his side. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled into a ponytail high on her head. A blonde streak ran down the center of her swinging hair. Her eyes were silvery in the morning light. Her radiant smile sent a score of heat through him.
    You’re going fishing, dude. That’s it. Just because she makes you half crazy doesn’t mean you can’t get a grip. You’ve got other things to focus on right now, like maybe your little brother who ran away from home. He mentally shook himself. “Nope. You’re early. How’s it going?” He forced his tone to be light and casual and was relieved his hands were full because he itched to pull her into his arms find out if kissing her was as phenomenal as he remembered.
    “Great! I can’t wait to get out on the water. How close will we get to the other side of the bay?”
    They started walking, the gravel crunching under their feet. “If you want, we can plan to stop for lunch over there,” he replied.
    Jessa glanced sideways to him, a gust of wind blowing a loose lock of hair across her face. She tucked it behind her ear. “Really?”
    “Over in Halibut Cove and Seldovia, there’re a few restaurants.