Burning Rescue: BBW Werebear Firefighter Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Scarlett Mountain Firefighter Werebear Shifters Book 1) (7 page)

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that. I don't know what to say. Please tell her to talk with me when she gets in later."

"I surely will, Ms. Wilson."

"You can call me Isabelle."

Amber nodded and smiled.

Isabelle was able to make her way back to her room and ordered breakfast. Within the hour she was watching a daytime talk show and devouring bacon, eggs, and pancakes. The hotel's coffee wasn't nearly as good as the coffee at Mini's, but there was no way she could walk all the way over there. She didn't want to leave her room and risk bumping into Donovan anyway. She made herself believe that it was better to just end it now, before either of them got hurt. I'm probably the one who would get hurt, anyway. A man like that could have his pick of any woman and he would be tired of me in no time.

He sure is cute, though. Isabelle sighed as she finished her milk. Free food, huh? Almost too good to be true.

Denial was the only thing keeping Isabelle sane. She didn't know when she'd be able to make it back into town, but if she did, she had no job and nowhere to live now. She finished the last of her pancakes while half-listening to the women on the TV blather on and on about the latest makeup and clothing trends for the upcoming summer season. Apparently, they were of the 'more is more' camp when it came to makeup and 'less is more' rationale for clothing sizes.

Donovan mindlessly made it through his morning meetings. With the fire in Applewood officially contained, there wasn't much left to do but wait for the next one to pop up. He'd spent the rest of the morning writing a scathing report to the Applewood city council regarding their incompetent city manager and his approval of the controlled burn on Friday. It was a relatively peaceful Monday morning for the firehouse. He never wished for a fire to come along, but he needed something to think about other than Isabelle.

"She could never understand me." Donovan looked down at his phone. He'd fought the urge to call her hotel room and ask her if she wanted something from Mini's. Jake and Axton had already told him to just let her go. His life was complicated enough, but he couldn't stop himself from craving her. It wasn't just about craving her sweet honey. He truly wanted her, and he didn't know how to stop himself and his bear from wanting all of her.

His phone rang, zapping him out of his daydream.

"Hey, Laylah, what's up?"

"Don, I don't know what to do. I've talked to corporate, and they want to send a lawyer up here to deal with Ms. Wilson. Did she say anything to you about a lawsuit?"

"What? No. She didn't say anything about suing. Where's this coming from?"

"They're just trying to cover their ass, I guess. Well, I fired Jen yesterday. I felt horrible about it, but corporate insisted. They want to know if Ms. Wilson is planning anything. She made a call from her room this morning and we looked up the number and it was to a law firm."

"Listen, Laylah, I have no idea, okay? She never mentioned anything to me about suing the hotel."

"Alright, well, I'm coming in at one, and I'm going to talk to her. Have you talked to her today?

"No, I wasn't planning on it."

"Oh, okay. Well, thanks anyway. It's a little strange, don't you think?"

"What's strange?"

"Well, you said her cell phone had been destroyed, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I just find it interesting that her phone was destroyed and she hasn't bothered to call and figure out a replacement phone, but she did call a law firm. Alright, gotta run, Donnie."

Laylah hung up and Don wasn't sure what to think of the call. Isabelle didn't seem like the type of person to sue the hotel. He couldn't shake the feeling that Laylah thought maybe the whole situation was part of a scheme to sue the hotel. They all made mistakes. She had gone out on a hike completely unprepared. But she definitely had a case. Don hoped that those corporate assholes would offer her some type of compensation.

Isabelle didn't realize she had dozed off until someone knocked on the door.

"Ms. Wilson, it's Laylah Moss, manager of the hotel. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, please come in." Isabelle didn't get up and had gotten used to shouting at the hotel room door.

Laylah let herself in. Isabelle looked like she had just woken up; her hair was disheveled and her eyes groggy.

"Hi, Ms. Wilson. I wanted to come up here and apologize for your ordeal this weekend."

"Please, call me Isabelle. It's okay, really. I'll be good as new in a few days."

"Amber told me that you confided in her about a financial matter."

"Yes, I think I only have enough room on my credit card for the two days I was planning on staying."

"I see. Well, given the situation, we have decided to cover the expense of your stay, including all of your meals. We want you to know how terrible we feel about everything. The Scarlett Hillside Inn is over a hundred years old. It's survived wild fires, floods, even a crashed economy. We would hate to see our reputation blemished due to your experience here."

"I understand."

"In exchange for complimenting your stay, we'll need you to sign an agreement stating that you won't leave any disparaging reviews of the hotel in any media."

"I don't understand. I wasn't planning on leaving any bad reviews, but whatever, I'll sign your form."

"That's wonderful, darling. I'll have a copy ready for you to sign when you check out."

"But..."

Laylah, having gotten the response she had been praying for, had already turned to head for the door. The prospect of Isabelle's caveat stopped her and she returned to Isabelle's bedside.

"Yes?" Laylah tried to look not the least bit worried. Isabelle had no idea that corporate had put her job on the line if there were any complications from Isabelle.

"Well, I don't know how to say this to you. I'm sure I probably shouldn't say this to you. I, um, don't have anywhere to go."

"You what?"

"I came up here on Friday because I caught my boyfriend cheating on me. We live together, and I'm homeless now. And when I called in sick to work this morning, my boss threatened me because I don't have any paid time off left, so I don't think I have a job to go back to, either." Isabelle did her best to fight back tears and was barely succeeding. She didn't want to cry in front of this striking woman who looked about the same age as her and clearly had her life together.

"You're been through quite an ordeal. You definitely have our sympathies. But I'm not sure what you're asking."

"I'm not sure either." Isabelle could feel the change in the air of the room. She'd put Laylah on the spot, shared much more about her life than she'd ever imagined she would with a stranger. A tear escaped and ran down her sunburned cheek.

"Let me make a couple of calls. Just stay in here and relax and I'll be back in a little while." Laylah turned around and left the room without waiting for Isabelle's reply.

Isabelle lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes. All she could see was Donovan's sweet, coffee-colored eyes. She had to shake that man from her brain. And fast. He already meant more to her than Tim ever had, and she could only imagine how painful his rejection would be.

She wasn't hungry enough to order lunch, but she wished she could get out of the hotel room for some fresh air. The sky outside her window was a crisp and beautiful blue, and wispy clouds floated by without a care.

Laylah returned, just like she had promised, with a proposition.

"Ms. Wilson, Isabelle, I talked to my boss and we came up with an idea. What would you think about staying here on Scarlett Mountain and working here, for me?"

"I've never worked in a hotel. I don't know the first thing about hospitality or customer service. I wouldn't know where to start."

"It's not so scary. I'm sure that Brandon Molek's executive assistant can handle it."

"How do you know where I work?"

"Worked. I called my boss and he wanted to do some checking before we offered a broke homeless woman a job and a place to live."

"I don't understand. You're offering me a job to work here at the hotel?"

"Yes, of course. All employees are also offered room and board. We usually have college interns work here in the summer, but the last couple haven't worked out so well. We have an immediate opening if you're interested."

"I really don't know what to say. This has all happened so fast."

"Say yes. I think you would do really well here."

"Okay, yes. I will stay here and accept the job. What is the job, exactly?"

"You'll be our evening and weekend desk clerk. I'll have Jeanette add you to the schedule and run up a copy for you. I assume that your availability is flexible?"

"Sure."

"Alright, well, due to the situation, you're welcome to stay in this room until Friday. After that, we'll need to move you to your staff room."

"Staff room?"

"Yes, all staff quarters are on the second floor."

"This is all very overwhelming. I really don't know what to say."

"Well, say thank you. Stay off that ankle, and let us know if you need anything." Laylah smiled as she turned and left Isabelle's room. Isabelle didn't really want to stay on Scarlett Mountain, not with Donovan within arm's length. He'd be just about impossible to get over now.

*******

"Problem solved, Don!" Laylah didn't wait for him to say hello. Her voice was brimming with excitement.

"What?"

"Ms. Wilson. I threw a job at her and made corporate happy. She won't be able to sue us now."

"Wait, what?"

"She is broke, homeless and just lost her job. I offered her a job at the hotel and she took it. I guess all's well that ends well, right? Alright, gotta run. Thanks, Donnie!"

Laylah hung up before he had a chance to tell her for the hundredth time to not call him Donnie ever again. Donovan didn't feel too bad about ending things with her; he knew that his brother, Kayden had it bad for her. Kayden had watched her climb out of her black Audi with her luscious ass and buttery blonde hair and he was smitten. He hadn't admitted it to himself yet, of course.

A couple of hot months a few years back and Laylah called him Donnie when they were together. The sexual chemistry had never been quite right and they had parted as friends. Occasionally, Laylah would call him Donnie to remind him of what he'd walked away from. It never had the effect on him that she wanted it to.

Donovan set his phone down and looked out the garage door toward the hotel. Isabelle's room was on the other side, so he knew that she couldn't look down and see him. So far, he'd been able to think of little else. He had tried to forget her and now it looked like she wasn't going anywhere.

After a week in bed, Isabelle's ankle felt a lot better. Still a little tender to the touch, but she had been able to stand long enough last night for a hot shower. Every time she took a bath, she hoped that Donovan would come into her room, scoop her out of the tub and eat her pussy until she screamed his name again.

Laylah sent Amber, the newly promoted morning desk clerk, up to her room for paperwork. Amber was obviously the town gossip and as far as Isabelle could tell, had the perfect job for her personality. She was already getting the inside scoop about the locals. The small tourist town was beginning to feel like the subject of a soap opera.

Isabelle envied Amber's bubbly nature. She was tall and curvy like her, but she didn't seem the least bit self-conscious about her body. Her tops revealed her cleavage and her skirts left little to the imagination. Amber was voluptuous and confident. Isabelle assumed that was a combination few men could resist.

Amber offered to take Isabelle out shopping for new clothes on Friday. She was due to start training on Monday and needed some clothes. She hadn't been back home to gather her things from Tim's. She hadn't bothered to call him, figuring that her text had explained it all. Laylah gave her a five hundred dollar clothing allowance on top of everything else to get her started. The stars had clearly aligned and everything didn't feel quite so hopeless. Just as long as she didn't see Donovan.

Isabelle wasn't sure how long she would be able to stand and walk around outside, but her painkillers worked wonders. But she craved something more than room service. She'd tried half the menu already and Donovan was right, the food was pretty good. But some fresh air and a cute waiter would hopefully hit the spot.

"Alright, hon, I'll be by around three to fetch you, so be ready. I'm going to take you to Scarlett's for some real food, and get you outta this room. The boys will be up to get you moved while we're gone." Amber gathered her purse and keys and gave Isabelle a hug. She'd never made friends with a woman so quickly before. Amber's warm nature made it easy. She was a great listener, and an even better talker. Isabelle didn't share her feelings for Donovan with her; a little sexual gossip about one of the firefighters would be nothing but chum in the water for Amber.

"You're in for a treat!" Amber was right on time. All of Isabelle's belongings were packed up and ready to be moved to her employee suite downstairs. Isabelle had seen her new room and was in love. It was a little bigger than her guest suite and was on the other side of the building facing the mountain with a breathtaking view.

"You've been cooped up in here way too long, and I'm telling ya, Scarlett's has the most amazing food. There is nothing bad on the menu, I promise."

Scarlett's was owned by Lillian Reynolds, a refugee from San Francisco who came to the mountain for a more simple life. She had been an executive chef at Rye, a posh downtown eatery, and had grown tired of the pace. On the mountain with her own restaurant, she could create the most amazing dishes that tourists loved and locals raved about.

Sharing cocktails over lunch, Isabelle grew more and more comfortable sharing her life story with Amber. She kept her feelings for Donovan locked in a liquor-proof cabinet in her heart. Amber seemed much more interested in hearing the dirty details of her relationship with that asshole Tim anyway, and Isabelle had plenty of stories to share.