Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
The silence between them was comfortable and not awkward at all. Once her initial hunger was stated, she asked, “Anything going on that I should know about?”
“Kestrel replaced the broken cameras. We’ve got another order of them coming in so we can keep replacing them if we have to. He also hid a few in spots the bad guys won’t look for. That should help us identify them more easily.”
“Oh. That’s good, I guess.”
“Magnus hasn’t seen anything suspicious today. It’s been a quiet day all around. Some of the crews are finishing with the updates in the cabins. It looks like everything will be ready when the resort opens,” Rocco assured her.
“That’s great news. We’re booked at half capacity when we open in three days, and then we’ll launch fully after that,” Sadie shared, knowing he had access to the same information that she did.
“Are you going to be ready?” Rocco asked.
“Sure. I’m positive we’ll find more stuff we should’ve done before the opening, but we’ll handle it. I like our team—you know, the seven of us and the staff we’re gathering.”
“Me, too. Would you like to come try your hand at mountain climbing? I’d love to have someone try out my beginner path.”
“I don’t know. I’m not really athletic,” Sadie said, trying to wiggle out of his suggestion.
“You’ve never even thought about testing your problem-solving skills? It’s really more about that than it is about brute strength—at least on the beginner path.”
She sighed. “I am kinda trapped inside. I guess we could try it…” Sadie said, forcing herself to be brave.
“That’s the spirit, Cookie. I’ll even have the chef make us a gourmet picnic lunch to eat after we climb.”
She grew less resistant to the idea now he’d mentioned food. It sounded like it would be more fun doing something other than just climbing. “You’ll let me stop if I decide I’m not built for scaling the mountain face?” she asked.
“All you have to say is that’s enough, and I’ll get you down as fast as possible. There’s no pressure here, Little girl. People either love it or hate it. Who knows? You might become my climbing buddy.”
“That’s never going to happen, but I’ll try it with you. I like things that challenge me—at least once,” she answered, hedging.
“We’ll go tomorrow midmorning. It’s supposed to be great weather, and we can enjoy some time together,” Rocco announced.
She hadn’t expected it to happen that quickly. “Maybe next week would be better,” she muttered.
“We’ll be in panic mode getting things done. You can take a couple of hours tomorrow for lunch and a climbing lesson, right?”
She pulled up her schedule, hoping that something would interfere, but there was nothing urgent. Taking a deep breath, she answered, “You’ll make sure I’m safe, right?”
“Of course. As long as you listen to and follow my instructions, you’ll be fine. Remember, I’m going to be taking a lot of people out for their first attempts when the resort opens.”
“Right.” She glanced over his chiseled physique. “I’m going to be scared.”
“That’s okay. It’s fun to do things that push your limits every once in a while. It helps your brain stay active and alert.”
“Oh, my brain will be alert. My body will hopefully be active and not frozen in fear,” she joked.
“You can change your mind anytime, Sadie. You don’t have to prove anything to me,” Rocco reassured her.
“Thanks. I know that.” She took a deep breath and added, “I really do want to try it.”
“Perfect. It’s a date,” Rocco announced with a big grin that made him even more attractive.
“Thanks for bringing me lunch,” she whispered.
“There’s no one I’d rather spend time with, Cookie.”
“I should get back to finishing things up if I’m going to take a couple hours off tomorrow.”
Rocco shook his head. “You should go upstairs and take a power nap first.”
She groaned. “I don’t need a nap, Daddy.”
He lifted a brow. “Is your bottom not sore enough from this morning, Sadie?”
She sighed. She wasn’t going to win this battle. “How long do I have to rest?”
“How about thirty minutes. Set your alarm. I promise you’ll be refreshed and more productive the rest of the day after you’ve had a nap.”
“Fine,” she grumbled as she stood.
Rocco stood also, cupped her face, and kissed her. “I trust you’ll obey me without me following you to the apartment…?”
“Okay, Daddy,” she murmured.
“Good girl. I’ll meet you in our apartment before we go downstairs for dinner,” Rocco told her.
“Oh, I could skip dinner.” If she was going to nap, she should work later.
“Not happening. I’ll see you at six,” he said, his tone adamant.
“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered, knowing he was right and her shift would be long finished by then. “Why are we going downstairs to eat?”
He winked at her. “That’s going to be our usual dining location. The only reason we ate on the fifth floor yesterday was because you weren’t yet aware of the basement’s existence.”