Chapter 1
Aspen
"I'm pregnant."
"That's amazing. Congratulations."
Eve smiled. "We're excited to expand our family."
Eve had married Maddox, the fire chief and a single father. It made sense that they wanted to start a family right away to ensure the kids would be close in age. But I'd only just started working as her assistant. What did her announcement mean for my job?
"I need you to work closely with Cooper on the renovations."
“You want me to work with Cooper?" My brothers' best friend. My brothers recently opened a contracting company, and their best friend, Cooper, was the supervisor. Growing up, he was always hanging around, and he was so annoying.
"It would be helpful if you could take my meetings with him. I've been feeling tired and nauseated.”
"I'm sorry you're not feeling well. I'm happy to help," I said, even as my stomach sunk.
Her shoulders lowered, relief visible in her gaze. "Thank you."
But there was a roaring in my ears. I couldn't believe I had to work with the one guy who drove me crazy.
“We’re going into the holiday season. I’m going to need all the help I can get between the seasonal events and the town’s renovations.”
“I’m here for whatever you need.” It would be more responsibility than I was accustomed to in a job. But I was excited about the opportunity.
"I know you don't always get along with Cooper, but I'm hoping you can put any hard feelings aside for this," Eve said.
I laughed it off. "We fight like siblings, but I can ignore my feelings and do what needs to be done for the town."
She let out a breath. "I'm thinking about making your position permanent. Let's treat this as a trial period to prove that you're the best person for this position."
"I'd love to work for the town." Of all the jobs I worked over the years, this one was the one I could see myself in for a long time. I didn't get bored, and I looked forward to going to work each day. But now, I'd be working with Cooper, and a sense of dread took up residence in my gut.
"When Maddox and I talked about how I was going to handle all my responsibilities while pregnant, he was worried they were too much. I'm so relieved that you'll be handling the day-to-day details."
"What will you be doing?" Did she mean that I'd be handling all the responsibilities? She planned the events, coordinated performers, vendors, and parking, and she dealt with any issues that arose from the shop owners to the visitors.
"I'm going to work from home. That will make it easier for me to rest and take it easy."
I hadn't anticipated that this position would turn into a full-time one. For once, I was excited at the prospect of more responsibility. "You can count on me."
She pulled out her laptop and opened the screen to a spreadsheet. "That's great to hear. Let me go over my schedule with you. I meet with Cooper, or talk to him on the phone, several times a week. We work closely together to coordinate the repairs.”
I nodded at the appropriate times, but all I could think about was that I was going to work with Cooper. The man I tried to avoid as much as possible. He already worked with my brothers and hung around our house all the time. Now I was expected to work with him too. I wouldn't be able to escape.
"The good thing is that you're already living in town, so you'll be close to the action," Eve said with a smile, as if it were a good thing to be so close to work and my new colleague.
I'd recently rented the apartment above Reina's bakery, Sweet Dreams. "I'm here for whatever you need."
Eve grinned. "I knew I could count on you. Cooper had some reservations that you would be professional."
The roaring in my ears only intensified. "He said that?"
Eve waved a hand. "I told him he doesn't know you like I do. You've gone above and beyond for me. If I can rely on you, then he can too."
"I'm glad you were able to alleviate his concerns," I said stiffly, even as irritation slid down my spine. Cooper had talked badly about me to my boss?