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

working. Cliff had been warm and welcoming, which also helped Ryan get comfortable.
    Eli turned to face forward and savored the salty breeze gusting across the bay. It was early afternoon, and they were headed back into the harbor. A good day fishing was about the ideal way to spend a day with his little brother.

6
    J essa adjusted her stretchy black skirt over her leggings. “Are you sure I look okay?” she asked Marley.
    Marley, her sister-in-law and adored wife of Gage, brushed her auburn hair out of her eyes and adjusted her six-month old daughter in her arms. Holly wiggled mightily and tried to grab ahold of Marley’s hair. “Here, play with this,” Marley said as she snagged a small rubber loop off the kitchen counter and handed it to Holly. Holly immediately began chewing on it. Marley looked up at Jessa and smiled ruefully. “Sorry about that. I’ve only been a mom for six months and I’ve discovered conversation is mostly a series of interruptions.”
    Jessa smiled softly and stepped to Marley’s side, looking down at Holly and stroking a finger through her soft brown hair. “She’s so darn cute.”
    Marley laughed. “I think so.” She adjusted Holly again and walked over to the couch where she sat down and set Holly inside a small cushioned seat on the couch. Holly kept gnawing away on her toy while Marley leaned back with a sigh and looked over at Jessa. “You look great! What are you so worried about?”
    Jessa looked down at her worn cowboy boots, her eyes traveling over her black leggings and skirt and fiddled with the collar on the flowy blue blouse Marley had given her today. She insisted she never wore it, so Jessa should have it. “I don’t know. How do hostesses dress around here? Is this nice enough?”
    Marley grinned. “Hon, you could wear rubber boots and jeans, and no one would care. Delia tries to keep the lodge restaurant a step above, but she wouldn’t care if you had to make do. People would think it gave the place added character.”
    Jessa sighed and plunked down in the opposite corner of the couch. “I know, but I’m trying to do this right.”
    Marley’s expression sobered. “You don’t need to be worried. Delia could use the help more than she’ll ever admit. You look great, and it’ll be fine. Plus, Gage told me you used to wait tables. All you need to do is smile and keep track of who goes where.”
    Jessa wasn’t quite sure why she was so nervous. She supposed it was because she wanted to help. She needed to find a way to feel useful since she’d been at loose ends for the last few weeks and facing the reality of cobbling her life back together with next to nothing as a foundation. She scraped by for years on the income from her whimsical furniture, but it had never been enough for her to save. The fire was making her pay a price for that. The owner of her former apartment building had told her she may eventually qualify for an insurance payout to cover costs for relocation, but it would be months before that came through. Not to mention, she hadn’t bothered to obtain renter’s insurance, so the total loss of her belongings wasn’t covered. She needed to have something to latch onto and helping Delia in the restaurant gave her that.
    Jessa fiddled with the simple silver chain she wore around her neck and looked over at Marley. “You’re right. I don’t need to worry. As long as you think I look okay, I’m good to go.”
    “You look great! What time are you heading downstairs?”
    Jessa glanced at the clock on the wall above the windows. “Delia said five was good, so I’ll walk down in a few minutes.” Her eyes fell to the view through the windows. Marley and Gage lived in an expansive private apartment in the ski lodge with windows stretching across the living room and kitchen, affording a wide open view of the ski slopes, the mountains rising tall behind them and an opening in the corner where Kachemak Bay winked under the sun. Jessa had vague