“Sure.” His gentle eyes were doing their best to put me at ease. “Lead the way.”
I ducked my head and walked toward the kitchen. I took a few deep breaths, reminding myself that he was just Logan, my boyfriend’s best friend’s husband. It didn’t matter that he had more money than anyone I’d ever met or that he was my boss.
By the time we made it to the kitchen, I’d relaxed some. Nerves still fluttered in my stomach, but I was able to speak normally and with slightly more confidence.
“How do you like your coffee?” I asked.
“Black is fine.”
I nodded and took a cup out of the cupboard, then filled it from the industrial pot. It wasn’t as good as the coffee Hazel made. Somehow hers always tasted better than mine, even though the process was the same. But it was hot and good enough for the day.
“How is Thea feeling?” I handed him his cup.
He smiled. “She’s had a lot of morning sickness since Thanksgiving, but she handles it like a trooper.”
“I bet Charlie’s excited.”
“She wants a baby brother so badly.” He chuckled. “We’ve been trying to tell her that a sister would be okay too, but she’s got her hopes up.”
“And what about you? Do you have a preference?”
Logan shook his head. “Happy and healthy is all I want.”
The dreamy smile on his face made my heart melt. He loved his family so much it was hard not to swoon.
“Should we meet in your office?” he asked. “Or would you like to chat in the main room?”
“I’ve got some things in my office.” I led the way into the office and took a seat behind my desk as Logan took the guest chair opposite me.
My office wasn’t much. It was dark without a window and always cold. It was cramped, with just enough room for my desk and a couple of file cabinets. But I’d put up a ton of pictures of campers from over the years and it made the room cheery. How could you not smile when you were surrounded by happy kids?
“I’ve been hearing great things about the camp.” Logan paused to take a sip of his coffee. “And you. Everyone at the foundation has been very impressed. I’m told it’s been the most organized transition in Kendrick Foundation history, all because of you.”
“Really? Thank you.” I blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Everyone seems so nice at the foundation office. I’ve only gotten to talk to them on the phone, but you have a great team.”
“I’m lucky. And now you’re a part of that team so I’m even luckier.”
“Thank you. Again. So what did you want to talk about today?” I’d been shocked when he’d called me to arrange this morning’s meeting. I figured that CEOs of large charitable foundations didn’t meet with tiny camp directors like me.
“Well, I’d like to discuss the plans you proposed for the improvements this spring.”
“Oh.” My heart sank. “Did I ask for too much?”
We were in dire need of some facility updates. I’d tried to limit my requests to the areas in the worst shape, but the camp had been short on funds for far too long.
“On the contrary,” Logan said as I took a sip of coffee. “I’d like to see what we can do if I double the amount you requested.”
I choked on my coffee, coughing and spurting it all over my desk. A couple of drops even managed to fly far enough across the desk to land on his hand.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry,” I gasped, still coughing as I scrambled for anything to clean up my mess. Where were the paper towels or napkins? Why didn’t I keep an unlimited supply in here just in case? “Here. Use this.” I handed him the scarf I’d worn to work today. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He chuckled and wiped his hand on his jeans. “It was worth the coffee shower to see the look on your face. I’ve never seen anyone’s eyes that big before.”
My mouth fell open as I sank into my chair. No doubt my face was the same shade of magenta as the bra I’d put on this morning. “I’m—” I stopped at the look on Logan’s face. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
“Definitely.”
Relief washed over me. “You really want to double the improvement budget?”
“I do. This camp has become something of a personal favorite of mine, so it gets special treatment.”
“There’s a lot we could do with that money. The bathrooms need a complete overhaul. The kitchen could use a new stove and refrigerator. It wasn’t at the top of my priority list, but I’d love to have some of the windows replaced in the bunks.”
“We’ll do it all and then some.” He took a pen from a cup holder and grabbed a pad of sticky notes from the desk. “All right. How about you start listing off all the things you want and then we’ll estimate cost and rank them.”
“Actually.” I opened my desk drawer. “Here.” I handed him a notebook where I kept my wish list plus bids for each improvement.
Now it was his turn for his eyes to get wide. “You’re organized, aren’t you?”
“Just a smidge.” I smiled. “I started that list my first year here and I update it every year.”
“Not much has been crossed off.”
I shook my head. “No.”
He clicked the pen and smiled. “Let’s change that.”
A swell of excitement ran through my body, making me bounce in my chair.
An hour later, the two of us had planned all of the improvements to do this year plus some for next. Despite having spent little time at the camp—something he would no doubt be changing this coming season—Logan even had some ideas for improvements of his own.
He wanted to have a larger beach area built so the kids could spend more time by the water. He wanted to have a permanent “fort” built, something where the kids could escape to play in the trees. It was something I was sure his daughter would wholeheartedly approve of since Charlie had already built a makeshift fort in the trees last summer.
It would be incredible.
“I just . . . thank you.” I took the notebook from Logan and put it back in my desk. “This will make a huge difference and I know the kids will love it.”
“My pleasure.” Logan grinned and leaned back in his chair. “I have something else I want to talk to you about. How would you feel about working for me part-time in the winters?”
I blinked in surprise. “Work for you? Doing what?”
“Whatever comes up.” He shrugged. “I’m trying to cut back on work now that the baby is coming. I don’t want to miss out on anything. But with everyone on my staff still in New York and the uptick of work we’ve gotten at the foundation lately, I could use someone to help me keep it all straight.”
“And you want me?” I pointed to my chest. “I’ve never been an assistant before.”
“You’re organized and smart. You won’t have any trouble figuring it out.”
My mouth was hanging open at his compliments. Working for Logan seemed like the perfect opportunity, but I wanted to run it by Jackson and my parents first. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course. There’s no rush.”
“Is there anything else you want to discuss today?”
He shook his head and stood from his chair to look at some of the photos on the wall.
I was just about to tell him a funny story about the picture in which me and some of the kids were wearing togas when a knock sounded at the office door.
Porter Hannagan, one of the sheriff’s deputies, was standing at the door. He was in a uniform of jeans and a dark brown shirt with his badge and gun hooked to his belt.
“Hey, Porter.” I stood and went over to greet him. “How are you?”
The two of us had gone to high school together. He was a year older than me and had left to go to the police academy after graduation. We didn’t see each other much, but I always waved when I saw him in his patrol car along the highway.
“I’m good, Willa. I saw your car here on my way to the station.”
“Is everything okay?” The worry lines on his forehead had my heart pounding. My thoughts immediately went to Jackson and my parents, hoping they were all right.
Before he could answer, Logan stepped up to my side, his hand extended to Porter. “Hello, Deputy Hannagan.”
“Porter, please.” Porter shook his hand. “Good to see you, Mr. Kendrick.”