Falling For The Hometown Hero. Mindy Obenhaus

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       Chapter Three

      Kaleb pulled his Jeep into a parking spot alongside Mountain View Tours shortly after noon the next day. As promised, he’d taken Grace on her first tour to Yankee Boy Basin and, so far, it had been a fantastic day. “My goal is to create a memorable experience for each of our guests. One they’ll talk about for the rest of their lives.”

      And judging by Grace’s reaction, he’d achieved just that. The look of unequivocal reverence as she took in the snow-covered peaks that stretched as far as the eye could see was something he’d never forget. Her genuine interest and appreciation for every little thing, from the old mines to the cascading waterfalls to a grosbeak’s sweet song, reinforced his belief that he’d made the right decision in hiring her.

      Now he shifted the vehicle into Park, glancing toward her in the passenger seat. “Unfortunately, the previous owner didn’t feel the same way, so I’ve got an uphill battle.”

      “Which is why we need to appeal to folks from the moment they walk into Mountain View Tours, if not before.” She gathered her things and exited the vehicle.

      He climbed out, liking the way she used the word we, as if they were one, focused on the same common goal. Yes, the sooner he could bring Grace up to speed and put her to work, the better off his business would be. Memorial weekend, the unofficial kickoff of the high season, was only a few weeks away, and there was still much to do.

      Meeting her at the front of the Jeep, he stared down at her. “And how do we do that?”

      “I have a few ideas, though you may not like them.” She wasn’t afraid to meet his gaze. As though issuing a challenge.

      Like he’d back down from a challenge. “Try me.”

      “Okay. You said you want to create a memorable experience for your guests.”

      “Yes.”

      “What if we added a tagline?” She shifted her weight from one foot to the next. “Something like, ‘Mountain View Tours... Memories in the making.’”

      He let the phrase tumble through his brain. “Okay. Yeah. I’m kinda liking that. Tells people exactly what our goal is.”

      “Just like a tagline is supposed to.”

      “That would look good on my new brochures, too.” Rubbing his chin, he took a step back. “Which reminds me. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about designing brochures, would you?”

      “Sure. I’m pretty good with websites, too.”

      He couldn’t stop smiling. “Grace, you may just be the best thing that ever happened to Mountain View Tours. So what other suggestions have you got?”

      Clasping her notepad and camera against her chest, she took a deep breath. “I think you need to consider sprucing up the front office. Something as simple as a fresh coat of—”

      “No.”

      “Why no—”

      “We discussed this yesterday. The rustic look stays.”

      She took a step closer, her gaze narrowing. “For your information, it’s industrial, not rustic. And it only works if it’s done right.” She pointed toward the building. “That’s not it.”

      Hands on his hips, he put himself toe-to-toe with her. “So what? My building, my business, my decor.”

      After a momentary staredown, she took a step back. “You asked for my input.”

      Something he’d think twice about next time.

      Exasperation mounting, he started toward the building and pushed through the front door, the heels of his work boots hammering against the concrete floor. “Sami, would you please tell Grace the office looks perfectly fine.”

      Sami glanced up from behind the counter. “Grace, the office looks perfectly fine. If you like drab and uninviting.”

      Behind him, Grace choked back a laugh.

      He glared at his sister.

      “I’m serious, Kaleb.” Sami rounded the counter. “This place is about as lackluster as you can get. I about fell asleep while you were gone. You need to liven things up. Make Mountain View Tours a place people want to be.”

      “Now, where have I heard that before?” Tapping a finger to her lips, Grace pretended not to look at him. A move that only served to further annoy him.

      Sami stepped between them, her dark brown gaze fixed on Kaleb. “Mom and I were talking about this just a little while ago. You know that we all want Mountain View Tours to be a success. However, we also know that you have some huge hurdles to overcome.”

      He couldn’t argue with her so far. No matter how much he might want to.

      “Which means you need to do whatever you can to overcome some of those hurdles.”

      “Like replacing all of the tour trucks and rental fleet? I’ve already done that.”

      Sami jammed a fist into her hip. “That’s not what I’m talking about.” She strode to the counter, spread out a swath of papers then stabbed them with her finger. “This is what I’m talking about. Just look at these before and after photos I found online.”

      He didn’t want to look at them. But curiosity got the best of him.

      Easing toward the desk, he cast his sister a wary eye. “Those are some pretty dramatic changes.” Not to mention costly.

      “Yep. All with little more than paint.”

      Grace sidled up beside Sami, no doubt pleased to have someone else in her corner. “I like how they incorporated the brick wall into the design of this one.” She pointed from the picture to the brick wall behind his reception counter. “With the right color paint, some rustic elements, you could really make that stand out.”

      “Though СКАЧАТЬ