Come To Me (Dare With Me #3) - J.H. Croix Page 0,31

There was a sectional in one corner that had a large flatscreen television mounted on the wall, and there was a reading area surrounded with comfortable chairs and low bookshelves defining the space. In another area, a smaller couch and chairs faced a large woodstove.

“There’s a nice room upstairs. I think it’s a good size for you,” Daphne said, crossing over to a spiral staircase in the corner.

I followed her up, and we stepped into a hallway with hardwood flooring and rows of doors, basically like a hotel. Daphne glanced over at me. “These upper floors are almost all guest rooms, but we have a rec room on this level.”

Following her to the end of the hallway, we stepped into a room with windows facing into the forest. The room was empty with the hardwood flooring echoing under our footsteps. “Do you think this is big enough?” she asked.

“There’s room for about ten students. I can’t imagine there would be more than that at a time. How many guests do you all have?”

“Up to thirty at any given time. But I think you’re right. Only about ten would sign up. Plus, half or more of them are men.”

I laughed. “Lots of men do yoga. You’ve sweet talked all the guys here into coming to my classes in town.”

“We were actually thinking maybe you could do a class for guests and one for staff every time you were here. We’ll still come to your classes in town, so you won’t be losing the business. Obviously, we’d be paying you for the classes here.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. On Wednesdays during the week I only have morning and lunch classes because the room isn’t available in the evening. Why don’t I just plan to come out then? If that works for you all.”

“Perfect. When can you start?” Daphne asked, clasping her hands together in front of her chest.

“This coming week if you want. We could start with a staff class and then if enough guests sign up, I’ll do that too. It’s Sunday, so that would be in three days.”

“Awesome. Now, do you want to have dinner with us?”

“As if I would turn down your food,” I replied with a grin. “I’ve only had the scones you made for Cammi and a few things at her grand reopening, but everything was delicious.”

Daphne’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Thank you. Let’s go back downstairs. I’ll show you the kitchen.”

A few minutes later, Daphne was showing me around the kitchen. Although it was an industrial kitchen and clearly designed to serve guests, the space was inviting. There was a large island with stools surrounding it with a view of the stove area, along with a long table by the windows offering a view over the field and mountains.

“Tonight’s staff night,” she explained while she checked on something Cat was doing on the stove.

Cat was Flynn’s younger sister and looked so much like him it was endearing. Although she was a good foot shorter, she had his slate blue eyes and dark blond hair and a more feminine version of his strong features. “How does it look?” Cat asked as she peered into the pan with Daphne.

“Great,” Daphne said encouragingly. “You want to keep it going until the glaze caramelizes. The heat has to be just right.”

“What are you making?” I asked.

Cat looked up, her ponytail swinging with the motion. “Glazed pork with rice and spinach. It’s a new recipe to me.”

Daphne glanced her way. “You’re a better cook than you give yourself credit for. Stop worrying so much. The only way you learn is to try new things.”

“Plus, you have Daphne as your teacher. Rumor has it everything she makes is amazing,” I offered.

“It totally is,” Tucker called as he walked through the archway from the main room into the kitchen.

Like the other guys who flew for Walker Adventures, I’d gotten to know Tucker because Daphne brought him to my yoga classes on occasion. I smiled over at him. “Hey, Tucker, how’s it going?”

His brows hitched up when he saw me. “Oh, the yoga teacher’s here. Are you gonna make me do yoga before dinner?”

I laughed. “No.”

I was relieved for the distraction of more people appearing. Diego had texted me to let me know his sister had arrived sooner than he expected. I was trying not to think about it and told myself it was no big deal to meet his sister because we weren’t even a thing. Not at all. It didn’t seem to