HURITT

I wish my brother could forgive himself. We've been through this so many times before. We were ignorant children and even I didn't know the risk of starting that golf cart. As the oldest sibling, and the one who drove it, Rowtag has lived forever with the guilt of the accident and it even costed him his marriage. Not that things were great with Tiffany since the beginning.

I finish displaying the wolf drawings the kids made as Amy arrives. She flashes me a smile and my insides go all gooey.

"That looks great! I'm sure the parents will be proud. There is a lot of talent among this group."

"It all looks good thanks to you. Your patience and guidance help the results. Of all the activities I could think of, it never occurred to me to make one about wolves."

"Well, this place is called Gray Wolf; I thought it was appropriate to teach the children about wolves."

"One thing is for sure, you have put their minds at ease. Now they know there are no wolves in the area," I hold the door of the club open for her.

"Well, I never confirmed that, but I have lived here most of my life and have never seen one or heard about anyone who has. I read in an article that they prefer to stay away from humans. Who knows, maybe they live deep in the woods."

"Let's hope they stay there then. It will be bad marketing if they decide to show up at the ranch," I laugh.

Amy smiles and I feel awkward at my bad joke.

"I need to go to the center, but I have time available for you. What's the plan for today?" I open the cupboards to gather the materials.

"I will read I Took the Moon for a Walk. It works great with the travel theme we have this week. Then we will make a mobile, here is the template," she hands me a paper sheet to photocopy.

"How do you come with these themes, anyway? All I can think about are games."

"I studied Early Childhood Education. Even in a day care center you work with themes and plan the activities accordingly."

"I'm so happy you applied for this job. What will I do without you?" I make her blush and bite my tongue for having no filter to my words.

We go through the day program, and I make a quick inventory of the supplies she will need. The first kids come in after breakfast and move to the different stations to do puzzles or to play. Once our room is full, she calls them out to sit on the floor. I grab a stool for myself, as sitting on the floor isn't possible for me.

Amy's voice is so soothing as she reads it has me in a trance. When she finishes, she invites the kids back to the activity tables to make the moon-themed mobile.

"You should have a TV show for kids," I say to her once the kids are settled.

"Who would want to watch me?"

"I do," I blurt before I can stop myself.

Amy's cheeks turn red again, and mine probably do as well. What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not fifteen anymore!

"Ah... I- Center- Need a new phone. See you tomorrow," I stand up and tumble a cup filled with sequins on the table. "Oh, sorry, I will clear that up for you."

I scoop them back quickly. Amy's face is still shocked.

"Yeah or later. Gotta check the new entertainment team," I walk backwards and fall over a small chair.

The kids laugh hard. I bite my tongue for the pain I feel in my pelvis is stabbing.

"Huritt, are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure, I'm fine," I stand up and don't dare to look at Amy as I leave.

Once outside, I twist my waist and hips to check how bad the damages are. Okay enough to drive, but will probably need a painkiller. My extended shopping plans now need to be cut short because of my foolish behavior.

After a quick run into town, I return to the ranch and limp as I head up the stairs. I swallow a pill from my desk without water, grab the files of the new employees Istu left me, and head to the event area. I take my time walking to the building, as I'm early, and in pain, and watch the people enjoying the outdoor pool with its sunny deck. I enter the theater and recline against the stage. Until the medicine works, I won't be able to sit.

"Hey, is this where the entertainment team is meeting?" A guy asks from the door entrance.

"I think so." I say, needing fun and distraction. I can always tell the truth later.

"Oh great! I'm Bart," he greets me with a handshake.

"Hayden."

"You work here already, don't you?" He motions with his head to my shirt and perches himself next to me on the stage.

"Maintenance," I lie. Well, technically is not a lie, I've done enough fixes around the property. "You?"

"Sports! I love playing them, so what a better way to earn cash than by playing games with people the whole day."

I like his attitude, and he looks like a good kid. Two girls and a guy arrive at the same time. They try to ignore the man who walks around them like an annoying fly while chatting their ears off.

"Dude, we don't even know you. Stop it!" A girl says to him.

The guy stops walking and crumples in tears. I look at Bart, who watches the guy with worry.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you," the girl watches him with concern.

The guy stops crying, clears his tears and gives her a million-watt grin.

"Alex, theater team, please to meet you," he kisses her hand.

My jaw drops to my lap. The girl looks shocked at him while he walks towards us.

"Bart. Sports. This is Hayden. Works in maintenance. What the hell are you doing in a vacation complex? You should be on TV!" He says to Alex.

Our dramatic friend doesn't get to respond as more people join us. I learn that the two girls who arrived with Alex were hired just this morning and will be in the crafts team, and the ones who came after will teach dance and help with the shows. A guy called Miguel introduces himself as part of the sports team, and Bart and he engage immediately in conversation. The group is young, eager, and good looking. Damn, I feel old next to them.

"Has anybody met with the guy who will be our manager?" One of the craft girls asks.

"Not yet," Miguel says. "I had my interview with the guy with the glasses, and he said his brother will be our manager. He was a nice guy. I hope his brother is not an asshole."

I hide my laughter behind a coughing fit. Everybody turns to look at me.

"Sorry, swallowed wrong," I breathe hard.

"I hope he is hot," one dancer says. "The guy with the glasses, what was his name again?"

"Istu," I say.

"Yeah, Istu is super-hot!"

Well, it will delight my brother to hear that.

"What are you doing here?" The craft girl asks me. "You aren't even in the entertainment team."

"Maybe I am." I say and she laughs.

"You are too old!"

"I'm 32 years old. Is that too old to be in this?" I feel curious.

They start an age survey. Their ages range between 21 and 27 years old, Alex being the oldest. Craft Girl smirks at me, triumph on her face.

"Well, it only means I'm old enough to be your manager."

The girl turns ten shades of red while the guys howl with laughter.

"I'm Huritt Marshall, and my brother Istu interviewed you all. Together with my other two brothers, we own Gray Wolf Ranch. I'm responsible for the public relations, marketing and the entertainment of the resort. I'm the second of my brothers and the only one with green eyes. I don't know if that's enough to fulfill your expectations in the hotness department," I say to the girl who for the second time in minutes has a shocked look.

"Oh God, I'm so happy I will work here," Bart almost giggles.

"This is our event area," I continue. "It's equipped with lights and a good sound system. During the day, it's available as a dance studio and in the evenings to entertain the guests after dinner. I warn you that days will be long, but according to your resumes, most of you have done this before. If you live far away and commuting is difficult or dangerous, we have boarding facilities, but the management is not responsible if you use the beds for something else besides sleeping while living there."

Besides Alex, they all shift in place and look uncomfortable.

"We also provide meals, uniforms and whatever materials you need to do your job. It's your responsibility to look presentable and take care of your working areas. For the rest, I can only say welcome to Gray Wolf Ranch and let's have a blast. Questions?"

"You mean you are paying our salary, food, uniforms, and if we need to, we can stay here?" Alex asks wide-eyed.

"It's the least we can do when we have 12-hour shifts in this team," I look around at the group.

"I'm your slave for eternity," Alex hugs my knees and the sudden movement reminds me of my recent fall. Still, I laugh.

We spend the rest of the afternoon brainstorming ideas for the evening program and I'm impressed by Alex's knowledge and organization skills. We begin officially next week and I can't wait for our guests to see what's in store for them.