The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1)(47)

“Are those your words or hers?”

“My mom’s.” Graham flashed a sexy grin. “It’s her nice way of saying I’m lazy.”

“You’re not lazy,” Zoey teased just as the shuttle bus turned up the Moose Springs Resort’s drive. “You seem like a conservation of energy type of guy, not the truly unmotivated.”

“I knew from the moment we met, you get me, Zoey.”

A middle-aged man in a collared shirt half a size too small trudged out of the shuttle bus, mustering up a polite greeting. “Welcome to Moose Springs Adventurers, where all your adventures are moose-tastic. Caldwell and Montgomery?”

Zoey stuck her elbow in Graham’s side to quiet his snickers. “Caldwell and Barnett, actually. We called the office a minute ago and changed everything.”

“They didn’t call me.”

“I’m sorry. But yeah, my friend had to work and he—”

“Played hooky,” Graham provided cheerfully from behind her.

“Had to close his business for the day for—”

“Nefarious purposes.”

“Yes. Nefarious purposes. So we called and changed Lana Montgomery’s ticket to Graham Barnett.”

The driver frowned. “I can’t let him on the shuttle if he doesn’t have a ticket.”

At which point things went downhill. Not drastically, but a soft, gentle slope downhill, involving twitchy passengers aiming some serious side-eye in Zoey and Graham’s direction through the window. Both Zoey and the driver ended up on the phone with the reservation office at the same time, while Graham leaned a shoulder against the side of the shuttle, every so often rapping his knuckles against the fiberglass.

“Nice shuttle. What year would you say this is?”

“’Ninety-three.” Their driver grumpily turned back to the phone. “No, she said Barnett. B-A-R. N-E-T.”

“Double T. Two T’s.” Zoey waved her hands in front of the driver’s face, raising her voice to get his attention. “You have to tell her two T’s. That’s why you can’t find him.”

“What is this? Fiberglass? I bet this gets cold in the winter. Do you do a lot of tours in the winter?”

The driver gave him a pained look.

“Graham. Barnett.” The call kept cutting in and out, not helping the situation. “No, Barnett. Oh, for the love of…just give me your phone too. No, seriously. Give me your phone. Okay, I’m on speaker phone with both of you. You’re both in the same office. It’s Barnett with two T’s! Come on people, focus.”

“You probably need a good strong heater, huh?” Graham murmured. “But that’s a lot of people in there. Body heat’s good in the winter. Still, fiberglass…I wouldn’t have chosen—”

“Graham. Shut. Up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Zoey didn’t buy his easy, aww shucks agreement for one second. But then the office finally figured out their tickets, and the even surlier bus driver stepped aside to let them on.

The bus was packed, with no spots together available, and thirty sets of eyes all glaring at her and Graham in varying forms of disgruntlement and impatience.

“Ooh, tough crowd,” he murmured from behind her. “Hey, has anyone here ever heard of the Tourist Trap? I know the owner. He’ll hook you up with a free meal if someone lets us sit together.”

“That was shameless,” she whispered back.

“Never be afraid to use your gifts, Zoey.”

In the end, even the promise of reindeer dogs wasn’t enough to break the ties holding seatmates together. Graham ended up squashed next to a family of Australian tourists halfway toward the back of the bus and Zoey next to a couple on their honeymoon in the front.

“Hey, Zoey Bear. How’s it going up there?” Graham called before they even made it to the main highway leading to Seward.

A thumbs-up wasn’t enough to entertain him. Graham waited a moment before calling up again. “Hey, you might want to take some motion sickness medicine. Don’t want to barf all over the whales, right?”

“I am all set.” Zoey raised her Alaska bag and waggled it at him. “Do you need to take any? I have nondrowsy, nondrowsy extra strength, and one prescription-strength, nothing’s going to make you sick, but you’ll probably pass out medication.”

“Born and bred Alaska. If I couldn’t keep my sea legs, I’d get kicked out of the state.”

His eyes lingered on her, causing Zoey’s face to heat up at his attention. It was impossible not to, even with all the passengers in between them. Smiling at him, Zoey turned around in her seat, keeping her legs tucked in and her elbows to herself. Yes, they had started this trip out annoying everyone, but she was determined to be a good passenger.

“Oy. Zoey. Zooooooooooey. Psssst, Zoey.”

“What?”

“Hey, you know the humpbacks are—”

“On the left, you’ll see the Chugach Mountain Range,” the driver droned into his intercom, the loud shrill speakers above their heads squawking in protest and cutting Graham off.

“I can’t hear you,” Zoey mouthed, teasing him. “Sorry.”

Graham rolled his eyes and settled into his seat with a clear sigh.