Rosie grabbed the guest list from the printer. “No. Kissing him was a mistake, and it’s not going to happen again.” She ushered Charlie from her office and locked the door behind her.
As they strode toward the front desk, Charlie lowered her voice. “Why can’t it happen again? You two are so good together.”
“That’s not what Drew wants, and I’m not about to pressure him. One of the reasons we’re pretending to date is to avoid all the stress and heartache of a real relationship.”
“You sure? Because you seem stressed right now.” Charlie’s brow furrowed. “We’re gonna put a pin in this, but we’ll talk later. All of us. If I can’t convince you, then maybe Selena and Laurel can.”
Before Rosie could respond, they’d reached the front desk. After greeting the clerk on duty, she settled in and pulled up the day’s bookings. When her phone pinged, she was pleased to see a message from Drew.
Drew: Just talked to Bones! I’m in! We’re going to take care of the paperwork tomorrow.
Rosie: I’m so excited for you! I have some fun news about the hotel, too.
Drew: Are you coming to work out tonight? We could grab smoothies after and catch up.
Was this a good idea? Or should they stick to their specific “date” activities, like Sunday dinners and events at the hotel?
Screw it.Today had turned from bad to good, and she wanted to share her victory—however minor—with Drew.
Rosie: I’ll be there after seven. Can’t wait!
As she noticed Charlie smirking at her, she stashed her phone in the pocket of her blazer. But she couldn’t stop herself from grinning like a fool. Not just about today’s news but about how excited she was to share it with someone who cared.
Fifteen
After finishingup her evening workout, Rosie sat with Drew at the gym’s smoothie bar. As always, he looked totally mouthwatering, wearing the red fleece hoodie she loved—the one that made her want to snuggle with him. At her urging, he told her about his meeting with Bones, then asked about her news. Still glowing with excitement, she explained how the Duke’s misfortunes had given them a surprise influx of new guests.
“How were they?” he asked. “Did you get a lot of complainers?”
“A few, but we did our best to win them over. Free drink coupons, cookies, and holiday goody bags. It was amazing what Charlie put together on such short notice.”
“What did your boss think?”
She sipped her strawberry banana smoothie, a tasty reward after an extra-grueling workout. “He played it cool, but I could tell he was secretly gloating.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and the Duke will have another mishap. A burst pipe would do the job nicely.” Drew gave an evil laugh, worthy of a cartoon villain. “We should get a crew together and cause some mayhem.”
She laughed along with him. “As much as I love the idea, I don’t want to spend Christmas in jail.”
At the sight of Evelyn approaching them, her shoulders tightened. Over the past month, she’d run into Drew’s ex occasionally, but she’d kept their interactions as brief as possible. She reached over and took his hand.
He gave it a quick squeeze before smiling up at his ex. “Hey, Evelyn. How’s it going?”
Her gaze dipped down to their hands, a brief frown crossing her face before she replaced it with a neutral expression. “I’m stretched way too thin. Working here full-time and planning an extravagant wedding reception isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“Sorry to hear it, but I’m looking forward to your wedding,” Rosie said. The minute the words were out, she regretted her simpering tone.
“I’m glad you can make it,” Evelyn said. “Did Drew tell you the dress code is formal? I hope that won’t be too much for you, but my parents wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Did Evelyn expect her to be cowed by the idea of dressing up? “No problem. I already found a killer dress, and I can’t wait to wear it.” She wasn’t about to mention that she’d bought it on clearance.
“Glad to hear it. Good luck gettingthisone into a suit.” Evelyn gestured to Drew. “He’s only happy if he’s wearing workout gear.”
Rather than respond with a barb of his own, Drew tugged on Rosie’s hand. “We should get going if we want to hit Centennial Square tonight.”
Though she couldn’t remember if he’d mentioned this earlier, she was happy to play along. She finished her smoothie and stood up beside him. “You bet. Let’s do it.”
“See you later,” Drew said to Evelyn.
