Emily glanced up, her cheeks flushed. “I had a hunch.”
She flipped to another page. “‘Please change out the beach towels. Two of mine were worn on the edges.’” She flipped through a few more sheets and shook her head. “All of the comments are like that. Nothing substantial.”
He scratched his jaw. “Did we switch out the beach towels?”
She grinned. “I actually looked into that, and we switched out the towels two months ago. Seems it was already on the list of regular upkeep.”
“So the reviews are good, but somehow we’re missing the mark.”
Emily stacked her papers and stood, pacing the room. “That’s the thing. Wearen’tmissing the mark. Club Tahoe is known as the premier luxury resort in South Lake Tahoe. It doesn’t make sense that Blue Casino was able to steal three out of our five longstanding accounts. Not that there’s anything wrong with the casino your brother works at, but…”
“Blue Casino caters to a different clientele—more modern versus traditional elegance. And they don’t have the amenities we do.”
“Exactly.”
“Yet somehow they still managed to steal our clients.” He looked out the window. “I’ll talk to Adam. See what he knows. For now, connect with marketing and try to come up with more ideas for drawing in larger clients.”
Emily nodded and turned to leave, but she paused partway, looking back as she hugged her stack of folders. “How’s Grace?”
Levi dropped his arms and slid a hand into his slacks. He chuckled. “Napping the day away. Her cone is off and she’s more comfortable now.”
“Oh good. Well, let me know if you ever need a dog sitter.” She smiled shyly and shrugged. “I enjoyed it. Maybe I am a pet person.”
“I’ll share mine for now and take you up on that offer. I’ve got an appointment in San Francisco this weekend. Wes is setting me up with a player on the golf tour with connections inside the association. We’re going to discuss bringing a tour tournament to the golf course. If we fail to bring in another three or four commercial clients, this could be the next best thing. It’s a long shot, but worth a try.”
“I’d be happy to watch Grace. Should I pick her up?”
“I’ve got a large yard. Probably best to come to my place. It’s equipped with Wi-Fi, and a dish if you prefer television. I’ll make sure the fridge is stocked.”
She laughed. “Don’t go to the trouble. Grace and I will be fine. I’m looking forward to it.”
Emily opened the door and swept happily out.
Levi watched her walk away, then turned back toward the window. Time to make that call to Wes. There was noofficialappointment in San Francisco, only the seed of an idea he and Wes had discussed over beer the other night. He hadn’t exactly lied to Emily. But the idea of having her take care of Grace and spend time in his home, even if he wasn’t there, had been too good to pass up. He’d be in San Francisco and far away. What harm could it do?
* * *
Emily showedup late morning on Saturday, and the air in Levi’s chest locked up as he opened the door. She wore a thin knit shirt that clung to her delicate curves and she’d pulled her hair back on the sides, revealing all of her pretty face. A face that hadn’t an ounce of makeup on it, not even lipstick.
He’d never seen a woman so beautiful. She wore fitted jeans that were tight down to her ankles, showing off her legs and her ass from a new and interesting perspective. One he would love to examine further—if she weren’t a woman he was trying to keep his hands off.
Hewastrying to keep things platonic, even if he couldn’t resist spending time with her.
Levi’s lungs released and he opened the door wider. “Come on in.” He glanced into the room. “Grace, your masseuse is here.”
Grace bounded up to Emily and lapped at her hand. She proceeded to lick Emily’s knee and on down her leg to the toes of her white sneakers, then back up to her knee again.
Grace never saw a body part she didn’t want to tongue. Levi was getting jealous of the access his dog had. But if he started removing Emily’s clothes and tonguing her the wayhe’denvisioned when he first saw her on the stoop, it would be inappropriate. And intimate. And crossing lines he told himself to keep in place.
“Grace,” Levi said, and his dog ran to him, letting Emily be for the moment. He gave Emily an apologetic look. “Feel free to use the kitchen to wash your hands. Grace’s tongue baths leave something to be desired.”
Emily laughed and walked into the galley kitchen with a wide window overlooking the mountains. “Your house is located in the prettiest area. And it’s so well built. You should see the rinky-dink apartment I’m living in. I swear the exterior wood is about to fall off.”
He frowned. “It doesn’t sound well maintained. You sure the place is to code?”
She smiled, but he didn’t see what was so funny. “Once a firefighter, always a firefighter?”
He rubbed his jaw, his mouth pulling in a light smile. “I guess it’s hard to turn off. Though your place really doesn’t sound safe.”
