Then her eyes landed on the dresser and came to a stop before widening as they landed on an item sitting on top of it.
“What the?” Lila didn’t realize she’d said it out loud.
“Lila?” Brian knocked on the door. “Is everything okay?”
“Brian, come here,” Lila called, her voice strange to her own ears.
Brian walked into the room and came up behind her.
He stopped. “Is that...” His eyes went wide as they snapped to hers. “We need to go tell Eve.”
Nolan
Nolan ran a hand through his hair for the third time and glanced in the long mirror that was in the hallway of the inn. He was nervous.
It had been a long time since he’d asked a woman on a date. It had been forever since he’d asked out one he’d fallen for.
And he had fallen for Mia.
Actually, he’d fallen for her the moment she’d walked through the dining room door on that first day, her haunted eyes and beautiful face stealing his breath and his focus in equal measure.
This was a terrible idea. He was on assignment. She was a beautiful distraction. But he couldn’t help himself.
Nolan drew in a breath and knocked on her door.
Mia opened it, and he swallowed hard.
“You look gorgeous,” he breathed.
She was wearing a deep emerald dress that brought out the green in her eyes, fitted at the waist and falling to just above her knees. Her dark hair was down, curling softly around her shoulders, and she’d done something subtle with makeup that made her eyes even more striking.
“You clean up nicely yourself,” Mia told him, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
Nolan was wearing the one suit he’d brought. It was dark gray, with a white shirt and no tie with the top button undone.
“Where are you taking me that we’re so fancy?” Mia asked.
“I told you, it’s the best upmarket restaurant in St. Augustine,” Nolan grinned, offering her his arm and a single red rose. “This is for you.”
“It’s beautiful,” Mia said, her smile softening. She stepped back into the room. “Let me put it in some water quick.”
She disappeared for a few moments and returned, slipping her arm through his.
They headed downstairs, and Nolan felt the now-familiar weight of the situation pressing down on him. He was taking her on a date. A real date that he hadn’t been on for so long, he was guaranteed to mess it up somehow.
They reached the lobby, and Marcus was behind the desk, looking up with a pleasant smile.
“Ah, Mrs. Gray-Duncan and Mr. Pierce,” Marcus said. “If I could please have a moment of your time.”
“Of course,” Mia said, slipping her arm from Nolan’s.
The loss of contact made Nolan’s chest ache in ways he didn’t want to examine.
They approached the desk.
“A guest found this this morning,” Marcus said, reaching behind the desk. “I’ve been asking all the guests if it belongs to them.”
He handed them an envelope.
