I sighed."I hope so.Eve is worried about the reviews talking about the inn looking worn and dated."
"I'll take care of everything."
I had no doubt that Ford would do a good job.It was me I was worried about.The more we were around each other, the more I'd remember how good it felt to be with him.
I couldn't forget that he chose to let me go.And the other night, he said he'd wished he'd done it sooner.I wasn't the one for him.Thinking about what-ifs was a waste of time.
Chapter6
Ford
Now that I had my crew working with me, things were moving faster.We made quick work of demolition and were careful to remove the debris during the quiet part of the day.It wasn't possible to completely cover the fact that renovations were ongoing, but I tried to minimize it as much as possible.
As soon as we dumped everything in dumpsters, I cleaned up the dust from public areas.
A few guests asked what work we were doing and were pleased when I said we were updating bathrooms and the carpeting.
I took that as a sign that they wanted to come back.The updates would bring in even more people.Natasha was worried about the cost, but this was an investment in the business.
On Friday, I sent the crew home at the end of the day.Then I walked through the rooms to check on the progress and to ensure there wasn't any unintended damage we'd need to fix.I was just closing one of the doors when I heard someone on the stairs.
Natasha emerged on the landing."I thought everyone went home for the night."
I shrugged."I sent the crew home.I was just doing a final walk-through."
"You're a hard worker."Then she shook her head."That doesn't surprise me.You always were."
Seeing her now in a skirt and silky blouse with heels, I wanted to follow her into her apartment, undo the delicate buttons, and reveal her bare skin.
Would it be different between us?I shook my head.I shouldn't even have thought about her like that.This was work.She was my client.
"I heard the guests talking about a toy drive tonight."
"We're collecting toys for the holiday.The drive will go through the beginning of December.But this is our kickoff event.Eve wanted me to ask if you wanted to attend as a representative of Sterling Brothers."
"Sure."I wanted to go home and open a beer.But I could spend a few hours with her on a good cause.I was sure my brothers and Cooper would want me to do it.
"You don't mind?"
I shrugged."It makes sense for us to participate.It'll be fun to buy toys."
She raised a brow."You're going to shop for the toys?"
"How hard could it be?My brothers and I are basically big kids."
She shook her head."We're holding it in the town hall.Eve's hoping to get everyone excited about the toy drive.”
"Should I change?"
Natasha waved a hand."It's casual.I talked Eve out of making it a party."
I stuffed my hands in my pockets."Your sister really enjoys this stuff, doesn't she?"
"She thrives on it.For events like this, she says it's for a good cause and assumes that everyone will want to participate.That's not always the case, but that's her attitude, and I think it helps.Her energy is infectious."
It was a good cause, and I was positive my brothers would want to be involved.Plus, it gave me more time with Natasha, who I was fairly sure was avoiding me this week.After our lunch to go over design options, she'd begun emailing me her choices.I should have been happy about that, but I didn't like it."Just let me make sure the rest of the rooms are locked."I checked the doors of the rooms we'd worked on today.
Natasha followed behind me, the smell of her shampoo lingering between us."I'm impressed with your progress.I've never renovated anything before, but it seems to be going smoothly."
