“You okay?” I reached over to squeeze his hand.
He didn’t look actively unhappy, but he didn’t exactly look thrilled, either. “Passable.”
I raised his hand to my lips to give it a kiss. “Hey.”
He finally looked at me and managed a mostly genuine smile. “Hey yourself.”
“It’s going to be okay,” I said softly. “I’m here with you, ready to run front and keep things light. Consider me your court jester, linebacker, and sex doll.”
“Not all at the same time, I hope,” Harrison joked.
“Not my kink, but who knows? Just try to keep up with me, Ashford.”
The car came to a stop in front of the expansive white building, and the valet in white gloves sprinted to open the door.
“Showtime,” Harrison said under his breath as he stepped out into the still-bright sunshine.
“Mr. Ashford, welcome back,” the young man said reverently. “Mr. Ashford is waiting for you just inside.”
“Fantastic, thank you, Jimmy.”
The valet bobbed his head at me.
If I was nervous before, the scope of the place switched it into overdrive. It wasn’t like I’d never been anywhere fancy before, but it was quite a different experience off the clock. I wasn’t here to hover in the background and work; I was actually a guest this time around. A guest of Harrison’sfamily,who I was now going to meet in their entirety. Talk about high stress. But at least I’d picked a very pretty place to have my first heart attack.
The hotel was an airy mix of Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial, with arched doorways and cool terracotta accents. The lobby was engineered to make sure every guest knew exactly how prime the real estate was because the rear wall was completely open to views of endless blue sky and ocean.
“There he is,” Harrison said under his breath.
I refocused on him as he walked over and shook hands with the man thathadto be his brother. They looked eerily similar, both about the same height, with matching noses and striking eyes. But while Harrison had the perma-furrow that went along with running a high-demand business, Drew managed to hide any stress behind a fixed customer service smile. I wondered if the Ashford tendency to grump out was just percolating below the surface.
“Drew, this is Gwen Ackland.”
I felt a jolt as he focused his attention on me, becausedamnthe man was intense despite the smile. I could feel him cataloging everything about me, which wasn’t unexpected. Harrisonhadjust gone through a messy divorce. Any woman he brought around would be treated with wariness for a while.
“Gwen,sucha pleasure to meet you,” he said as he took my hand in both of his. “You’ve managed to pull off the impossible and actually made my brother look like a decent human being on the world’s stage. Kudos. We’re going to pamper you this weekend. You deserve it after dealing with him.”
Then he winked at me.
If I wasn’t already a goner for Harrison, it would be tough resisting this Ashford, insult aside. He made me feel like I was the only person in the room, like he would gladly do everything in his power to make my stay at his resort blissful. But I wondered if the charm was hiding the same bosshole tendencies that lived in Harrison.
“It’s absolutely stunning,” I replied. “And there’s no need to thank me. I’m enjoying being part of the Ashford team.”
“Well, we’re lucky to have you,” he answered. “Harrison, how about a quick nine before dinner? Logan is ready and willing if you are. Unfortunately, I can’t join you. I’m dealing with some…challenges.”
“Wish I could,” Harrison answered. “We’ve already got dinner plans, and we need to get ready.”
“Okay. Here on the property?”
Harrison had already warned me that if we wanted privacy, we needed to eat elsewhere.
“No, down at Surfside.”
Drew bobbed his head. “Great spot.”
“So what’s the drama?” Harrison asked. “Something with Dad?”
“No, worse.” He sighed. “Our event planner left abruptly, and not only am I dealing with Dad’s party solo, I also have fully booked weekends for the foreseeable future. Weddings, birthday parties, quinces, bar mitzvahs, corporate events…” Drew shook his head. “I need to find someone to replace him, but in the meantime, it’s all on me.”
