“Hope it works out for you both, I guess,” Damien finally said, his voice gruff. “And not just for the sake of the resort, but because I haven’t seen you interested in seriously dating a woman in a long time.” He finished his coffee, setting the mug in the sink.
“Thanks, I think,” I frowned, not sure if I should be offended by that or not.
With a dip of his chin, Damien headed back outside—likely making himself scarce so I wouldn’t try to pull him in for anymore brotherly chats.
Shaking my head, I topped up my coffee and went back to the office, deciding to get a start on calling guests who’d booked the Sprucewood.
Technically, that was a task Nellie could do, but I found myself wanting to lessen her workload, and it also gave me the excuse to be near her.
She walked in when I was on the phone, sending me a shy smile in greeting, then she headed to the kitchen to put her lunch in the refrigerator.
“We’re sorry about any inconvenience this has caused you. We’ll be comping the price,” I said, my eyes tracking Nellie’s movements as she walked into the office, unzipping her coat as she headed to the backroom to hang it up and swap out her winter boots.
The door swung shut behind her, and I continued my conversation with the guest. They were the second booking we had for Sprucewood, and they’d taken the news rather hard.
“Isn’t the Rustic on the far side of the resort? We prefer to be closer to the main office,” the guest, Mrs. Whitcomb, was saying. I tried to give her my full attention, but I could hear Nellie in the backroom, switching the laundry over.
I shook my head to refocus, opening the reservation software to see what else I could offer Mrs. Whitcomb.
“We do have one availability in the main building, Woodview A. It’s a two-bedroom unit located on the top floor of our main building. The primary bedroom includes a queen-size bed and a whirlpool tub in the ensuite bathroom. The second bedroom includes a double bed and a twin bed. There’s a full kitchen with a dishwasher, a deck with a BBQ, and incredible views of Hartwood Lake. There’s also a woodburning fireplace and TV in the combination living room and dining room.”
“Hmm, that could work,” Mrs. Whitcomb said thoughtfully. “Will we be comped for that as well?”
“Our Woodview units are actually more than the Sprucewood per night, but we could honour the Sprucewood prices for your weekend for the disruption to your plans.”
“Okay, I suppose that would work.”
Nellie walked in while I was finishing making the changes to Mrs. Whitcomb’s reservation. Once I confirmed she was okay with the changes, I told Mrs. Whitcomb we’d see her over the weekend and ended the call.
Swiveling in my chair, I turned to face Nellie. “Morning.” My gaze roamed, taking in the cute way she’d styled her hair in a thick twist over her shoulder, and the form-fitting black dress pants and flowy blouse. Walking past me to the other computer and pulling out the chair.
“Good morning,” she replied, her cheeks a little flushed.
“How was the rest of your weekend?”
“Peaceful,” she answered, shooting me a glance. “I mostly napped and read.”
“What are you reading?”
“The Complete History of Hartwood Creek,” her blush deepened when she caught my wide smile. “Sage got it for me as a welcome to town gift, but it’s pretty interesting. Your family is mentioned a lot.”
“I bet they are,” I chuckled. I hadn’t read that particular book, but it didn’t surprise me.
“What did you get up to?” Nellie asked, changing the subject.
“Mostly sat around. I had a lot to think about,” I answered, noticing when she tensed.
“Oh?” she didn’t look at me. She kept her focus on the computer in front of her, waking it up and typing in the password.
“Yup. I thought about how delicious you tasted, and how I wish I would have stayed a little longer.”
Nellie turned to look at me. “You can’t talk like that, we’re at work.”
“So? Nobody’s around,” I pointed out.
She bit her lip, deliberating. “Well, I wish you’d stayed a little longer, too. But it was probably for the best.”
“Why? It’s not like you have to worry about getting pregnant,” I teased. She scowled at me. “What? Too soon? I’m just saying.”
