“You know, I wouldn’t be so smug about this if I were you.”
“Why not?”
“Because, once I’m off the market their focus is going to be solely on you,” I reminded him. The pompous grin on his face slipped, as if he truly hadn’t considered that fact.
“Whatever, they can try.” My brother puffed out his chest, acting impervious.
“Trust me, they will,” I murmured, shaking my head. I turned the snowblower on again to finish up the parking lot. Nellie was supposed to arrive for work within the next half hour, and I wanted the parking lot cleared and sand tossed down before she set foot on it.
I’d always been serious when it came to keeping the parking lots, roads, and paths at the resort clear of snow and sanded for the guests, but there was an even heavier importance on it now, with Nellie’s condition.
Not that pregnancy was a condition. I mean, technically it was, I guess. Either way, I wanted to make sure there were no obstacles for her, and that she didn’t slip and fall.
Which reminded me, we’d have to call a meeting with Damien today to inform him of Nellie’s pregnancy and her need to take time off every week for her OB appointments.
Damien was off clearing snow, too. He was using the ATV that we’d attached a snow plow to. It pulled a small trailer full of sand for him to toss down, and a shovel for him to clear the porches and walkways to the cottages. He likely wouldn’t be finished for another couple of hours.
After ensuring the snow was cleared and sand was tossed down out front, I had Easton take the snow blower to the back lot, and went inside to make a pot of coffee while I attended to a few office things.
A content creator and social media influencer named Misha Demsky had reached out last week to see about collaborating. She specialized in local destination and locally owned businesses and brands. After I’d investigated and determined that she had a legitimate and large following on Instagram, I’d decided to respond with a few different available time slots for a complimentary stay in exchange for her content creation services.
Misha had a lot of viral Reels on Instagram about other local destinations she’d stayed at, and she had an eloquent way of showcasing them that appealed to me. Being featured on her Instagram of over forty-five thousand followers would only boost interest in our resort, and she offered to provide materials for us to use for our social media marketing, too.
I was clicking send on the follow-up email to Misha when the front door to the office chimed, alerting me to Nellie’s arrival.
I stood up, making my way into the kitchen and catching her as she was opening the refrigerator door to put her lunch inside.
I leaned against the doorway, crossing my arms and smiling, waiting until she’d closed it and straightened.
“Morning, gorgeous,” I said, startling her.
She jumped, putting her hand over her heart. “Noah, I didn’t hear you,” she said, her voice a little breathless. “Good morning.”
I crossed over to kiss her, unable to help myself. It was a chaste kiss, slow and tender despite my growing hunger for this woman. As I kissed her softly, I unzipped her jacket for her, putting my hands on her hips and pulled her a little closer to me, deepening the kiss as I did so.
A distant chime of the back door sounded, alerting me that someone else had come in through the laundry room. I reluctantly pulled away, stepping over to the cupboard with the mugs.
Nellie had a few seconds to regain her composure, which my kiss seemed to have shaken. I sent her a wink and poured myself a cup of coffee. “Want me to boil the kettle?”
“I have a tea already,” Nellie said, grabbing her travel mug from where she’d set it down on the counter by the refrigerator. She also had a large bottle of ice water with lemon slices.
Damien came into the kitchen, his eyes narrowing at me when he saw me alone with Nellie.
“Morning, brother dearest,” I said cheerfully, grabbing another mug down and pouring a cup of coffee for him. I passed it to Damien, earning a scowl, who grunted in response as he reached for the mug.
Nellie smiled shyly and grabbed her water bottle, then scurried out of the kitchen like she couldn’t wait to get away from Damien. Not that I blamed her. My brother could be intimidating if you weren’t used to his scowls and sullen silences.
“At some point today, we need to have a sit down with Nellie and discuss some important matters,” I told Damien, keeping my voice low so that Nellie wouldn’t overhear me.
“I’d say.” Damien grumbled, lifting a brow. He took a deep sip of his coffee.
“Don’t be a dick,” I warned, pointing at him.
“That’s kind of his MO,” Easton chimed in, catching my warning and nothing else. He rinsed out his travel mug and filled it back up, sending a taunting smirk to our older brother.
“Don’t you have work to do? Because if you don’t, I can assign you something,” Damien huffed, his aggravation evident.
“I’ve got plenty to do, thanks. I’m taking a quick coffee break to refuel. Is that not allowed? Or are coffee breaks only allotted to the big bosses and their bed warmers?”
