We’d barely gotten out of the kitchen when Joanna called me back. “Sean, can I have a moment?”
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Jeremy. Joanna led me a little way down the hall. “What’s up?” I asked.
Her brow furrowed in concern. “I got a strange phone call today—on my personal cell. Someone offered me fifty thousand dollars to quit working for you.”
For a second, I stopped breathing. I could feel the rage burning in my gut. “What. The. Fuck?” I clenched my fists. “Did you recognize their voice?”
Joanna shook her head. “No.” She smirked. “I did tell them to fuck off though.”
The tightness in my chest loosened a bit, and I laughed. “Your mouth is as bad as mine.” Then my good mood faltered. “How did they get your personal cell number?”
She sighed. “I’m guessing someone hacked your system here. Sean, what’s going on?”
I clenched my jaw. “Someone is messing with my hotel. I have my suspicions as to who but no proof.”
“Maybe you can hire a PI,” she suggested.
The thought had occurred to me. “Yeah, I’ll look into it.” I glanced behind me at Jeremy, who was texting someone while he waited for me. When I turned back, Joanna gave me a knowing smile. “Hot date?”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Yeah, something like that.”
“He’s gorgeous,” she said quietly.
“He is,” I replied. “And talented and super sweet.”
She put her hands on my shoulders. “Then go. Don’t worry about this crap anymore tonight. Enjoy yourself. I’ll talk to my staff to make sure nobody is talking to whoever it is.”
I pulled her into a hug. “Thanks, Jo. You’re the best.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t mess up the cake.” She kissed my cheek and turned me around. “Now go.”
Jeremy looked up from his phone with a concerned frown. “Everything okay?”
“Eh,” I replied. “It’s all the same bag of bullshit. I’ll tell you about it over dinner.”
He eyed the takeout box. “That cake looks delicious.”
I held it up as if to keep it out of his reach. “It’s for my mother, I’ll have you know. You wouldn’t steal sustenance from an old woman, would you?”
Jeremy chuckled. “I should tell your mother you called her old.”
“You’re a cruel, cruel man, Jeremy Fitzgerald,” I murmured as I wrapped one arm around him and brought him in for a kiss. “Whatever am I going to do with you?”
He smiled against my lips. “A repeat of this morning would be nice.”
“I can arrange that.”
SIXTEEN
JEREMY
Evan:You’re going on a date???
Me:Yes. Why is that so shocking to you?
Evan:Mr. I’m not going to troll for a hookup on the Jersey Shore is going out on a date.
Me:It’s not a hookup. I’m going out with Sean. And he’s taking me to meet his mother.
