He glanced over at Ava, causing the tummy stirs to pick up once more.
“Heaven sent us one of her angels to rescue,” Betty cheered. “Hallelujah!”
Richard’s eyes stayed fixed on Ava. “Indeed.” It was then she noticed that they weren’t so dark after all. They were hazel, a blend of brown and green with beautiful flecks of gold.
“Well now, I’ll leave you guys to it. Don’t forget the afternoon picnic,” Betty chimed as she strode toward the doorway. “Mable and Don want to meet our new company. They’re bringing a few of the grandkids and some mighty good food for us to enjoy as well.”
Richard nodded. “We’ll be there.” He turned back to Ava then. “Mable’s our head chef. Don’s her husband. They’re like the aunt and uncle you never had,” he said. “Great people. Just like Betty.”
Ava grinned. “I look forward to meeting them.”
Richard pulled out the desk chair and motioned to it before surveying the space on the desk. Between the computer, its keyboard, the desk calendar, and a clay mug filled with pencils and pens, there wasn’t a whole lot of space to speak of.
He shot a glance to the desk at the opposite side of the room. It didn’t look much better.
“You know what?” Ava said, noticing the seating area in the center of the room. A coffee table rested on a plush rug. A set of matching lounge chairs sat alongside. The side tables held things like lamps and plants, but the coffee table, apart from a few decorative items, was clear. She could already picture herself cozied up to it and digging into the stuffed folder.
“Since we don’t need the computer just yet, wecouldsit on the floor and use the coffee table. That way we can spread all of this stuff out and really get organized. We can use the floor space if we need to as well.”
Richard’s brow furrowed as he considered, but already he was nodding in agreement. “Alright. What else do we need to get started?”
Ava lifted a hand and ticked off her go-to items. “Paper clips, sticky notes, a printing calculator, a pencilwithan eraser that actually erases—you don’t know how hard that is to find—and two pens, one red, one black. Preferably.”
“Ah, so nothingtoospecific,” he said wryly. “I’m sure we have most of that stuff here, but I better see if we have a printing calculator. We won’t get too far without that, will we?”
“Not withthatstack,” Ava agreed with a laugh.
Richard pulled his phone from his back pocket and tapped on the screen. “Let me text Trenton and see if there’s one around here…”
Ava nodded. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was quite particular in this department. It was often that, rather than use her client’s printing calculators, she’d use her own. It was something she carried with her on the job.
“Don’t think I’m crazy,” she said as Richard tucked his phone back into his pocket. “But I always carried mine in my car.”
He lifted a brow. “Your printing calculator?”
“Yep. Most of my clients provided one, but mine’s incredible. The screen never dims or fades, it prints both blackandred, and the paper feedsperfectlyevery time. It’s like, my baby.”
A smile pulled at his full lips. Not just one of his half-grins either. It was a full-on, flawless teeth revealing grin that shot darts straight into her heart. That, combined with his hazel-eyed gaze, captured every part of her until she was smiling back at him like a silly schoolgirl. She liked knowing thatshewas the one who’d made him smile.
A small buzz sounded, and Richard broke her gaze and cleared his throat. “Let’s see what Trenton says,” he mumbled while retrieving his phone once more. His brow furrowed, and a sigh pushed past his lips. “He says if they have one, it’d be in one of the desk drawers. I figured as much, so I already checked them all. Twice,” he added, shaking his head. He rotated the phone within his grip as his face went thoughtful. It seemed to be an absent action, the push and pull of his fingers turning it face down, then face up within his grasp.
“How about we go buy you another baby?” he said suddenly.
“Huh?”
“You’re going to need one anyway, right? I mean, if you want to do accounting while you’re here. We’ll hire you to replace Mark Jepson if he leaves. And if he returns, then we’ll bring you on to assist him, in the very least.”
This was an area that Ava wasn’t clear on just yet. She knew she’d need to find employment, and a place to live as well; she couldn’t likely stay at the inn forever, though she wouldn’t mind doing so. She loved the feel of the cozy B&B and the security of having the Duran family close by. But it was good to know that she’d at least have one client.
Her thoughts shifted back to her living arrangements. The detective had said they’d offer financial help for a time, but soon she’d be on her own. She would need to be where the jobs and apartments were in order to support herself.
“If we’re going to head into town,” she said, recalling the small real estate booklet she’d snagged at the gas station. “I wonder if I could check out a few apartments at the same time.”
His face tightened in question. “Umm…sure, if you’d like to.”
A wave of embarrassment rushed in. “Sorry,” she said. “That’s probably a lot to ask. I can have Maverick take me if you’d prefer. I just don’t have a car yet.”
A flash of acknowledgement flared in his eyes. “Of course,” he said. “No, I’d be happy to help you find a place. Absolutely.”
