“Told you we shouldn’t have sent them to Trenton’s address,” he mumbled.
“Whatever,” Emmitt said, trying to shift back to the positive energy he’d summoned before the stupid email came. “I’ve been manifesting what I want, and I think it’s about to walk into my life.”
The sun was doing its best to peek through the clouds, lending a hint of warmth and a good deal of light. That, combined with the brightness of the slushy ground, made Emmitt wish he had his sunglasses.
“Manifesting?” Maverick said. “You haven’t even read the book yet. You can’t change overnight.”
Emmitt tipped his head to one side as he weighed his brother’s response. “I’ll read it soon enough. Besides, Dr. Ross said the mere shift in focus will bring me what I want. I can catch up on the rest later.”
“Well, so far all it’s brought you is extra pilot training,” Maverick razzed.
“True,” he grumbled. A deep, rather defeated sigh slipped past his lips as he moved the paperback from one hand to the next. Part of him wanted to chuck the thing across the inn’s spacious grounds and watch it sink into the slush. It wasn’t as if Emmitt hated his player ways. On the contrary—they’d served him well over the years. But the more he listened to that podcast, the more Emmitt understood that unless he wanted to be alone forever, he needed to change. He just didn’t know how.
“Why, speak of the handsome devil himself,” came Betty’s cheery voice from behind.
“Sounds like someone’s talking aboutme,” Maverick said.
Betty, who’d helped run the inn for over twenty years, was one of Emmitt’s favorite people. That fact alone made him slow in his tracks despite his irritated urgency to get home and charge his phone.
Maverick had already spun around to greet her. “Holy crap,” he breathed. “Who do we have here?”
Emmitt was quick to turn back and see what had taken Maverick by surprise. Perhaps Betty was holding Lucy; the dog’s vet checkup was the reason Betty had missed the roundtable meeting today.
But Lucy wasn’t the one accompanying her. In fact, walking alongside Betty was one of the most stunning creatures Emmitt had ever laid eyes on. Dressed in stiletto boots and a long trench coat, the pretty blonde trailed the freshly shoveled walkway, her eyes flashing from Maverick to him.
Whoa.It felt like a punch in the gut, the fast and sudden heat that socked him low in the stomach at the sight alone.
“This young lady here is looking for you, Emmitt,” Betty said, that thick southern tone coating every syllable.
“You’re kidding me,” Maverick grumbled under his breath. “How in Hades did you manifesther?”
Emmitt couldn’t hide his shock. “What? She is?” It wasn’t often anyone was looking specifically for him. He’d recently changed his name, changed his location—heck, he’d changed his whole life.
The woman reached out to shake his hand. “Sloane,” she said through a grin.
Wait, was that the same voice he’d been listening to for the last four hours?
“I was sent here by Extra Mile Aviation,” she explained in that silky French accent.
Well, that answered his question. Here was the object of his frustration in the flesh. “Hi. Or should I saybonjour?” he said flatly. With a fair amount of reluctance, he accepted her offered hand, yet as Emmitt slid his palm along hers, an unexpected thrill shot through him. “You’rethe instructor?”
She freed herself from the handshake and tucked her hair behind one ear. She’d been all confidence a second ago, but as he pinned her with a scrutinizing gaze, she shrugged bashfully.
“What…not expecting a woman, Ah-meet?”
“It’sEm-mitt,with an eh sound, not ah. And Idon’t knowwhatI expected,” he said. “But Icantell you that I’m not happy about all this extra training.”
He watched as she seemed to suppress a grin. “Oh, poor Ah-meet. I am so very sorry for you. Now, we start this week, yes?”
Maverick cleared his throat. “I’m Maverick, Emmitt’s handsomer younger brother,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’d behappyto take Emmitt’s place and do the training for him.”
Sloane’s grin bloomed as she shook Maverick’s hand in return. “Charmed,Mavareek, but I am afraid I have to decline that offer. Your brother must do the training for himself.” Her eyes wandered back to Emmitt, seeming to settle on whatever he held in his hand. He glanced down and remembered, with a shock of terror, the paperback he’d bought.
Crap!
Emmitt hurried and tucked the thing behind his back. Had she seen the title?
“Well, my duty is done here,” Betty said. “I better get back to little Lucy.”
