“Hey, Connor,” Maisie said as she walked into the kitchen. She was working on finishing all of the cabin decorations while also working with clients in town on their homes.
“Hey, Maisie,” he said distractedly, still trying to think of a way to find time to be alone with Lexi.
“You okay?” she asked as she helped herself to a bottle of water from their massive refrigerator.
“What? Oh, uh…yeah. Sorry. Just thinking.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
If only…
“Thanks, but…probably not,” he said miserably.
“Ooh…that doesn’t sound like you.” She pulled up a stool and sat down. “Come on. Talk to me.”
“Maisie…”
“Look, I get that I’m not one of the guys, but I’m a great problem-solver. Trust me.”
“I don’t know.”
“This is about Lexi, isn’t it?”
His eyes went wide. “How…?”
“Because if it were about food or the resort, you’d be talking it out. If you’re being quiet, it’s personal.” She shrugged. “So? Talk to me.”
What did he have to lose?
“Okay, you know how we’ve all been hanging out after dinner around the firepit?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s been a great way to unwind.”
“I feel like we’re either always in a group or with the kids. All I want is a chance to spend some time alone with Lexi, but it’s not possible because…”
“Because you’re either with the group or with the kids,” she finished for him. “Got it.” Pausing, she took a sip of her water. “Axel and I could take the kids to the movies. You know, we’ll grab pizza first and then see the movie and maybe even get ice cream after it. They’ll come back on a sugar high, but it would easily give you four hours to yourselves.”
It almost sounded too easy.
“Don’t you think you should ask Axel first before you volunteer him for this sort of thing?” he asked with a laugh. “He doesn’t strike me as the babysitting type.”
“Are you kidding me? There’s a new animated movie that just came out, and it’s all he’s been talking about. This would be the perfect excuse for him to see it without feeling like some sort of weirdo hanging out at a children’s movie.”
That just made him laugh more. “Do you really think he’d go for it? I know everyone’s been doing their best to babysit me and Lexi because of her stipulations when she accepted the job.”
“Oh, we’ve all gotten over that. Once we saw that she’s actually started some of the interactions between the two of you, we all relaxed.”
“Really? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because then you would have gone overboard and potentially made her uncomfortable again.”
He shook his head. “It’s a little unsettling how well you know the dynamics of our little group already.”
She smiled. “I’m a people-watcher, and I’ve spent a lot of time with all of you. And I’m not planning on going anywhere. Axel and I are…things are good. Really good. He’s my person, and I hope that I’m his.”
“Maisie, you know you’re his person. It’s been that way practically since the two of you met. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you were engaged by the end of the year.”
That just made her smile grow. “I’d love that. We talked about it, and we didn’t want to horn in on Walker and Harlow’s announcement.”
