She slapped me on the hip.
"You're a little bit kinky, Hazel," I said, kissing her jaw. "Between the body paint, the edible underwear, and this strange obsession you have with my nude form."
"You have an obsession with my nude form," she murmured, pressing herself against me.
"That I do," I said, kissing her.
* * *
The next morningat breakfast was rough. I was glad to see I wasn't the only one struggling. Zarah and Ida looked fit, though.
"You young people don't know how to hold your alcohol," Zarah sniffed, filling up her plate at the breakfast buffet.
Hazel stood up. She was a little wobbly, so I held out an arm to steady her.
"I would just like to say thank you, everyone, for making the trip out here. We hope you got a sense of the wonderful projects and events Harrogate has planned. We eagerly await your decision. We know Harrogate is the last stop on your tour. We'll see you next in New York City for the announcement ceremony."
We shook hands with the judges, walked them downstairs, and said our goodbyes.
Ida hugged Zarah. "Make the right choice."
I shook my head.
"I'll call you, Ida," Zarah said. "We'll do lunch."
"How do you think it went?" Chloe asked when we went back upstairs to where the breakfast buffet had been set out.
"We're going to win," Ida said emphatically as she went back for seconds and another round of mimosas. "Me and Zarah had a connection."
"And Tracy loves you, Chloe," I added.
"Thankfully I invited them over for coffee and tea a few months ago," Chloe said. "That was before I knew about Art Zurich or that they were even part of the selection committee."
"I didn't want them to come over. They're really overbearing," Jack said. "But if it wins the expo, then my sacrifice wasn't in vain."
"The expo will be good for your franchise," I told Chloe.
"Definitely. Although I still need to find someone to run it. Neither Nina nor Maria seem like they want to move out here to run it, especially since we have two new ones in New York City they can run."
"I have to go," Hazel said abruptly. "Thank you so much for all your help, Chloe and Jack. I have the art retreat this afternoon to prep for, so I need to run."
"Very nicely done," Josie said to Hazel, hugging her. "I think we made a great impression."
"I'll see you this afternoon," I said, kissing Hazel then letting her go. "Now I only need to wrangle that strip mall site from McKenna," I said to Mace.
"I can't believe you ever became involved with her," my twin said.
"Of my many terrible decisions, McKenna wasthe worst."
55
Hazel
From the highest high of the successful weekend showing off Harrogate to the judges, my mood was dashed when Archer started talking to Chloe about the Grey Dove Bistro. I couldn't even hate her because she was so darn nice.
I set about cleaning the kitchen. Jemma already had the sandwiches made and had taken them over to Ida's General Store. A stack of mail heralding bad news taunted me from the table. I picked an envelope at random. A boss babe should not just ignore things that would be detrimental to her business. I wasn't going to tackle all of them, though. I didn't have the energy. I slowly took a knife and opened the letter from the bank.
You are three months behind on your mortgage payment. Failure to pay will end in foreclosure. Due to the recent law passed in the State of New York, you can sell back your debt and turn over possession of your house or property, and our bank will forgive the mortgage. Should you wish to seek this option in lieu of continuing your mortgage, please call and schedule an appointment.
