Shows what I know. I admit to being stubborn and having an intense dislike for change.
Soyou’re glad about the changes now? Even the pavilion?
Especially the pavilion. We shared quite a few sunset kisses under that roof.
Her breath hitched at his words. But another text popped up before she could respond.
Sorry. Probably shouldn’t have said that.
It’s okay.But she couldn’t help but envision the pair of them sitting at one of the picnic tables, sharing a kiss as the sun sank below the horizon. Was he a good kisser? He had nice lips. His cupid’s bow dipping down from rounded peaks, his bottom lip fairly lush. She’d noticed them right off, even though they’d usually been curled in a smirk.
Renting out the slips has been huge for us,he texted when she failed to respond. Easy money. Brilliant.
Pleasure bloomed inside at the compliment.Thank you.
The barn venue will be another great source of income once it’s finished.
She hadn’t gone to inspect it yet, but she probably should since the low season would offer more time to focus on it. She wanted to have the work completed before she left at the end of the year. And the exterior would have to be finished before winter set in.
Do you know what my plans were for the remodeling?
We discussed it at great length. You were so excited about it. You even did some sketches. You keep them on the shelf in your closet.
I’lltake a lookat them. Would you be able to go over there with me soon?She paused before sending it. It would mean spending time with him. But she’d apparently spent a lot of time thinking about what the barn would require, and she needed to implement those ideas quickly if she planned to finish it before she left. She sent the text, and he responded immediately.
Would tomorrow around one work?
It was after checkout and before the weekend check-ins.Sure. I’ll be at the lodge.
I’ll see you then.
Good night.
Night.
Lauren plugged in her phone, shut off the lamp, and settled in bed. If she had the tiniest of smiles on her face, it was only because she was excited about her new venture with the barn.
Chapter 16
All morning Lauren kept glancing at her watch. She had only two guests to check out. She’d brought the barn binder she’d found in her closet but hadn’t found time to review it between tasks.
Meg and Tammy were working in the office and Tom, on Tammy’s order, had gone fishing. The three women ate lunch together, chatting about the resort, Tom and Tammy’s upcoming travel plans, and town gossip. They carefully avoided the topic of Lauren and Jonah.
Had they approved of her relationship with Jonah? They seemed to like her well enough, but people sometimes hid their true feelings. Maybe Tammy didn’t think Lauren was good enough for him. She wouldn’t be the first mother to disapprove of her son’s girlfriend.
After all, Lauren was leaving at the end of the year. Surely she’d been concerned about the possibility of losing Jonah. Since Tom had all but retired, it would put the future of the resort in jeopardy. But then, Sydney had mentioned Lauren was reconsidering her return to Boston. Maybe they were aware of that.
After lunch Lauren pulled out the binder and scanned her drawings. She was no artist, that was for sure. But she got a vague idea of what she’d envisioned for the final product. Of course, without seeing the barn in its current condition, it was hard to know how much effortwould be involved. She had made pages of notes, but many of them were half thoughts, sometimes just a word or two. Even so, she was getting excited about the project—it would be a welcome diversion from her troublesome memory issues. She hoped Jonah could shed some light on her previous intentions.
He arrived five minutes early in jeans and a black tee that did nice things for his form. He wasn’t a bulky guy, but he had broad shoulders that tapered down to a trim waist. His arms were muscular—whether from his work at the resort or time in a gym, she had no idea.
His face lit up when he caught sight of her behind the counter. “Hey. You ready to go?”
“Hi. Yeah.” She slapped the binder shut. “I was just glancing over my notes.”
He held the door for her, then followed her down the steps, awkwardness trailing them like an unwelcome shadow. Why could she text him without feeling weird but being with him felt so uncomfortable? He’d apologized for his behavior—which was now months past. She would just have to get over it.
They treaded across the pine needle carpet, passing the cabins. One of the cleaners was shaking out a rug on Hickory’s deck.
