Did she want this too?
I flicked my gaze from her mouth, to her eyes, to her mouth, and then back to her eyes. She wasn’t pulling back. If anything, I swear I felt her lean in.
Taking the invitation, I moved closer as well. And then I paused. I would wait here until she was ready. If she moved again, I would take that as my sign to close the gap. If not, I’d brush it off as my out-of-control flirty side taking over. But I wasn’t going to ruin our agreement by acting recklessly.
“Liam,” she whispered as she met my gaze once more. “I…” Her lips remained parted as she stared at me. Like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what.
And then I felt selfish. I’d pushed her too far. I’d acted only on what I wanted. I didn’t think about her. I knew she was struggling. I knew that she wanted to do a good job. And kissing your boss was most definitely not in an assistant’s job description.
So I smiled at her as I dropped my hand. “Sorry, I promised to reign in flirty Liam,” I said as I let go of her hand and collapsed back against the couch. I rested the arm closest to her against the back of the couch. “Can you forgive me?”
She studied me, her gaze unreadable. I didn’t want to spend too much time trying to dissect her expression. After all, the last thing I wanted was for her to be disappointed in me, so I went with aloof.
“Why don’t you show me what you’re thinking about,” I said as I nodded toward the tablet.
Sabrina paused before she reached over and grabbed her tablet. I waited, wondering where she was going to sit, and my heart sang when she moved to sit next to me with her back against the couch so I could see over her shoulder. “This is the look I’m going for.”
15
EMERY
I was sore by the time Abigail shut and locked the doors to the shop. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done so much manual labor. Working corporate had made me weak.
Truth was, after my embarrassing meltdown about Rex, I was grateful for the work. I’d needed the distraction. I was also grateful that Noah didn’t ask me questions when I got back to the register. Apparently, he’d finished serving Rex and the man had been sent on his way. He was just a blip on my healing journey.
Just before closing time, Bash texted to say that Timothy wanted us to go swimming with him. I was excited to see the hotel that I’d help create and to spend some time with my son. I missed him and was ready to get back to mom mode.
We helped Abigail clean up the shop before we headed back to her apartment. Thankfully, she had a pair of Bash’s trunks for Noah to borrow. Apparently, he hadn’t packed a pair for himself. I threw my swimsuit and a change of clothes into my bag and headed out to the living room, where Noah and I waited for Abigail to emerge from her room.
I sat up front with Abigail while Noah rode in the back as we drove to the hotel. Abigail kept my mind busy by listing off the single guys on the island that might be at the event tomorrow night. Apparently, Bash had been sharing the details of the dinner with her, and she was more than excited to relay them to me.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about going to the event. If my reaction to Rex was any indicator of how I was going to respond to a room full of men, I might as well call it here. I was a mess, and I doubted magnifying my anxiety was the best way of handling my stress.
But I couldn’t let it overwhelm me. I had to find someone to marry, or I was going to lose everything I’d worked so hard to keep alive after Carson’s death. I was broken, but I wasn’t a quitter. I’d find a way.
I blew out my breath as Abigail turned on Sweet Tea Street and I got a glimpse of the hotel in the distance. My entire body froze as I stared at it. It stood tall against the backdrop of the sky. We’d gone with a more classical design with columns and exquisite architecture. The glass windows shimmered in the orange and purple sunset. The ocean could be seen in the distance, perfectly framing it in.
“Beautiful,” I whispered, unable to pull my gaze from it.
Carson had drawn up the designs for this hotel before he passed away. It was an idea that wouldn’t leave him alone and allowed him to exercise his love of creating. He was ecstatic when his father approved of the hotel and agreed to invest in it. After Carson passed, the idea had been tossed into a drawer until I pulled it out a few years ago.
I’d been waiting for the perfect place to build it, and when Harmony Island came on Torres’s radar, I searched for the perfect piece of land. Now seeing Carson’s plan come to life in front of me, I fought the tears that brimmed my eyelids. This was the perfect place to build his legacy.
I was still in awe as Abigail pulled up to the front doors and parked her car. The parking lot was basically empty, no doubt the construction workers had left for the night. Noah, Abigail, and I all climbed out of the car and slammed the doors at the same time. I pulled the strap of my bag up onto my shoulder and followed Abigail into the building.
I knew the design like the back of my hand, but Abigail obviously knew where she was going, so I was going to rely on her expertise.
“We’re hosting the event tomorrow in the ballroom,” Abigail said as she nodded to the room to the left of us.
The large doors had been left open, revealing deep, rich wood flooring and chandeliers that glimmered in the setting sun. The place smelled like new carpet and fresh paint.
“They’ve really come along quickly with the build,” she said as she took a left and headed down another hallway. “Bash has been riding them to get it done.”
I nodded. I was grateful that Bash cared about this place as much as I did. He knew how important it had been to Carson. It was an unspoken pact between the two of us—to finally see Carson’s dream come to life.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, my voice faltering as my emotions choked me.
Being here made Carson’s absence that much stronger. I missed my husband. I missed my friend. I missed my partner in crime. I wished he could have been here to see this place. He would have been so proud.
