Page 92 of Final Proposal

His eyes narrow. Come on, Roddy. Let it go.

“Sure. Yes. Okay.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d left for the night.”

“I did.” He blushes as he fiddles with his keys before holding them up. “Found them.”

What am I missing here? Why does he seem so nervous?

“Found what? Your keys?” But if he’d lost his keys, how had he driven his truck home when he left earlier? Why is he lying to me?

“Yes. Keys. These keys.” He nods again as we enter the only other suite on the floor. When he doesn’t speak, I begin to assess the bathroom installation in case he thinks I’m lying about what I was doing. A guilty conscience and all.

“Did you need something else?” I ask and look up to him when I finish making notes on the punch list for the suite.

“No . . . but I’m glad I came, though. The same lady who was nosing around earlier is out there again. I told her she was on private property and needed to leave or we’d call the police for trespassing.”

“What lady?” I ask, completely confused.

“The reporter who was here earlier? Or at least she says she is. I would have figured Ford told you about her since she was camped out there for so long.”

“No. He didn’t.” What the hell? “What does she want?”

“She wants an exclusive with him. Or at least that’s what she’s gunning for.”

“Over the inn? Over the book—”

“Yeah. The book. She wants to know why the other two brothers are promoting it and he’s not. She’s playing the ‘there must be trouble in paradise angle’ or some shit like that.”

“Um. Okay. I had no idea.” Nor do I have any real answers as to why he’s not.

“Ford knows about her. He was the one who told us to turn her away earlier.” He looks around the bathroom and then back to me. “So, see? Losing my keys meant I came back and saved the day.” The joke falls flat but his nervous chuckles echo within the empty suite.

Something is off here.

“Anything else you need?” He shifts back and forth on his feet and keeps averting his eyes from mine. “Roddy?”

“No. Yes.” He rocks on his heels, clearly unable to stand still, and gives me a strained smile. “I’ve really enjoyed working with you on this project.”

“As have I with you.”

“And since there are only a couple of weeks left before we open to the public, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go out and celebrate a job well done?”

“Of course. I was already planning on doing a little something for everyone who’s worked so hard on this. Great minds think alike.”

“That’s not—Ellery.” He looks at me and then looks back down as it dawns on me. The fidgeting. The nerves. The showing back up here for lost keys. “I meant you and me. Just us.”

My recognition of what’s happening takes longer to process than him asking, and so I stare at him, blinking with my mouth lax and surprise owning me.

“Um. I—Roddy—”

“Hey. Rod. What are you doing here? Did you need help with something?” Ford asks as he walks into the suite. Either knowing or not knowing that his timing is perfect in this most uncomfortable situation.

Roddy startles and jumps back. “Ford. I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t see your car out front. I—”

“It’s parked next door. The lot was full earlier.” He looks at me and then back to Roddy. “Everything okay?”

“Yep. Just left my keys is all.” He holds them up and then accidentally drops them. They clatter on the floor as he bends over and fumbles to pick them up. “I was—I was just chatting with Ellery about how the project’s almost over.”