Page 104 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

Maybe.

Okay, definitely.

But the thrill of Olivia’s presence is secondary to my admiration of her skills. The new website for The Beachfront is thriving. So are all our social media accounts. She’s gotten advertising campaigns up and running, and she’s managed to train me on a lot of this—no easy feat. But the best part of her marketing strategy is that other people are doing so much of the promoting for us now. Thanks to hashtags (something Liv just taught me) and HadLink’s literal millions of followers, The Beachfront’s exposure has grown exponentially in a matter of days.

Previous guests want to return. New-to-us visitors want to book their first stay. We’ve been inundated with requests, and our waitlist of people hoping current reservations will cancel is a mile long. We’re already full for the rest of the summer, and well into October. It’s a vision realized.

The Johnsons’ dream come true.

“All thanks to you, Liv,” I say out loud. It’s what I’ve been thinking for days. She looks at me and shakes her head. We’re out on the porch with the remnants of a jumbo pizza on the table next to us.

“All thanks to me?”

“That’s what I said.”

“No way.” She scoffs, but her mouth slips into a smile. “Mac’s the one who invested in the renovations, and the Johnsons trusted you to manage this place. And let’s not forget, Hadley and Link blew us up on social media this week.”

“They only stayed here because of you.”

Liv slips out a laugh. “I can’t believe they’re already planning to come back.”

“I believe it. The Beachfront’s amazing, and now everyone knows it. By next weekend, this place will be full of guests. Because of you.”

“Fine. I’ll accept the compliment. Thank you.”

She bumps my shoulder, and all my internal organs spark like a flint-strike against stone. I’ve been waiting all week to be alone with her. But the minute Link and Hadley left, the Johnsons showed up with a couple of celebratory pizzas.

After the four of us ate, Liv and I gave them a tour of the new library setup. Then we took them through a dry run at the registration counter. When they saw the number of bookings for opening week and beyond, they were absolutely blown away.

Was I showing off for them? Maybe a little. Let’s just say Liv and I were both bursting with pride by the time the Johnsons went home. Which was just a few minutes ago. We walked them out and waved as they drove off.

Now we’re standing by the porch swing on this balmy summer evening.

Finally alone.

“So.” She gazes out toward the water. The sky is dusky now, and the boats along the dock are lighting up. “When do you think Teller and Winnie will show up?”

I wrap a hand around the rope suspending one side of the swing. “In the next twenty minutes or so. They were renting a car after work, but that was hours ago. Teller said he’d shoot me an ETA when he’s close.”

Liv chews at her lip, and I try not to be jealous of her teeth and their proximity to her tongue. When she notices me noticing, her smile floats all the way up to her eyes. “I hope he proposes tonight,” she says.

“Hey, now.” I paste on a fake frown. “That’s supposed to be a secret.”

She looks around, surveying the empty porch. “But nobody else is here.”

My shoulders hedge up. “We shouldn’t take any chances.”

“Fine.” She tips her chin. “My lips are sealed. But I do have rose petals ready and extra champagne chilling just in case … he proposes,” she whispers.

“Shhhh.” I throw a finger up to glide along her mouth, but I also crook a brow to let her know I’m teasing. Except Liv doesn’t pull away. Instead, she draws in a long breath, pressing her lips more firmly against my finger. Her exhale is warm against my skin, and my insides start to melt. If I’m not careful, I’ll pull her into my arms right now, drop onto the swing and kiss her senseless.

But we haven’t talked yet—about the future, or about us—so I slowly lower my hand. Liv blinks up at me, her mouth is an O, round and adorable. For a moment, she lets her gaze roam my face. Then she says, “I need to tell you something before your friends get here. Is that okay?”

“All right.” I gulp against the hope that she’s feeling the same thing I am.

“I want you to know how impressed I am by everything you’ve learned these past few weeks.” Her irises are extra big now. Twin lakes of emerald green.

I duck my head, acting bashful, but my chest swells at her praise. “I’d like to think you taught me pretty well.”

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