Page 101 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“So obvious.” Natalie snickers, and I pull in my brow.

Et tu, Natalie?

“Oops.” Hadley bites her lip. “Sorry, Olivia. Are you two supposed to keep things on the down-low because you work together?”

“I wish the situation were that simple.”

My throat constricts, and I force myself not to glance at Hudson again. If I do, I’ll never stop blushing. And anyway, I already know what I’d see if I looked. When I climbed onboard earlier, I got an eyeful I’m not about to forget. Hudson Blaine at the helm of a boat is about as tempting as a man can get, with the wind in his hair and his bare forearms steering a boat. It’s the veins. And also the flexing. Not to mention the golden skin I’d like to reach out and brush with my?—

“So make it simple then,” Natalie says, putting an abrupt halt to my forearm fantasy.

“Hmm?” I blink, bringing myself back to reality.

“You’ll only be coworkers for another week or so.” She tips her chin. “Couldn’t you two see where things lead after that?”

I swallow against the lump in my throat. Yes, Hudson and I said we’d revisit the conversation of us after Link and Hadley leave. And yes, I’m drawn to him in a way I’ve been unable to deny. But kisses—no matter how earth-shattering—don’t pay the rent.

“I’ve already stayed here longer than I expected,” I say on a sigh. “Eventually, I need to get back to the real world, don’t I?”

Don’t I?

“Ahhh. The real world.” Hadley nods, her lip quirking. “Link and I try to avoid that place as much as possible. Totally overrated.”

Natalie frowns. “Well, I, for one, don’t want you to go.” She takes a beat. “Isn’t there some other job you could pursue?”

“Sure.” I arrange my mouth into an upward curve. “If I’m willing to trade in years of experience to work at Spill the Tea or the Five and Dime. Which I’m not.”

“So what is the real world for you?” Hadley asks. “What kind of experience do you have?”

I fold my hands to keep from fidgeting. “I’ve been in the hospitality industry—mostly onsite resort work and online marketing—since college. I started in Breckenridge, then I moved to Aspen a couple years ago.”

“Aspen.” Hadley wags her eyebrows. “Fancy.”

“I guess.” My mouth goes crooked, and I picture my recent shift from pencil skirts to sundresses. Heels to flip-flops. Blazers to bathing suits. “Luxe was pretty much the opposite of The Beachfront.”

“So how did you end up here, then?” she asks.

“Oof.” I wrinkle my nose. “I’m not proud of the story, but I came here to hide out for a while after I got passed over for a big promotion and quit my job.”

“And you wanted to visit your wonderful family,” Natalie chimes in.

“Of course, I wanted to see my wonderful family.” A genuine smile spreads across my face. “It’s actually been great to be in town for longer than a holiday weekend or a wedding.”

“I can imagine,” Hadley says. She surveys the rippling water and the stretch of shoreline as the brilliant sky slides toward evening. “It’s so serene here. I love it already,” she adds. “In fact, this place could be a wedding venue contender.”

“Wow.” I gape at her. “Abieville? Really?”

“The Beachfront. Yes.” Hadley flashes me a grin. “I might’ve posted something about that right before we got on the boat. And by ‘might’ve’ I mean I definitely posted something about that right before we got on the boat.” She inclines her head toward Sam. “I hope you don’t mind, but Sam took this great picture of Link and me under the gazebo in front of the inn, and I just couldn’t help myself.”

A smile tugs at the corner of my lips as I picture Francine Tomlin’s face when she gets a load of that news. “I don’t mind at all. The Beachfront is beautiful.”

“So how did you end up working there?” she asks.

I finally allow myself to dart a quick glance at Hudson. “I heard the owners needed help with the reopening, and I was—ahem—unemployed.” I offer up a small cringe, leaving out the part where I actually hoped to become the new manager. “So I signed on to assist Hudson with marketing and promotion, knowing this was only a short-term assignment.” I push out a chuckle, keeping things light. “I can’t live in my grandmother’s sewing room permanently.”

“Ah!” Hadley grins. “The grandmother who thinks Hudson looks like my oh-so-gorgeous hunk of a fiancé?”

“The very same,” I say. Real laughter breaks free from me as I picture her on the couch, convinced Lincoln James was coming up our walkway.

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