Page 32 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“Nope,” Teller says.

I frown. “It’s Olivia.”

“Olivia Nope.” Teller chuckles. “Sounds perfect for you, my friend.”

“Trust me. She’s not.”

He smirks. “What’s wrong with her, then?”

“Nothing’s wrong. She’s just … completely off the table.”

“So put her back on, man.”

“I can’t.” I shake my head, blowing out a breath. “You know what? I never should’ve brought this up.”

“Yeah, but you did, which means you want me to convince you.”

“I definitely don’t.”

“Well. As your friend, I’m going to anyway.” He leans closer to the screen to plead his case. “This woman is in the same town with you, and you’re single now, and don’t forget she kissed you before.”

“Not her choice. It was a dare.”

“Even better. That means she’s up for some fun.” Teller wags his eyebrows. “And Abieville’s a small town, right? So maybe you’ll run into each other again at—what was that bar?”

“The Launch Pad.”

“Exactly.” Teller grins. “The launching of a beautiful friendship.”

Winnie leans down until her face is in the screen again right next to Teller’s. “If this woman was willing to kiss you on a dare, she’s at least a little bit into you. So I say go for it.” She puts a hand on Teller’s shoulder. “Then you two can visit us in the city for a double date.”

I frown. “I love you, Win, and I hate to burst your fantasy, but it’s too late.”

“Why?”

“Because I offered her a job at The Beachfront. She started yesterday.”

Teller scoffs. “You what?”

“She’s taking over all the marketing, publicity, and advertising,” I explain. “Just for the next month until we get the place back on track.”

“Uh-huh.” Teller nods. “So you and Nope are a we now.”

“It’s not like that.” I pull in my brow. “Olivia’s just got a lot of experience in areas I know nothing about. I need her help. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh.” Teller nods, slowly. “So to recap, you ran into an attractive woman you’ve got history with—who you definitely don’t want to date, but who you absolutely think you need—and you made sure you’ll be with her every day for the next month, even though you’ve sworn off relationships. Did I sum that up correctly?”

“When you put it that way …” I scrub a hand down my face, and the scruff on the lower half scrapes my palm.

Teller chokes on a laugh. “Super smart, man. Super smart.”

“You know what? Maybe I am smart. Because now that Olivia and I are working together, we’ll be forced to keep things professional. Technically, she’s my assistant, which makes me the boss. And I promised her a reference when she leaves. So anything happening between us would be—at best—unethical. And at worst, against some kind of workplace rules. So there’s no chance of romance at all, right?”

“Sure, buddy.”

“Oh, Hudson.” Winnie’s mouth is on a slant. “Have you ever seen a Hallmark movie?”

I puff out a chuckle. “Not exactly my genre.”

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