Page 38 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

I’m quiet for a moment, processing this new information. Until tonight, Hudson thought I was the kind of girlfriend who’d kiss another man on a dare. I’d always assumed he rejected me that night because he wasn’t interested.

Because that’s what he told you.

And he probably meant it.

Hudson ducks his head. “I know better than to think that about you now. Or about Tess and Darby. Either way, I shouldn’t have judged?—”

“Well, look who’s here!” My cousin, Lettie, appears above the back of our booth wearing her signature crooked grin. She’s with Nella, who looks like she’s her sister, but is another one of our cousins. Like everyone else in our generation, their wavy hair sits on the red spectrum. Except for the rebel who went blonde, trying to be different.

Me.

“Hey! Hi there!” I swallow hard, hoping the lighting’s too dim for them to see my blotchy face. They come around the side of the table, and I try to stand for hugs, but Lettie waves me down. “Don’t get up. We’ll be running into you all the time now.”

“Well. Not for too long.” I dart a glance at Hudson. “I’m only in town until The Beachfront reopens.”

“Oh, we know,” Nella says. Her smile is on the shy side. “Our moms already filled us in on the situation.”

“They get the scoop on their nightly walks,” Lettie adds with a smirk. “But you’ll be around for the next month, right?”

“Yep.” I smile weakly, still stuck on the fact that Hudson thought Hawk was my boyfriend.

“Speaking of The Beachfront,” Nella says. “How are things going there?”

“So far, so good,” Hudson says. He tips his head toward me. “Thanks to Olivia.”

“Well, the whole family’s rooting for you guys,” Lettie says. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

“Actually, there is,” I say, trying to ignore the fizzing in my stomach. I need to focus on the present, not what happened two years ago. “How would you feel about being in some pictures and videos over at the pub? I’m building new social media accounts for The Beachfront, and I could really use some updated footage.”

“But I thought the pub wasn’t opening until the 4th of July weekend,” Nella says. “Same as the inn.”

“It’s not,” Hudson says. “But we can let you in, right, Olivia?”

Again with the we.

I meet his gaze, and something flickers behind his eyes, like maybe he’s seeing me differently now that he knows Hawk and I were never a couple. Not that it matters. Hudson and I are still just coworkers. And he shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about me in the first place. Either way, I’ve got to stay committed to work right now, not my fizzing insides.

Also. Why are my insides fizzing?

“So.” I swing my gaze back to my cousins. “Are you up for a photo session at the pub? And would you be okay with me posting the results?”

“Sure.” Nella darts her gaze between Lettie and me. “I’m no model, but I’d love to help.”

“Me too,” Lettie says.

“Do you think your brothers would come?” I ask. “I’ll bring pizza as a bribe.”

“Three would do anything for pizza.” Nella grins. “And the school year just ended, so he’s free for the summer.”

This reminds me about another idea I had for Three—whose real name is Bradford, just like Mac, Ford, and Brady. Three is a full-time teacher at Abieville High, but he’s always taken on extra jobs as a supplement.

“Do you think he’d be interested in a side gig for the next couple of months? I’d love to pay him to lead some guided fishing tours on the lake. And maybe some hiking excursions offsite. We’d make the arrangements with the guests through the inn. All he’d have to do is show up.”

“I’ll bet Ford would want to get in on that, too,” Lettie chimes in. “He’s working the one-day-on, two-days-off schedule at the firehouse. And he loves getting paid even more than he loves pizza.”

Hudson clears his throat, and my eyes flit his way. That’s when I realize I haven’t run this plan by him yet.

Oops.

---