Page 78 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“So.” I shift my weight. “Did you get the tarps all sorted out?”

He nods. “And Gerald Johnson called. He wants us to keep him posted on any potential leaks. I thought you and I could each take a wing of the property and check for damage. Fingers crossed everything’s watertight.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Yes, it does. So why are you still standing frozen by Hudson’s bed?

“All right then.” He turns toward the door, then tips his head. “You coming?”

“Mmm hmm.” I force my body out of statue mode and follow him out of the room. “No leaks in there,” I chirp, aiming for a casual tone. “I guess that’s one place checked off the list.” My cheeks heat with the lameness of the statement.

You’re acting guilty, Liv. Stop it.

“I’ll let you look in on the rest of this wing,” Hudson says. “I’ll take the other building and the pub. Meet me back in the lobby after, and assuming there aren’t any issues, we can start sifting through names for the pub.”

“Deal.”

He starts down the hall, and as I watch him go, words start to bubble up in me. Words I don’t want to speak out loud. So I bite them back.

Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.

“You’re reading Wuthering Heights!” I blurt.

You said it.

Hudson stops in his tracks, then slowly turns to face me. He reaches up to comb his fingers through his hair, and I notice it’s still damp. Which makes sense since he was securing the bins with tarps, while I was up in his room unintentionally exploring his personal space.

“Yeah.” He bobs his head like he’s unbothered, but I notice the tic in his jaw. “I thought you might’ve seen that.”

Chapter Thirty

Hudson

Annnnnd this is exactly what I was afraid of.

Now Olivia probably thinks those books have something to do with how I feel about her. Like I maybe care a little bit. Or a lot.

If I tell her I only ordered those books for the library collection, that might embarrass her and make things awkward between now and the reopening. If I tell her I’m reading these books because I want to know her better, and I started with Emily—the ham in the sister sandwich—because that’s what Liv is to the triplets, I might make things harder on both of us when she leaves.

I’m in a lose-lose situation.

So I go for the middle ground. I’m playing Goldilocks, hoping my explanation ends up just right.

“I didn’t know how many classics the Abieville residents would donate to the inn, so I figured we’d start the collection off with a few books I knew we’d both recommend. I got one from each of the three Brontes, and I’ll be adding my own copies of The Stand, Misery, and The Shining. That way both our favorites are represented in the library. Since it’s a team effort and all.”

Emphasis on team. Partnership. A work collaboration and nothing more.

“I love that idea.” Olivia shifts her weight. “It’s very thoughtful.”

Yes. Exactly.

“That’s what I was going for,” I say. An idea just thoughtful enough that she feels special, but not so thoughtful that she suspects my feelings for her have been growing daily. Meanwhile, I’ve been staying up late reading Wuthering Heights long after I should’ve gone to sleep because I want to move on to Jane Eyre—Liv’s favorite book—before the reopening.

Before Olivia goes, you mean.

“Well, you succeeded,” she says, playing with the hem of my sweatshirt. It hits just above her knees.

Yep. There it is. Olivia looks adorable again. And she’s not only adorable, she’s also swimming in my clothes. Clothes I’ll be wearing again someday. And I find myself hoping some of her sweet cocoa butter scent rubs off on them. I don’t have to do laundry ever again, do I?

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