Page 80 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

Toward Olivia leaving.

DAD

Hello, son. RE: The extra money in your final paycheck. That was a bonus for giving things a shot at Blaine & Co. You were only humoring me these past two years, and I do appreciate you trying. You’re a good man. RE: Your new position—I hope this change is proving to be a positive one. And I hope you’re finding happiness there. Be well.

HUDSON

Thanks for the vote of confidence. And for the bonus money. And for sticking things out with me no matter what. You really do practice what you preach, Dad. And I’m doing my best to make you proud. (Myself too. Just like you said.)

I send off the message to my dad, then read the final text.

FORD

Hey, man. Looks like some trees fell over on our side of the bridge, and they’re blocking most of the road. A crew of us are heading out from the station to clean things up now, but I have no idea when the bridge will reopen to civilian traffic. I can send an emergency rig over to get Olivia if you need me to. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume you’re staying put. Don’t worry about returning the truck tonight.

Whoa.

This one stops me cold. If the bridge is closed, and Ford wants me to keep his truck overnight, I have no way of getting Olivia back home myself. Which means we only have two choices.

Ford could use resources from the fire department to pick Liv up, but that seems pretty wasteful. Not to mention unnecessary. The other option is Olivia staying here with me.

My pulse picks up, even as my heart grinds to a halt. I know those two realities aren’t possible at the same time, but I swear that’s how my insides feel. I’m torn between wanting Liv to spend the night at the inn, and worrying that afterward, I won’t want her to leave.

Like … ever.

Talk about a rollercoaster.

Either way, I’d better go find her and tell her what’s going on.

I slip into a pair of dry sneakers then jog down to the lobby. When I come around the corner, I’m surprised to see Olivia’s not only there, she’s got a decent blaze going in the stone fireplace. Fresh wood crackles and pops in the firebox below the mantel. Ribbons of smoke curl up toward the flue. She’s crouched in front of the hearth with a soft, gray blanket wrapped around her body. She must’ve grabbed one from the laundry room where we keep the extras.

She looks cozy. Warm. At home.

“Hey,” I say, and she turns to look over her shoulder. One side of her face is lit up from the glow of the flames. “I’m glad you knew to open the damper, or we could’ve gotten pretty well smoked out.”

Her upper lip torques. “Well, I didn’t live in Colorado without learning how to operate a fireplace.”

The corners of my mouth tug up, and I’m once again impressed by Olivia’s savvy. She’s competent in so many ways I wouldn’t have expected. My heart shifts thinking about her staying at the inn with me overnight. Honestly, it’s been lonely here every day after she leaves. And I want to get to know her better. I’d like nothing more than to learn everything there is to discover about Olivia McCoy.

“I finished my room checks,” she says. “All’s quiet on the western front.” She licks her lips, and laughs. “Of course, I’m terrible with directions, so for all I know, I was actually in the east wing.”

I dip my head, leveling her with a stare. “You do that a lot, you know.”

“Do what?”

“Point out what you think you’re bad at instead of all the things you do well.”

Her shoulders hitch. “Because it’s reality. I may know how to build a fire, but I’m positively hopeless without a compass.” She offers me a small smile. “The point is, the buildings are watertight. That’s good news, right?”

“It is.” I nod, drawing in a breath at the nonchalance of her conversation. I’ve been standing here stunned by her beauty and skills, wanting nothing more than to spend time with her and deepen our connection. Meanwhile, she’s making jokes about not knowing east from west. Keeping things on the surface. Which is fine.

Of course it’s fine.

But it’s also a good reminder.

Liv and I may have felt drawn to each other a few times these past few weeks, but she’s also made it perfectly clear she always keeps her relationships casual. Like with Drake Hawkins. Nothing serious. No strings attached. So Olivia isn’t looking for anything more between us going forward.

She never was.

---