Page 87 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“I think you were so totally, definitely, absolutely, positively ready for tomorrow,” he says.

“Right.”

“Are you all right, cousin?” Brady takes a beat. “You sound a little … off.”

“I probably have bad breath,” I blurt. Again.

“Yeah.” He guffaws. “That tends to happen to people in the morning. Except for my beautiful wife. But Natalie’s not like regular people. She’s perfect, aren’t you, Nat?” He takes a beat, and I can hear Natalie protesting in the background.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” she calls out, “but I’m definitely not perfect.”

“You are. Don’t make me fight you, Nat,” he teases, before turning his attention back to me. “So, Liv. Go brush your teeth, then call me back. I want to nail down the details for Link’s visit. Not that I’m pinning my entire future on our meeting at The Beachfront going well,” he says. “But I’m pinning my entire future on our meeting at The Beachfront going well.” Brady punctuates his sentence with a long string of light-hearted chuckles.

Ahhh, yes. My cousin is such a kidder. At least I think he’s kidding. I hope he’s kidding.

Yeah. He’d better be kidding.

“Heh, heh, heh.” I squeeze out a laugh. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Brady,” I say. “Hudson and I will make sure The Beachfront is perfect for Link and Hadley. They’re going to absolutely love staying here.”

Ask me how I know.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Hudson

I’ve been down in the office for the past half hour trying to focus on work, but my brain keeps slipping back to one surreal fact: I just spent the night holding Olivia in my arms.

While tracking all the incoming food deliveries for the pub, I end up picturing her soft lips parted while she dreamed. As I double-check the schedules for our grounds crew and housekeeping, I flash back to the warmth of her body curled up with mine. After texting the chef to make sure he’s ready to work this week, I imagine what it would be like to lie next to Olivia every night.

Not that the chef reminds me of Olivia. He’s a retired fisherman with a handlebar mustache who went to culinary school as a second career. Still. The fact remains that I just enjoyed the best sleep I’ve had in as long as I can remember.

And I was embracing Olivia the whole time.

The truth is, I have feelings for this woman I never thought possible. Not for me. I didn’t see myself as capable of caring this much. In any previous relationship—not that Liv and I are even in a relationship—I always held pieces of myself back. Just a small, necessary protection for the moment when whoever I was with inevitably ended things.

Let’s call it a safety net for my heart.

But in all this time, I never considered that things probably ended with every other woman because I pulled away first. Instinctively. Proactively. And the reason just might be that those other women weren’t Olivia.

The closest I’ve ever come to dropping my guard before was with Jaqueline. I let her see a side of me that wanted more than a paycheck and a ladder to promotions. That sure came back to bite me. Like a rattlesnake in a pantsuit.

And yet, despite my determination to steer clear of relationships, Olivia has somehow managed to chip away at all my walls, one brick at a time. I don’t even want walls up around her anymore. But how could something between us even work?

When she first showed up here offering to manage The Beachfront, that was already a step down from a place like Luxe. But Liv was willing to compromise. She wanted to stay in town for a while to be closer to family. And she wanted to help the Johnsons.

Then she agreed to help me.

I’ve learned this generous instinct is par for the course when it comes to Olivia. She’s a magnet who draws people in. They want to be near her. To be like her. Olivia thinks everybody underestimates her, but I think they’ve actually been emulating her. She’s the one who’s been underestimating herself.

As if my thoughts summoned the genie from a lamp, Liv steps into the office now. She’s back in her bathrobe again, and I’m torn between wishing she was still draped in my clothes, and wanting them back right now just so I can see if they smell like her.

Annnnd now I sound like a creeper. Even to myself.

Strong work, Hudson.

“Umm, hey.” She gulps, so hard I can hear it. “I called my mom, and she’s coming to pick me up, so you don’t have to worry about dropping me off.”

I blink, a sliver of disappointment piercing my chest. I liked taking care of Liv. A lot. And I don’t think I want to stop. I know I don’t want to. “I’d be happy to drive you myself,” I say. “I have to get Ford’s truck back to him and pick my car up anyway.”

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