Page 19 of In Spades

I took my time cleaning the room next to his, wanting to delay the inevitable a little longer. Maybe it’d be my lucky day, and he’d be gone.

“Kristin, I can hear you out there, you know.” There was a note of humor in Will’s voice as he called from inside the room.

I groaned and scanned my keycard.

“Mr. Solomon, I am so sorry,” I blurted out, white-knuckling the brown paper bag in my hands like I was prepared for battle.

Will stood on the opposite side of the door, arms crossed. One corner of his mouth was pulled up in an amused smirk. “If it isn’t my favorite housekeeping elf,” he teased, lifting the gold and green Taylor Creek Inn mug to his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated desperately. A complaint to Rich the Dick was the last thing I needed. Even if it wasn’t my fault, Rich sought every opportunity to flex his firing privileges. “My friends are awesome, but they have no boundaries—or filters. They mean well, but?—”

Will reached out and gently touched my wrist, chuckling softly. “Kristin, breathe. It’s okay.”

I looked down where he brushed his thumb across my forearm. I sucked in a sharp breath. Goosebumps cropped up on my skin, and I realized how close we were standing.

His white and navy raglan shirt stretched tight across his chest. The woodsy spice of his cologne made me want to climb him like a tree. Standing so close to him felt like hiding away in a mountainside cabin, snuggling in a well-worn quilt.

“Will,” I whispered reluctantly. “I should tidy your room. I don’t want to fall behind schedule.”

He let go of my wrist but didn’t back away from the door.

I held out the brown paper bag. “A peace offering.”

His fingers brushed mine as he took the bag from me, sending a zip of electricity down to my toes. He pulled out the bottle inside and nodded approvingly. Hazel eyes crinkled at the corners.

“Cinnamon creamer. The elves listen well.”

I grabbed a roll of trash bags off the cart and slipped past him.

“The bar was great, by the way,” he called out while he opened the mini-fridge and put the bottle of creamer inside. “The food and beer were solid.”

“I’m glad,” I said, emptying the trash in the bathroom.

“You weren’t there.”

I dropped the trash bag into the cleaning cart and froze. Did he expect me to be at Jokers last night? “I had to run errands after work.”

“Bummer,” he said rather casually.

I peeked around the corner as I loaded my arms with spray bottles.

Will sat in the desk chair like always. He hadn’t turned his laptop on, though. That was weird. He wasn’t working like he had been every other day I came in to clean.

Had he been waiting for me?

“How’s the staycation going?” I asked, changing the subject as I sprayed down the bathroom counters. “Change of scenery doing wonders for your productivity?”

His pearly white grin reflected in the conveniently angled bathroom mirror. “Not really.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m not.”

“Taking a break might help,” I offered, grabbing the stack of fresh linens from the cart. “Go out and see the sights. Go to the beach.” With a steeled expression, I marched into the bedroom. “Do you mind if I ask what you do?”

Will sat with his back to the desk, watching me as I moved through the room. That usually bothered me, but with him… I could get used to having his eyes on me.

“I, uh, used to be in computer engineering.”

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