Page 93 of Just Act Natural

Ada flicks a hand. “Oh, everybody knows. Think of what you’ll do for our little town with your talents.”

“You’ll really put us on the map.” Isabel beams in her confidence.

“Well. You know. There’s an applicant pool.” Lila’s laugh is so thin, it might break apart. “But I’ve got my fingers crossed.”

“We all do, honey.”

“I can’t imagine what you have to worry about. With your talents, I’m sure they’ll offer it to you.” Ada checks her watch. “But we can’t stay to chat. We’re meeting our book group at Delish for dinner.”

That catches Lila’s attention. “What kinds of books does your group read?”

“Mysteries,” Ada says, at the same time Isabel answers, “Histories.”

Ada clears her throat. “Historical mysteries.”

Her friend steers her along the sidewalk, but waves her fingers at me. “Nice to meet you, much older Grant!”

Once they’re a block away, Lila turns to me. “They’re definitely reading romances, right?”

“That would be my guess.”

She starts to slip away from me.

“Hey.” I take her hand before she can put more distance between us. “Why does it bother you that they know about this job?”

She scrunches her nose. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“Princess.” Like I said—everything’s right there in her eyes.

She sucks in a breath, squeezing my fingers. “It’s a lot of pressure. Some people have high expectations for me. They think I’m…successful.”

“You think you’re not?”

“Mountain man, I have a part-time job and spend the rest of my days composing social media posts. When I was in Seattle, I had an executive suite. Here, I’m working out of my kitchen and Perk Me Up.”

“Yeah, but were you happier in the executive suite?”

Her lips part and close again like she’s fighting her answer. “No, I wasn’t happier. But if I don’t get this job, everyone’s going to know about it. It’s a lot to face.”

“I understand. Would it make you feel more confident in the job if you added another outdoorsy outing to your presentation?”

She groans and tugs at my hand, trying not to smile. “Why are you like this?”

“What can I say? I’m a mountain man.”

“I regret calling you that.”

“You do not.”

She shakes her head at me, but doesn’t pull away.

“We can rent bikes and do a short loop on a paved path. I’ve already scoped it out. You’ll do great.”

“I have time Thursday afternoon, but everything else is booked so I can get ready for the festival Saturday.”

“Thursday it is.”

“I can’t look at you.” Her laughter sets off sparklers in my chest. “Gloating is unattractive.”

---