Page 7 of Love is a Roller Coaster

“It’s okay. You can still call me Tyler,” I say back.

Brittany’s eyes bounce back and forth between us. “Wait…wait. You guys know each other?”

“Uh, sort of?” I say, just as Brooke exclaims a quick, “No, not at all!”

Brittany raises a brow at us. “Uh huh, sure.” She grabs her purse off the reception desk and heads to the door, but not before poking me in the chest. “I’ll get the truth out of you soon enough.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I reply.

She laughs and heads out the door, waving over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow!”

I resume my paper shuffling, trying to appear unaffected by Brooke’s appearance. But my jittery fingers betray me, and I slice the tip of my index finger on the edge of a sheet of paper.

I hiss, immediately shoving my finger in my mouth.

“Are you okay?” Brooke asks.

Smooth moves, Tyler.What a way to make an impression. Gotta love a man who can’t handle a paper cut. I take my finger out of my mouth and shake my hand to dry it off. “Yep. I’m fine.”

“Let me see.” She holds her hand out.

“It’s fine.”

She wiggles her fingers, egging me on.

“Seriously, Brooke, it’s just a paper cut.”

Not one to be deterred, she reaches out and snatches myhand, holding it close to her face and examining the cut carefully. Her touch sets my nerves on fire, and it’s not just because of my injury.

She grimaces in sympathy. “Ouch. I hate paper cuts.”

“Yeah, same.” Reluctantly, I pull my hand away from her grasp. “But we have plenty of band-aids here, so I’ll be fine.” I bend down and open the cabinet at the bottom of the reception desk, where a first aid kit waits for moments like these. “See?” I say, holding it up.

She smiles. “I guess you’re managing just fine, after all.”

I shrug. “I have band-aids and a hotel. What else could a man ask for?”

“Yeah, so…this isyourhotel?” she asks slowly.

I nod.

“How…when…” Her voice trails off.

“Four years ago, I started as an intern.” I lean in toward her. “So, yes, I was a pool boy at one point.”

She smiles, but it’s a nervous one, like she’s worried she offended me.

“It was an easy job, just a way to pay the bills so I could surf whenever I wanted. But it turns out I really enjoy working here. I love Canyon Cove, you know? So helping visitors find the best spots to eat, showing them around, and giving them the best experience Southern California has to offer was better than I expected.”

“I can see you being great at that,” she says. “You were the best tour guide when I was here before.”

I smile widely. “Thanks. That means a lot.” I check my watch. “Speaking of which, you’re probably trying to head out for the art walk, so I won’t keep you.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” She looks out the front door at the people milling around on the street. “It’ll last for a few hours, right? At least, it did when we went last time.”

I nod. Does shewantto stay and talk?

“Plus,” she continues, holding up a perfectly manicured finger, “you still haven’t told me how you ended up owning the hotel.”

---