Page 40 of The Main Event

And I didn’t like it.

All I could think about was Daisy. If she was with me, she would’ve run down every item on the menu, told me why it wasgood, and then gone her own way when it came to ordering. She wouldn’t have cared about making me like her.

And that’s why I liked her.

The realization was like a punch to the solar plexus. Sure, I’d already realized it, even if I hadn’t acknowledged it. I was attracted to her, though.

I liked the way she smiled.

I liked the way she laughed.

When she was being mischievous with Levi, her whole face lit up.

I’d had exactly one meal with her, and yet sitting across from Tammy all I could think about was how I wished it was her with me.

She was a complete and total pain in the ass. There was no getting around that. She was trouble with a capital T.

She was also a good person, a hard worker, and she had loved my grandfather without reservation.

“So, what are your plans?” Tammy asked, jolting me back to reality.

“My plans for what? For the hotel? I’m still not sure. I might fix it up and sell it. I might only continue with the renovations my grandfather had planned and sell it. I might … not sell it.”

It was the last part that threw me even harder. Could I make a go of this hotel? I’d never pictured myself running the sort of business that took hands-on effort. The past week at the hotel had been fun, though. Sure, it had been work, but it had been entertaining at the same time.

According to my father, work was never supposed to be fun. That’s why they called it work. Maybe he was wrong, though.

“Well, I think you should keep it,” Tammy said. “You’re an excellent boss, and even though you’re a little soft at the seams—you really should reconsider that time clock suggestion—you’regoing to learn the ropes faster than you realize. I can help you. I would make an excellent partner.”

Her eyes gleamed as she reached over to rest her hand on mine. There could be no mistaking her intent.

Slowly, carefully, I withdrew my hand. “I’m not sure how all of this is going to play out.” I was firm when saying the next part. “I need to think on it. I don’t really need a partner, though.”

Tammy’s face hardened. “I wasn’t being weird. I was just making a suggestion.”

As long as she didn’t decide to crucify me, I figured I was okay. Thankfully, before I had to think too hard on a conversation topic, the server arrived at our table.

“Cocktails?” she asked brightly.

There was no way I would risk getting tipsy with Tammy. Now I really did wish I’d brought my car so I could make a hasty escape the second the bill was paid.

“Iced tea for me,” I replied. “Also, I’ll have the swordfish. We don’t need to drag things out.”

Tammy’s eyes were cold when they briefly locked with mine. I broke the standoff first.

“I’ll have an iced tea, too,” she said.

Of course.

“Might as well add the swordfish for me, too. We’re in lockstep on everything.”

Not everything. Tammy had an agenda. I figured I could do an end run around her and overcome her plans, whatever they might be. It was the other thing that was driving me to the brink of a mental breakdown.

What was I going to do about Daisy? I liked her. That didn’t mean I could embark on a relationship with her. There was too much still undecided to risk that. Right?

Right?

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