Page 45 of The Main Event

“Or maybe Daisy feels that same zing,” Jesse suggested. “If you’re feeling it, why do you jump to the automatic conclusion that she doesn’t feel it?”

“Because it can’t possibly work out. She only cares about the hotel.”

“Maybe she onlywantsto care about the hotel. That’s how you’re playing it, right? You only want to care about the hotel.The fact that she looks great in a pair of yoga pants means nothing.”

She did look good in a pair of yoga pants.Damn her.“This is a stupid conversation.” I couldn’t keep going in this circle. It wasn’t healthy. “I can’t do anything about the attraction I feel. I mean, I shouldn’t even consider it.”

“And yet you are.” Jesse’s grin stretched across his face. “That’s kind of cute.”

“Don’t push me.” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “I have too much going on. I can’t entertain the thought of trying to date her. What happens when I finish the renovation and sell the hotel?”

“You don’t have to sell the hotel. You could run it.”

“I don’t think I want that.”

“You don’t think, or you don’t know?”

“Does it matter? Until I know for certain what I want to do with my life, I can’t entertain the thought of being with her.”

Jesse looked conflicted more than anything. “I can’t tell you what to do here. If your heart is telling you to do something, though, maybe you shouldn’t ignore it. That will just make things harder for all concerned.”

“I don’t think it’s my heart voting here. I think it’s something else.” I gestured toward my crotch.

That had him laughing out loud. “Well, if that’s the case, then definitely don’t pursue Daisy. She’s the sort of woman who deserves everything.”

“Thank you. I have nothing to give her.”

Now I just needed my hormones to get on board with the decision. How hard could that be?

12

TWELVE

Iavoided Jax for the entire day at work. Occasionally, I would look over and find him watching me from a different part of the hotel. I could never read the expression on his face very well, but I didn’t have to dig deep to figure out what he was thinking.

He wanted to sell the hotel. Construction couldn’t start until right after Halloween. If he could find someone to put on the parties who was cheaper than me, he would make more money. Or, well, that’s what he thought. He didn’t realize yet that I did a lot more than just plan the parties. I was the reason they went off so well and we had repeat business. If he thought he could get rid of me, he had another thing coming.

Even though I hadn’t talked to him all day, that didn’t mean I’d managed to avoid every nuisance in the hotel. Tammy kept “accidentally” happening upon me wherever I chose to sit down and work. Each time, she gushed about her meal with Jax the previous night. She never came right out and called it a date, but it was impossible not to read between the lines.

“I heard he walked her home and there were sparks,” Hannah Macintyre offered as she helped Levi clean up the bar area. She was taking over as the night bartender, and Levi and Iwere heading out for an Essex Street party of epic proportions. They were normal this time of year, a way for the locals to cut loose before we were buried under six weeks of entitled tourists and drunken shenanigans that were zero fun for us.

“You heard there were sparks where?” I asked sullenly as I sipped my iced tea.

“Between the new boss and Tammy.”

I slowly raised my chin. “Who told you that?” My voice was deceptively mild. Or at least I hoped it was.

“Tammy is telling everybody,” Hannah replied. “Apparently, he splurged on swordfish and champagne and then they held hands for the walk to Tammy’s place.”

“Well, if Tammy said it, it must be true.” The statement came out more bitter than I intended.

Levi shot me a look that was a cross between amusement and alarm. “You don’t think they sparked?” he asked.

I shrugged. “How should I know? More importantly, why should I care?”

“You seemed to care just now.”

“I just have trouble believing Tammy. She is the one who said that shooting star last Halloween was a sign from God that we should stop embracing evil,” I reminded him. “She suggested instead of having a witch town, we should have a town dedicated to the apostles. She did not think it was funny when I said I wanted to go to Judas’s bar.”

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