“Yeah. Fine.” He huffed. “Just don’t spend a fortune.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I fought an eye roll. Even if I thought he was being an idiot at the moment, he was still the boss.
“Balcony again?”
“Sure.”
He’s my boss,I chanted again and again in my head as I sensed him watching me while I finished plating the food. But when he finally stepped away, a mix of disappointment and relief flooded me, and I didn’t know what to think about that.
Chapter Six
WYATT
I stoppeddead in my tracks as I came into the kitchen. Angie’s ass in tight black leggings was all I could see as she was bent over in front of the fridge.
All of this felt weird to me. I wasn’t used to having women here because I never had them stay over. And although it felt strange, having Angie here was also kind of nice.
Last night after she went back inside to head to bed, I missed her presence. She didn’t seem to mind silence or feel the need to fill it with small talk. I was even surprised by how quickly shedropped the conversation of how Nana B died when she saw my visceral reaction to it. I was prepared for her to push the subject or bring it back up again.
Eventually I’d have to deal with it and get over the betrayal, but every time it came up, the whole thing made me mad. My grandmother had known of her diagnosis for years and hadn’t thought I needed to know.
I focused on the scene in front of me and unsuccessfully held in the groan that bubbled up and slipped out from between my lips. In a heartbeat, Angie popped up and spun, eyes wide. Her gaze drifted lower, taking in my bare chest. I liked her eyes on me. I shouldn’t, but I did.
I took a step farther into the kitchen, and her big brown eyes shot to my face. Heat pooled in them andfuck, I’d never wanted a woman like I did in that moment. To see how she would react to my touch….
I shook my head.
I had to get laid. That had to be my issue. It had been too long, and with the stress of my grandmother dying and leaving me the hotel to run, I needed the release. A night with Natalie would solve my issues.
“Good morning,” I mumbled, averting my gaze and heading to the coffee maker to set up a pot to brew.
“Good morning.”
There was a seductive breathiness to her voice, and I gritted my teeth. The more time I spent with her, the more obvious it was that the attraction was mutual, and I hated it. She was the kind of girl who deserved someone who could give her everything. A forever type of girl. If I thought there was any chance I could give her that, I would have already acted on the attraction I felt.
I’d tried a semiserious relationship only once, and it blew up, showing me exactly where my faults were. She was quick to tellme repeatedly how selfish and inattentive I was. That I never listened to her or cared about her. I’d tried, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. Even the few casual relationships I’d had ended because I wasn’t invested enough and didn’t care enough to make the effort.
Casual hookups that only lasted a night were the only thing I was good at. But when Angie was around, I kept forgetting that. And it pissed me off.
“I have plans tonight,” I blurted out.
When she didn’t respond, I stole a glance over my shoulder at her. She cocked her head, and her brows pulled together slightly.
“Just letting you know I’ll be away from the hotel tonight for a few hours.” I turned back to the coffee maker. “You have my number if anything major comes up. But I’ll probably be back late.”
“Okay.” Her voice held a hint of disappointment.
Did she look forward to our dinners on the balcony? If so, that was even more reason to start drawing more lines. The last thing I wanted was to let her think there was any chance of something happening between us.
We moved around the kitchen in silence, and after pouring my coffee, I went back to my room to get ready for the day.
The wedding day, to be precise. Angie had said she would handle most of it and she’d come and get me if she needed me. Which was fine by me. She could handle wedding stuff and I’d be available for front desk and other issues.
Things started off okay. Once we were out of the suite and busy dealing with each of our tasks, the day went quickly. Until I almost stumbled and froze, spotting her hustling around inside the ballroom, helping the staff get the final touches done. The black dress she wore accented her figure in all the right places.
The smile she wore was genuine and reminded me of my grandmother. She’d always done all this with happiness, evenwhen she was dealing with problems or complaints. I still didn’t understand how. In only a week, I was already overwhelmed by it all. The business side of things came naturally to me. But the people? Not so much.
As much as I hated to admit it, maybe Nana B knew it too and brought Angie on knowing I needed someone who could handle the guests and staff the way she always had.