Page 88 of Love You
“Probably a good idea, though it doesn’t negate the fact that workplace romances are still a bad idea.”
He was hoping for advice, not a lecture. “It worked for Deb and TJ.”
“They were serious and in love.”
“What makes you think we aren’t . . . serious?” He wasn’t going to touch love. That was too much to think about.
Delaney was always diplomatic but Win could see her struggle with how to answer. It didn’t take a genius to see what she was thinking.
“With all due respect, your track record at serious hasn’t been that good.” At least she had the decency to sound apologetic. “And I would hate to see Darcy get hurt.”
Funny how no one ever worried about his feelings. Darcy had just dumped him, crushed him like a friggin’ tin can. But hey, she was the injured party.
“That’s bullshit, Delaney. When I thought Britney was pregnant with my kid, I stepped up, fully prepared to be a husband and a father.”
“You did,” she acknowledged. “But . . .”
Colt and his band took the stage and the crowd started to hoot and holler, making it impossible to hear Delaney. Honestly, Win welcomed the noise. He didn’t need to be picked apart.
He sat through three songs and used having to get up early as an excuse to leave. On his way out, he ran into Josh and Hannah, who were playing a game of darts. He made the obligatory greetings, told them he had to go, and headed to the door.
A gust of fresh air hit him and for a fleeting second it lightened his mood. Then he caught sight of Rita on the side of the building, smoking a cigarette. She looked straight at him. Terrific.
“Mayor.” He tipped an imaginary hat and hoped to make a clean getaway. But apparently, the day hadn’t gone shitty enough.
Her gravel voice called after him. “Well, have you made up your mind about the calendar?”
“Sure. Whatever. I’ll do it.” If it would get her off his back and he could go home, it was worth it.
“Too late.” She cackled. “I got that new fellow from search and rescue. His pecs are twice the size of yours.”
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “You’re kicking me out of the calendar?” What kind of bullshit was that? Women lined up for the amateur piece of crap because of him.
She blew a smoke ring, let out a hacking cough, and stabbed her finger in the air. “You think you’re the only talent in this town? That’s what you get for trying to jack me up.”
Jack her up? It was voluntary. Free. “Expect a call from my lawyer and my agent.”
He swung himself up into his Jeep and took off. The cat was waiting on his open windowsill, swishing its tail under the porch light when he got home. He went to pick it up and it hissed at him and ran away.
Even the damned kitty was mad at him.
* * *
At six the next morning, Win pulled into the turnaround at the Four Seasons. He was early so he checked his phone and opened an e-mail from Reggie.
“I’ve been in touch with Jenny, who’s hot for the listing. She says June and July are prime time to sell real estate. I’d rather save the commission and not deal with the hassle of having strangers traipse through my house. So let me know if you’re still interested.”
Win dashed off a quick response. “I’m very interested and am trying to raise the money for a solid down payment. The truth is I wasn’t planning to spend that much but your place rocks the house. I should know in the next couple of days. Can you hang on until then?”
He scrolled down to see if there was anything from Darcy. Nothing. Just in case, he checked his texts. He took her radio silence to mean she was still planning to show up for breakfast. Today, they were going to Tart Me Up so they could get an early start and because Darcy wanted to spread their business around town, especially since Rachel had come through the way she had for the picnic lunch.
He hadn’t realized until now what a good businesswoman Darcy was. If they got this account it would be largely due to her organizational skills and planning. No matter what happened with FlashTag he was going to see that she got a raise and promotion, even if he had to take a pay cut.
Madison emerged from the hotel. She’d dressed in shorts, a light-weight hoodie, and hiking boots. A backpack was slung over her shoulder, which Win assumed held water sandals, a bathing suit, and any other incidentals she might need. Darcy had sent her a list. Even though Win planned to change the schedule up to include more intensive activities, the clothes she had on should suffice. If not, they’d raid supplies from GA’s online store. Like with the others, Deb had made Madison a swag bag of gear to take home.
He tapped his horn to get her attention and girded himself for another day of fending off her flirtations. She jogged up to the Jeep and opened the door.
“Good morning. It’s chillier than I thought it would be.” She got in and fastened her seat belt.
