Page 8 of Made For You
“But where is the fun in that, my friend?”
“Fun for you,” I mumbled, and I shoved the rest of the stack aside and plopped the chosen one in the middle of my desk.
Her picture caught me off guard at first. She was pretty, with long, wavy blonde hair, a nose that looked to be slightly upturned, and a wide smile that did nothing to hide her plump lips. But with a second glance, I could see the kind eyes. The dark-brown irises shaded by long lashes looked vaguely familiar, but she was definitely someone I would remember.
“Aurora Grace Easterly. Just turned twenty-four. Recently began teaching grade eleven at Ashfield High School.” I tried not to let my excitement show as I skimmed over the front page. Settling back in my chair, the wheels squeaked as I turned it to face my friend. “She’ll do.”
“Don’t you want to know more about her? I ran an extensive background check on everyone.”
“Is she a serial killer? Have a restraining order against her? Any major red flags I should know about?”
“No, but there are a few things you should know—”
“Look, she’ll do. She’s pretty enough to convince my grandfather I’m attracted to her, and I’m sure the mil will sweeten the deal.”
“Okay, what do I need to do?”
“Help me make sure she shows up at the hotel bar tonight after she checks in.”
He chuckled as he stepped over to my desk and began gathering all the documents. He knew this was all hush-hushand absolutely no one could know what I was up to, except for maybe Aurora. And the ironclad NDA she was going to sign would make sure she didn’t share the information with anyone.
“Welp, I’ll be sure to stay close by in case she’s a runner. I’ll see you at seven?”
“Sounds good.”
The room fell silent as he situated the bag across his chest again, his coffee cup from earlier disregarded on the small table next to the chair.
I was flipping open my laptop to review a couple of reports when I heard Dean’s restrained cough.
“Hey, Talon. This is a big step. Are you sure this is what you want to do? It’s not just going to affect you and your life; it’s going to affect hers too.”
We’d argued this point back and forth when I learned of the stipulation a month ago. But I was the kind of guy who jumped in feet-first and rarely ever second-guessed myself.
Ignoring my friend, I turned my attention back to my computer. “I’ll see you at seven, Dean.”
Out the corner of my eye, I watched him duck his head as he left my office and gave a wave to Olive before he was out of my line of sight. Quickly, I began drafting an email to the guest services manager, informing him to give everyone checking in for the teachers’ conference a ten-dollar bar voucher.
Once sent, I placed a call to the front desk, where a nasally voice answered.
“Please let me know when Aurora Easterly checks in. And make sure we place her in one of the suites.”
“Sir?”
“That is all,” I said gruffly as I ended the call.
If I was going to ask her to be my wife, I was going to need to show her what I could provide. One of the best rooms in our hotel was a good place to start.
Chapter Three – Aurora
Andrew’s truck hit a pothole on the highway, and my entire face scrunched in horror as my carry-on luggage slammed against the side of the truck bed. I couldn’t see it, but I sincerely hoped the new suitcase was unscathed.
“Um… thanks for driving me to the airport. I know you’d rather be helping Dad today.” The harvesting of corn at our family farm was about to go full-force in the next month, so I knew they needed Andrew at Sunny Brook. But here he was, carting his little sister to Nashville. I tried not to linger on the memories of the last time my brother had topick me upfrom the airport.
He continued to stare forward, eyes on the road, not showing any recognition that he heard me.
As the silence grew, it began to crawl over me like fearsome spiders and scorpions, until it was too much to handle. Finally, the lack of noise became overwhelming, and I needed to break it.
“I’m so glad I’m able to go back this year… after the fiasco from last year, you know?”
