Page 12 of Return to Lovett Cove
“Would that be so bad? At least once a month, you text us that you hate your job.”
The sister group text was full of Jasmine’s angry-face emojis over yet another assigned task that meant late nights and weekends spent at the office.
“Daisy thinks you should get out and touch grass,” Magnolia quipped about their wildlife biologist sister. “Even Poppy thinks you should quit, and you know how she feels about work.” This coming from their chef-sister, who worked seven days a week, surprised Jasmine.
“If Poppy thinks I should quit… But I’m so close to being VP. Then a partner. It’s taken me years to get here. How can I throw that all away?”
“You wouldn’t be. Think of the skills you’ve gained that you can use in running the B&B?”
Her sister wasn’t wrong. If she was ready to be VP of a major firm, couldn’t she handle being the proprietor of a bed-and-breakfast?
“Didn’t you mention some hot lawyer was doing the repairs?” Magnolia asked.
Jasmine’s neck warmed at Magnolia’s mention of River. And of him being “hot.” A good-looking, fit man like River wanted his equal: thin, beautiful. Someone whose ambitions didn’t challenge or eclipse his own. Although being a small-town lawyer wasn’t exactly what Jasmine considered ambitious. He admittedly left a lucrative position at a firm to slow down in Lovett Cove.
Her mother hadn’t retired long enough for Jasmine to understand what it meant for a woman like Lily to slow down and enjoy life. But River was a different story. He’d been a resident of Lovett Cove for a few years now. And he seemed well-adjusted. If she did, for some crazy reason, decide to renovate her mother’s inn, River would be around to help. It wouldn’t be just her out here…alone…in a small town…not knowing anyone. And Magnolia would visit to design the inn.
Was it possible?
“River,” Jasmine croaked. She cleared her dry throat and searched the kitchen for her water bottle.
“Right. Mom trusted him. Couldn’t he oversee the repairs? Wait, did you send me a picture of him?”
“I didnotsend one.”
“Well, why not? Trying to keep him all to yourself?” Magnolia giggled over the line.
A twinge of jealousy settled into Jasmine’s stomach. All her sisters except one were single. And beautiful. And accomplished. Any one of them would be a catch. A man would have to be stupid not to notice them.
And River wasn’t at all stupid.
In fact, he was charming, and funny, and irritating in an, I-can’t-stop-thinking-about-how-irritating-you-are-and-now-I’m-thinking-about-you-all-the-time, kind of way.
After their tense exchange at the dunes, they had returned to the inn, and River had made some excuse about needing to meet a client before his wheels tore up the dirt in the patchy front lawn as he raced away. Jasmine didn’t blame him for wanting to get away from her. Her connections with men had always been brief, with some misunderstanding or incongruence of needs leading to the men making a quick exit. At least she had her career. It never failed to be there for her.
But the silence of the inn caused her to regret her earlier terse words with him. Maybe after that, he wouldn’t want to help restore the inn.
Then she’d truly be alone.
“No,” came Jasmine’s mumbled defense.
“Ha! So you like him, then?”
Jasmine bit her lip, considering. When she first received his annoying email about coming to Lovett Cove, she never imagined believing he could be anything more than an inconvenience in her life. Much like Mom’s inn. But after getting to know him and his story, she didn’t find his presence all that irritating anymore.
Since he’d left, she had wanted him back.
“I’ll take your silence to mean you like him more than you expected,” Magnolia cooed. “Send me a pic, anyway.”
Jasmine’s phone dinged with a text.
I’m sorry.
Jasmine let out a breath.River.He was apologizing to her?I was the one who left.
“Jas? What is it?”
“River just texted me.”
