Page 17 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

Cora’s face heated. Part of the reason she was here was to go over what was needed for her room, not so she could kiss her potential boss. Kissing Braxton had been a mistake. A wonderfully delicious, toe-curling mistake. And she’d been right to tell him it couldn’t happen again. Besides, she didn’t need a replay; she’d been feeling the aftershocks of that encounter for a good while. Had she ever experienced an aftershock before? Nope. Not even an after-tingle. Braxton was a man who, once he entered your system, may very well never leave.

Just when she thought she could run from trouble, she found a new set of issues to deal with. Though an issue like Braxton wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“How does your dog do while you’re working?” Zach asked.

“Heidi is great at following commands.” Cora patted her head, rubbed her ears, and took hold of the collar again. “At the old salon, she would stay in a designated area while I worked, in case there were people with pet allergies. I’m extremely careful about sanitizing and most everything is new with each client. I clean the table and the massage chair, though. Nearly all of my clients loved Heidi. I actually only had one person with an allergy, but that was only if she touched the animal. I can be accommodating to whatever clientele you have in here. Just let me know in advance. Plus, her breed is selected for blind people with an allergy issue. I don’t have one, but she’s the dog I was paired with.”

“Can you tell us what types of massages you will want to offer?” Sophie asked. “Strictly for selfish reasons,” she added with a laugh. “After dealing with these guys, I’m going to need some pampering.”

Cora heard Zach mutter something, then Sophie laughed again. Okay, clearly these two were in love and if she had to guess, she’d say they were new into this relationship.

Cora couldn’t help but smile. She admired people who were brave enough to venture into a romantic commitment. Now they were throwing in a business relationship as well. Cora couldn’t even imagine what type of bond those two must have.

“I had a hot stone massage,” Braxton chimed in. “That was pretty cool.”

Zach laughed. “Seriously? You know the terms? I can’t wait until Liam hears all about your day of relaxation. He’ll never let you live that down.”

“Please,” Braxton grunted. Cora imagined Braxton rolling his eyes or shaking his head. “The day my brother makes fun of me over a massage, I’ll gladly throw back in his face how he pipes frosting all day.”

Cora nearly choked when an unexpected laugh escaped her. “Excuse me?”

“Ignore them,” Sophie stated, her tone softer as she drew closer. “They bicker at each other about everything. Liam is a very talented pastry chef in Atlanta. He’s an amazing cook, but he focuses on desserts now.”

Interesting. She wondered what restaurant he worked at. Most likely she’d been there, but she didn’t want to seem too nosy.

Cora hoped he didn’t think of her last name and start putting two and two together. Though Buchanan was a household name for anyone who loved chocolate or to bake with chocolate, it was also a common Southern name, so she should be fine. Besides, it’s not like she was in the limelight very much. When she’d been young, maybe, but since growing up and staying behind the scenes in the company, she wasn’t exposed like her parents were. They actually thrived on the press and the attention.

Her accident had made news, but that had been a couple years ago and it wasn’t like she was actually a celebrity. Far from it, thankfully.

“Back to those massages,” Sophie added. “I’d really like to hear about them.”

Cora spent the next several minutes discussing the five main types she preferred to offer. Suddenly the nerves, the kiss, the new town and people didn’t matter. Okay, the kiss definitely mattered, but she’d have to think more about that later when she was alone and could give it the attention it deserved.

Discussing what she loved doing was something Cora could get lost in. Working with people, talking to them, making them feel better about taking time for themselves. All things she felt would help her parents if they would’ve ever opted to put business second in their lives just once.

But whatever. She couldn’t make them into different people any more than they could make her into the child they wanted. They were mismatched from the start and the accident had only put things into perspective. She’d

let other people control her life for too long; no way would she let this continue. She may make mistakes, she may even fail at her attempt, but Cora refused to go down without a fight.

“Our open house is coming up in a couple weeks,” Zach informed her. “We plan on having everything in place. The entire staff will be here so the people of the town can see exactly what it is we’re doing. I’m sure people will have their own questions.”

Sophie groaned. “You know Ms. Barkley will show up with her five-inch heels and her six-inch cleavage, right?”

“If she spreads the word about the resort, I don’t care,” Zach retorted.

Cora gripped Heidi’s collar. “I take it there’s a story there. Is this a woman I need to be warned about?”

“Only if you have a man in your life,” Sophie answered quickly. “She’ll try to sleep with any man between the legal age and the grave. No lie. And the legal age may not even be an issue for her.”

Braxton and Zach both laughed. Odd they were brothers, yet they sounded absolutely nothing alike. Even their laughs—Cora could definitely tell which one was Braxton. That low, throaty tone wasn’t something a woman could ignore. He literally demanded space in her mind without even trying. How did he have such power?

But she had to ignore all the tingles and other feelings that accompanied Braxton and his sexy ways. She’d already scolded herself; now she just had to keep reminding herself that he might turn her inside out, but she had to remain in control or she’d find herself plastered against another wall and being kissed within an inch of her life. Not that the experience hadn’t been pleasurable, but still.

“I’d like to take a walk around a few times a week over the next month so Heidi can get used to the place and learn to guide me properly.” She wanted them to know she was more than competent and would be nothing but professional. “Once she knows the layout well enough, we will be ready to go. She learns quickly and so do I.”

“No problem at all,” Braxton stated. He still stood so close, close enough that when he talked, his elbow would occasionally brush against her arm. “I’m here nearly every day now that I’m not in school.”

“In school?” Cora asked. “Are you going back for a degree?”

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