Page 61 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

Too tired and scared to delve into that territory, Cora rested against his side and welcomed sleep. Whatever newfound emotions she had to face would have to wait. Right now all she wanted to do was rest in the arms of a man who was everything she’d ever wanted and hadn’t known she was missing.

Chapter Twelve

“Our chef quit.”

Braxton had barely taken a step inside the back door of the resort when Zach dropped the bomb.

“Quit? How can she quit when she hasn’t technically started?”

Zach shrugged as he hung the last pot on the hook above the massive center island. “Her boyfriend wanted to take off and drive out West for the next three months and she’s going with him.”

Braxton shook his head and closed the door behind him. The irony of a free-spirited employee for their free-spirited sister’s resort just taking off was . . . well it would be laughable if they had a plan B.

“The open house is next week and Christmas is in two weeks. We open for business the next day,” Braxton stated.

Zach glared across the room. “Thank you. I had no idea the time line.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass. What are we going to do?”

“Not we.” Zach was shaking his head, pointing to Braxton. “You. You’re going to ask Liam to fill in until we find someone more permanent.”

“Shit,” he muttered, wiping a hand down his face. He should’ve stayed in bed with Cora. He was happy there. The world ceased to exist when he’d been between the sheets curled around her lush body.

“He’s actually coming in this afternoon, so you can talk to him in person.”

“I don’t want to talk to him at all because I can tell you he will say no.”

Zach snarled. “Don’t give him an option.”

“Afraid to do it yourself?”

“I’m afraid if Liam and I don’t see eye to eye and fists start flying, my fiancée will kill me.”

“You’re afraid of Sophie?”

Braxton laughed as he ran his hand along the new quartz countertop. So many people gravitated toward granite, but the quartz was a favorite material of Zach’s and since he was the lead carpenter on the project, Braxton really didn’t care. Quartz also fit a bit better into their tight renovation budget.

“If you ever settle down and find the one, you’ll be terrified of pissing her off,” Zach defended. “Trust me.”

The one. He’d thought he had that once. Now that he’d shared the night with Cora, Braxton knew without a doubt that anything he’d felt for Anna wasn’t even close to what he felt for Cora. He was falling hard and fast. Part of him couldn’t believe he’d only known her two weeks, but could he really put a time on how long he should take to have strong feelings for a woman? He’d known Anna for years and look how disastrous that turned out.

Speaking of Anna, he’d had a missed call from her when he’d woken this morning. What the hell could she possibly want? Didn’t his lack of returning calls compute with her?

Zach slammed his hand on the countertop. “Dude. Are you with me?”

Blinking, Braxton nodded. “Yeah, yeah. What were you saying?”

Dark brows drawn in, Zach studied Braxton. “Oh, shit,” he muttered as he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t even tell me you’re getting all wrapped up in our new masseuse.”

“Fine.” Braxton shrugged. “I won’t tell you.”

“Man, we lost the chef. We can’t afford to lose another employee.”

Braxton sighed. He really didn’t want to get into a pissing match with his brother. “Listen, Cora isn’t going anywhere and whatever is going on between us is none of your business.”

“It sure as hell is my business when you can’t keep your pants on with one of my workers.”

Braxton didn’t even try to control his anger. His fist connected with Zach’s jaw, sending Zach’s head whipping back.

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