Page 48 of Mountain Grump

It’s good Amelia and the girlfriend didn’t come up to the penthouse. I wouldn’t be a very good host.

“Not too bad,” Levi says.

He always flies private. Well, almost always. He has a great story about the one time he flew commercial and how he met the nanny for his daughter. Usually, it’s sweet and a story I like hearing, but right now, it’s too syrupy.

“Wyatt told me about the influencer,” Levi says.

“He did?” I glare at my brother. “Did he happen to show you the video she made, too?”

Levi clears his throat. His brow is tight, and I can’t tell if he’s seen the video because Wyatt sent it to him or because it’s viral, and he feels sorry for me.

I don’t want to know. I’d rather be like a turtle and bury myself inside my shell. Become a recluse. Not have to converse with anyone.

“I saw it,” Levi says. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. She wasn’t to be trusted. You’ll meet another girl who doesn’t intend on murdering you in your sleep.”

I think he’s joking, but I don’t smile. Levi, however, is grinning. “Relax. I came here to offer a few ideas.”

“Ideas?” He’s done well turning the hotel chain that he owns around. He inherited the business from his father, but it was struggling when he took control.

“For starters, maybe what the girl did was wrong, but the idea behind it was good.”

I’m not following, and there’s not even a hint of a smile on my face. I’m exhausted. I don’t feel like talking about shop at this hour. “Can we leave the business discussion for tomorrow?” I ask.

I tilt my head back and crack my neck from side to side before taking the last swig of my beer. I grab another from the fridge and gesture for him to join me on the sofa. It’s not like he’s leaving anytime soon.

Levi had talked about coming for a few days, bringing Amelia, to give her snowboard lessons. I just hadn’t expected them to show up unannounced and uninvited. Although, I get the feeling Wyatt invited them to stay.

And it’s not like we don’t have room at the resort.

“Yeah, sure,” Levi says. “Whatever you want.”

I want to forget about the gorgeous brunette with blue eyes and a sexy ass. I want to purge her from my mind, and if I could have a do-over, I’d change everything about how we met. I wouldn’t have carried her to dinner or paid her the least bit of attention.

When she was injured, I’d have had another staff member rescue her, and I certainly wouldn’t have climbed into her bed and given her three orgasms.

My hands bunch into fists.

I would never have let her into my penthouse. Cooked her dinner. Let her become part of my family with my daughter, sharing a meal and then sneaking her into my bedroom after a movie in the living room.

I’ve never regretted something or someone so much in my life.

I’m the only one to blame.

Trusting her was my fault. I knew after Jess that I should never trust another woman, minus my daughter, and I went head-first into fucking Cali because my cock had a mind of its own.

Never again.

TEN

Cali

There areno unemployment benefits when you’re axed from a contractor position. So, I’m stuck looking for a job anywhere.

The Los Angeles job market seems pretty tight. Everyone wants to either underpay for the position or hire an intern. Neither of those work for me.

And I need something full-time.

Looking back, I had an office and set hours. I’m pretty sure Bridget should have been paying me as an employee and not as a contractor. She was trying to get away with not having to pay benefits, including social security tax, which I got stuck footing.

---