Page 2 of Love Me Forever

I nodded, and the woman rose from her chair and disappeared in the back. I turned, focusing on the beautiful brunette. She was fucking gorgeous. Her hair was wild, skimming her back beneath her shoulders. Her eyes were round and blue, the irises tinted with a little bit of green at the edges, or was it gray? I barely restrained myself from tilting forward to look more closely.

"I can't believe it," she said, sounding frustrated. I couldn't blame her. It was late, and the options were slim.

"I couldn't help but overhear that we're heading in the same direction," I said, and although she smiled, I didn’t miss that it was a bit strained.

"Yes. Well, you’ll be heading there. I'm supposed to wait for another hour."

"I have a suggestion. We could share the car," I said.

She cocked a brow, clearly questioning the option, though her smile widened, and it wasn't strained anymore.

"There's a saying about cars and strangers." Her tone was playful, but I could see the concern in her eyes. I’d worry if my cousins shared a car with some guy they didn’t know, so I understood this woman’s cautiousness.

"It's no bigger risk than taking an Uber."

She shook her head. "It's not the same. The name and details of the route and the driver are available to you."

"You heard the clerk. She has my credit card and ID on file, so she's got all the details you could ever ask for on me. Besides, we’ll have a driver, and his credentials should be fully visible. And we can add your address to the order if you want everything to be on file," I suggested.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds, then nodded. "Okay, thank you. I'll take you up on it." For some reason, that put me at ease. I didn’t want her waiting around here for an hour. Maybe I was being a bit overprotective. Hell, of course I was. It was in the Maxwell men’s nature, after all.

The clerk came back.

"The lady here decided to ride with me. Do you have both of our information in your files?" I asked.

The clerk sat down. "Sure thing. Mr. Travis Maxwell. Ms. Bonnie Wilson. I also have both your destinations on file.”

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked me.

"The Winston Hotel."

"That's about ten minutes away from my bungalow, but then again, everything is a couple minutes away in Oceanwell Bay."

Once the clerk finished jotting everything down, she told us we could go outside. The driver had already prepared a car.

I grabbed the handle of my own bag and Bonnie's.

"I'll take care of this," I told her, noticing she was wearing a small bag on her shoulder. It was the gentlemanly thing to do.

"Thank you."

Was that a blush I saw?

The weather outside was cool but pleasant. The driver was already waiting with the trunk open, and he put both bags inside. I slid into the car behind the passenger seat. Bonnie took the seat behind the driver, her dress sliding to one side when she lowered herself into the car. I got a glimpse of bare skin, and although she quickly covered it, I'd seen enough to spark my imagination. I’d been right. Her legs were endless.

"What brings you to Oceanwell Bay?" I asked as the car headed out of the parking area.

"I’ve been here for a while. Just went home for the holidays. I work at a vet clinic in Chicago as an assistant, and there was an opportunity to spend one year here to gather some experience with wildlife. I thought it would be interesting, so I took it. I still have a few months left in my contract. You?"

“I'm opening a hotel in Chicago, and I want to convince the manager of the Winston to work for me.”

Bonnie looked at me for a few seconds before starting to laugh. "You're trying to convince the manager of the hotel where you're currently staying to leave his job for you?"

"Yes."

"You've got guts."

The driver choked at her comment, and I laughed, impressed with her sass.

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