Page 39 of Inn To You

[Noah]

The resort made me an offer.

After days of touring the five-star location with its three pools, beach access, and endless amenities, the decision wasn’t difficult.

I wanted to call Tessa once I decided. I should have texted her the morning after our night together, but I didn’t know what to say. How do you tell someone they rocked your world?

I never express commitment. I don’t text a one-night stand. But Tessa is different. She had to be as she was technically my boss until a few minutes ago. But deep down, Tessa was more than an employer or one night to me. She’d become everything to me, but I certainly wasn’t everything to her.

Uncertain of what just happened, I pull my car into my brother’s driveway and call him despite being parked in his yard.

“How was the Caribbean?” Zack’s voice is guarded, tight, and terse like he can be.

“Beautiful.” My mind recalls the scenery down there. Lush greenery. White sand. Turquoise water. The sound of steel drums. The place was a tropical dream.

“So, what’s up?” Again, a sharp tone. “How did the interview go?”

“It went.” I liked the place. A dream, like I said. The position entailed doing all the things I’d done before. Securing whatever a guest needed, making their stay as comfortable and lavish as they deserved. Fulfilling their dream vacation while working there would be my every day. I’d live at the resort as I’d done in one of my former positions. The accommodations wouldn’t be a hardship as the place offered nice rooms to their staff, plus use of all the amenities. The view wasn’t bad either.

But something was missing.

When Zack doesn’t respond to my flippant answer about the interview, I ask him about Tessa. “How did the bank meeting go?”

Zack sighs. “I think you should speak to Tessa about it.”

I tried. “Why? What happened?”

“Pulling the attorney-client confidentiality clause, I’m going to decline to answer you. Speak to Tessa.”

My heart races. What the hell? “Zack, did she get the loan or not?”

“Noah.”

My palms sweat. That inn is her livelihood as well as her home, but it’s also in her heart. She’s passionate about Bluebird Hollow.

“Just tell me. How did the meeting go?”

“It didn’t.” Zack exhales.

“As in, it didn’t happen?” How could that no-good loan officer cancel on her again?

“As in the loan. It didn’t happen.”

So much for attorney-client privilege.

And my poor little bird.

+ + +

I speed back to the inn and storm into the office. Tessa isn’t there.

“She said she needed air,” Monica tells me. “I think she might have gone down to the lake.”

The day is breezy while pleasant. The sun is absent, though, matching my mood. After exiting the inn, I cross the street and head down the one-hundred-and-fifty wood stairs to the lakeshore below. As I descend, Tessa stands in the sand. Her feet bare despite the cold. The wind picks up nearer the water.

Her arms wrapped around her middle. Without seeing her face, I’m certain she’s zoned out, staring into nothing. Her head full of concerns.

“Little bird,” I whisper, coming up behind her. She doesn’t turn but swats at her cheeks. “Hey.” With my hands on her shoulders, I try to spin her to face me, but she shrugs forward.