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“But I wouldn’t mind trying to see!”
Jacob laughed as Josie climbed out of the car on one side and he did the same on the other. “I expect you’re going into the restaurant to check things out.”
“I’ll finish the evening shift here, head home, and then we hit the ground running for the next couple of weeks. Are you ready for this grand opening, Jacob?”
He’d come around the front of the car as she spoke. Now he faced her, wishing the day didn’t have to come to an end, much like his daughter. “I’m ready. This is ready.” He indicated the beautiful resort with a thrust of his head. “But I’m not ready for what comes later. The leaving part. And I’m not sure what to do about that, Josie.”
She appeared to remain casual, but not before he spotted that now-familiar flash of regret. “Resign yourself because time has a way of marching on.” She moved back slightly. “And shouldn’t you have your résumés out there if you’re parting ways with Carrington?”
“They’re out there. I’m just not certain I want to be out there with them. But you’re right, I’ve got to get her home to bed and tomorrow’s going to come early. Mom and Dad are taking over with Addie for the next two weeks because I know I’ll be listed as unavailable while we get things ironed out here. And then—”
“Another chapter unfolds.” She leaned down and waved to Addie in the back seat. “See you later, sweet thing! Thanks for letting me tag along today!”
“Bye, Josie! Thank you!”
She didn’t turn back his way. She didn’t pause to flirt. True to her word, she kept a distance he wished he could broach, but unless he was willing to take a whole new turn in life, she was right to walk away.
She disappeared into the Bayou Barbecue through the back entrance as Carly Moore, one of the young and very good-looking IT managers came his way. Carly’s swagger and short skirt said she wasn’t afraid to draw attention to herself, even in the workplace. “Jacob, got a quick minute to touch base on a few things?”
“Just that long,” he replied. “Addie’s with me and I need to get her home.”
Carly waved to Addie in the back seat before she began. “I wanted to let you know we should have everything running seamlessly on the security end and the Wi-Fi capabilities. The team and I have gone through the exercises, and it all looks good, but I’ll be on hand opening week in case we hit a glitch. Something about a thousand people using hundreds of devices simultaneously can mess things up. Was that Josie Gallagher you were with?”
She sounded surprised, as if seeing him with Josie was unlikely, and that put an instant burr between his shoulder blades. “It was. Why?”
“No reason.” She rolled one very shapely shoulder. “I just never figured you for the wild-child type. Of course, she’s calmed down now, I’m sure, but in our college days at Fredonia, we’re talking one busy, busy girl. If you get my drift.”
He got her drift all right, and wanted to leap to Josie’s defense, then realized he could do that—and end up looking downright stupid because he had no idea what Josie was like a dozen years back.
Did he care?
He climbed into the car, thinking.
No, not really. A lot of kids made stupid college mistakes, including him. But the words stuck in his craw…wild child.
The thought of the strong, sensitive woman he was getting to know being a wild child seemed impossible on some levels, and not so much on others.
She did her own thing. He liked that about her.
She had a mind of her own, and stepped outside the norm. She’d built a great business on the premise of hard work and sacrifice, with no big Wharton degrees next to her name.
Wild child.
The brand irked him. Partially because of what it intimated, and partly—if he was honest with himself—because he was afraid it might be true.
He got Addie home, showered and tucked into bed long before the late-June sun went down, and when she was asleep, his hand reached for the phone. He had people he could call. People who could check Josie out. Within a day, he’d know enough, but as his fingers brushed the phone, he pulled his hand away.
