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He held up his phone. “Why don’t I make a few phone calls. There’s no point in waiting out here. Let’s go back inside so you can listen to the band while I use the phone.”

Olivia was happy to sit and listen to the band while Hunter tried to resolve their predicament. She kept turning her head so she could see Hunter in the foyer. She studied him as he appeared to be negotiating a solution. His expression was intense. After a few minutes he strode back over toward her. He had to pull her toward the foyer so his voice wouldn’t be eclipsed by the music.

“We'll have to get a room at the nearest inn. It’s right around the corner,” he said. “By the time anyone from my team ventures out here it will be hours from now. It doesn’t make much sense to go that route when we can just hunker down for the night and wait until morning.”

A room at the nearest inn? Her heart began to thump wildly within her chest. Was there a chance she'd misheard him? Olivia gulped nervously, unnerved by the sudden turn of events.

“A room?” she squeaked out.

He shot her an apologetic look. “It's almost two in the morning. There's not much open in the area other than this place and the local inn. If we can book two rooms I can make arrangements for a car service to pick us up in the morning. I promise you won’t miss your meeting.”

Although she hadn't been expecting to stay the night in the middle of nowhere, she'd be lying if she didn't admit that a part of her was happy about this unexpected development. In a matter

of days Hunter would be returning to his fabulous life in New York City. She was running out of time to help her father keep Renault Industries afloat, and her best chance at salvaging the company was to enlist the help of one of the most brilliant businessmen in the world.

Maybe spending more time with Hunter would give her the courage to broach the subject. She had no idea how to even bring the topic up with him. Casually? Somberly?

Hey, Hunter. Could you throw my father a life preserver and help him rescue his company? For old time’s sake.

She could lie to herself and say it was all about saving Renault Industries. But it wouldn't have been true. For once and for all she wanted to get Hunter out of her system. She had no way of knowing if their paths would ever cross again. And, if they did cross paths, it could be years from now when they were both married with children. He'd be out of reach then, she realized with a painful jolt, more inaccessible than he'd been over the last ten years. She couldn't blow her last chance with Hunter. She couldn't run the risk of never knowing if there wasn’t even a little hope of them being together.

“That sounds fine, Hunter,” she said with a nod.

Her heart pounded like a jackhammer inside her chest. Being alone with Hunter under these circumstances could either be very beneficial for Renault Industries or extremely dangerous for her heart.

“Your greatest gift is your heart, son. You just need to stop protecting it so much. Let it open up like a flower in full bloom. Plant it. Water it. You’ll be amazed at what grows.” Mae Rawlings

Chapter Seven

The Red Oak Inn was a quaint, red and white colored establishment that resembled something one might see in a calendar depicting rural sites. It looked cozy.

Surrounded by a white picket fence, the place oozed charm. Hunter led the way inside, closely followed by Olivia. They had walked to the inn, with Hunter wheeling his bike alongside him. He had arranged for someone to come pick it up in the morning.

The attractive blonde at the desk greeted them enthusiastically. “Good evening. Welcome to the Red Oak Inn. My name is Kitty. How can I help you?”

“Good evening. We’d like two rooms for this evening, checking out tomorrow,” Hunter explained.

“Unfortunately, we’re at capacity, sir,” the clerk responded with a grimace.

Hunter heard Olivia make a tutting sound. He hated the fact that she was in distress about the situation.

“We’re pretty much stranded here, so any assistance you can provide would be very much appreciated,” Hunter said smoothly.

Kitty frowned at the computer. “We do have one room with one double bed and a pull out sofa. It’s on the small side and not as spacious as our usual rooms.”

“We’ll take it!” Hunter said, casting a quick glance at Olivia. Her expression was shuttered. “Is that okay?” he asked in a low voice.

Olivia shrugged. “We don’t have a choice, right?” she asked, her features tense.

Uh oh. Had he detected irritation in her tone? Way to go, Rawlings. This was supposed to be the coolest date of all time. Motorcycle. Cool music. Out of town venue. And now it had turned into a logistical nightmare. He should have just stayed in Savannah and taken her somewhere local. So much for showing off and trying to do something different.

He reached for his wallet and pulled out his credit card, handing it to Kitty without further commentary. Hunter wasn’t used to feeling helpless. He hadn’t felt this way since he was a little kid, and he didn’t like it. Normally, the world was at his fingertips just for the asking. He let out a sigh. Maybe this was an example of life showing him that money couldn’t buy his way out of every situation. Perhaps he’d gotten spoiled over the years. Being wealthy had given him whatever he’d wanted whenever he’d wanted it.

This situation wasn’t the end of the world. Far from it, in fact.

After asking the clerk for two toothbrushes and some toothpaste, they made their way to room 105. Hunter dipped the key card in the slot and ushered Olivia in. He quickly scanned the small room. Kitty hadn’t exaggerated. The room was the smallest he had ever seen in his life. Once again, he was being given a reality check by the big guy upstairs. God was serving him a big ole slice of humble pie.

“I’ll take the sofa, Olivia. You take the bed,” he suggested.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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