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Three months later…
Ican’t deny that Mandi is tempting as hell. The closer we get, the more I keep having to remind myself that she’s off-limits.
The fact that I stop in Sunrise Bay more than ever says I’m only asking for trouble.
Like tonight, I could’ve gone to the airport and caught a flight to New York, but here I am, outside the inn at my usual time, eleven at night. The problem is, I don’t have a reservation this time. I was on my way to the airport when I turned around. What the hell was I thinking?
I turn off my truck and sit there staring at the one light on in the reception area. Her car is parked alongside the building, out of the way of guest parking.
“Fuck it,” I say, grabbing my suitcase from the back seat.
At least it isn’t raining.
The bell rings when I open the door and I smile because I can’t wait to see her, but when I look, she’s not behind the desk.
“Just a minute,” she calls.
I approach the desk, still unable to stop smiling because I can’t wait to see her reaction. I’m hoping she’ll be as excited as I am. It’s not like we’re dating, but we’re definitely flirting.
“So sorry.” She comes out from the back office but doesn’t look up right away. “Can I help you?” She lifts her head, and her stunning hazel eyes are red rimmed and her cheeks stained from tears.
“Mandi?” I drop my suitcase and round the reception area.
“Noah?” She swipes under her eyes. “What are you doing here? I didn’t see a reservation for you.” She ignores my closeness and types into the computer as though she missed it.
“I was going to head home to New York, but I wanted to see you.”
She blinks a couple of times and looks at me. “See me?”
I nod. “What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. Anyone who really knows Mandi knows she sees her problems as hers and hers alone. She’ll never burden someone else with them.
“Come on. Tell me.” I open my arms, but she doesn’t walk into them. Gotta admit, that stings a little.
“It’s nothing. Here, let me check you in.”
“Mandi, no, tell me what’s going on,” I plead. I go over to the front door, flip the closed sign, and lock it.
“Come on.” I grab her hand before she can check me in and take her into the dining room. Pulling out a chair, I wait for her to sit before sliding it back in toward the table. “Talk to me.”
Her head is down, and I see a tear fall into her lap. I sit in the chair next to hers and wait for her to talk.
“It’s just the business. It was a hard winter.”
“How hard?”
Her fingers twine together, and I notice her pink nail polish is chipped, which usually isn’t the case. I wonder if she’s been picking at them all night. “It’s nothing, Noah. Nothing you need to be concerned about.”
“I’m your friend, aren’t I?”
“A friend who doesn’t need to know his friend’s business is failing.”
My chest tightens. “Tourist season is coming. We can brainstorm some ideas. Get you completely booked. We can fix this.”
She shakes her head. “Thank you, but this is my problem. I’ll handle it.” She rises out of the chair. “Help yourself to the kitchen if you’re hungry.”
“Accept my help,” I call, but she returns to the reception area and goes through the office door, shutting it and sealing off her decision.
