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“Well, that’s nice,” my mother said. “She should be about your age.”
My mother looked up at me. I stood beside my father, sipping my coffee and schooling my expression to be nonchalant. “Oh, yeah?”
My mother nodded. “Well, maybe a few years younger. You were always off doing your own thing when we visited in the summer.”
My grandmother drummed her fingertips on the table. “Alice should be about three or four years younger than you. When you’re younger, that seems like a big gap, but now hardly at all.”
I didn’t even look in my grandmother’s direction as I reached for a brownie.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Alice
Jonah:Rumor has it my grandmother guilted you into letting me use one of your guest bedrooms.
A little laugh slipped out as I read Jonah’s text message. Bea didn’t have to guilt me, but she would’ve. She was primed for it. I had mixed feelings about Jonah staying in my house for an undetermined time. Ever since our night together, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was in an endless cycle of mental debate. My body thought spending as much time as possible with Jonah was a fantastic idea, while my mind thought it was a little risky.
I had never planned to come home and dive into a relationship. I figured romance was in the distance for me. I needed to settle back into my hometown and focus on getting my business up and running.
Yet Jonah was ridiculously tempting.
“Why are you staring at your phone and smiling?” Tiffany’s voice reached me, and I turned to see her leaning in the doorway of the break room.
“No reason,” I replied, aiming for my tone to sound casual.
“Now, you’re blushing,” she pointed out.
“I’m your boss. You’re not supposed to grill me,” I returned, my cheeks getting even hotter.
Unabashed, my only employee shrugged. “Maybe so, but—” She paused and cleared her throat. “Somebody texted you, and it’s got you all hot and bothered. Also, you’re not the controlling kind of boss. Willow Brook is the size of a freaking thimble. We have to be on good terms.”
I lowered my phone, grinning over at her. “I’m not that kind of boss. It’s Jonah.”
Her grin widened. “Oh, Jonah, who totally has the hots for you? Jonah, who youtotallyhave the hots for,” she teased.
I twisted my lips to the side. “No matter who has the hots for who, I’m wading into a potentially complicated situation.”
“What’s up?” Tiffany pushed away from the door and sat down across from me.
We had just finished up for the day. I had waved goodbye to the family who had gotten a mini pig that was not a mini pig. She was big now, and her name was Petal. She was adorable and sweet, and the kids loved her, so the family had turned their garage and yard into a space where Petal could live.
Tiffany and I were working really well together. Everything meshed. I needed someone to take the reins from Georgia and Natalie and let me focus on the rest. Tiffany had done that effortlessly. She had initiative, and she was funny.
We had agreed to check in every morning so she could get me up to speed on any changes she was making and cover anything I needed to weigh in on opinion-wise. Otherwise, she had my schedule filled up already. I thought I could consider doing surgery once I found a vet assistant. I had already put some feelers out to a few of the vet practices in Anchorage. I needed someone to cover emergencies for me on occasion.
I leaned back in the chair across from her. “Bea called me.” I felt my cheeks getting hot just thinking about it. “She said Jonah needs a place to stay.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Tiffany said, her brows arching. “He’s staying in her little B&B place. I think he’s even paying rent.”
“Oh, he has been,” I confirmed, “But his parents are here to stay since Bea is sick, and we don’t know how long she’s going to be around here.” Every time I thought about that, my heart hurt a little bit. “She doesn’t have a big house, just one bedroom. It’s her and Dennis, and they’re—”
“Newlyweds,” Tiffany interjected.
“Exactly. The B&B is also one bedroom. It just has a loft. Bea called me and said she didn’t want Jonah to have to sleep on anybody’s couch. I have plenty of space. It’s a three-bedroom house, so I said yes. Because—”
“It’s the neighborly thing to do,” she offered with a saucy grin.
“It is. I just don’t know if it’s a smart idea.”
