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“I see something I need to check out on the deck real quick,” I told her as we were about to head toward the west wing and help paint. “Tell Cash and the others I’ll be there in five.”
“You got it. Can’t wait to talk more tomorrow, Ava.” She went back through the lobby, and I went outside to straighten the outdoor chairs that’d been left in a cluster by a family reunion group last night.
Outside, the early-morning sunshine felt good after the air-conditioned inn. As I moved the chairs to their usual casual but organized groupings, I tried to get my brain to catch up with the past half hour.
A dozen people had showed up to help me. People who didn’t even know me well, some who I’d never met before. It was more than a little incredible and so exactly what I’d needed mentally—not to mention physically.
It was mostly quiet out here, with a trio of twentysomethings on the docks, getting some early-morning rays, and a young family sitting out on one of the upper-level private decks, the parents chatting quietly and their infant son cooing every now and then as they fed him. As I picked up the last chair to carry to its spot, a door must’ve opened on the west wing because I could suddenly hear a bunch of voices, laughing, talking—probably my insta-paint crew.
When I glanced in that direction, Cash appeared around the corner of the building, walking in my direction.
I set the chair in place, adjusting it just so, and when I straightened, he was at my side, shining his panty-melting smile down on me. I felt it in my chest as well as my nethers.
“Hey.” I went up on my toes and kissed him. “Your friends and family are awesome.”
“They are. This town is like that,” he said, his big palms landing at the sides of my waist. “They jump in to help when someone needs it.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again. “Thank you, Cash. The painting will be done about ten times faster because of the help.”
He kissed me back, pulling my body into his solid one, and I almost wished there wasn’t a crowd of people here to help us so we could blow off the job and disappear back into the cottage.
“Oh,” I said, ending the kiss abruptly in my enthusiasm. “And Anna Delfico…what do you know about her?”
“She’s good people. One of those types that everyone likes.”
I nodded, thrilled that he was backing up my initial impression of her. “We’re meeting tomorrow night to discuss the management position.”
“For the inn?” His approval was audible.
I nodded again, feeling light enough that I could bounce on my toes.
“I like it. From what I know of her, she’d be good.”
I took hold of his hands and peered up at him, my heart overflowing with gratitude. Not only was he thoughtful and generous and really damn good at keeping me fed with out-of-this-world food, but he was my biggest supporter here. Though the inn was mine, there were so many decisions to be made, and he’d heard me out on multitudes of them and weighed in when I’d asked.
“You’re incredible, Cash. I appreciate you.”
When I went up on my toes again to press one more kiss to his lips before we got back to the painting crew, he caught my head and held me there, lingering over my lips. I felt his attention in every inch of my body. When the kiss ended, he gazed down at me, looking so one-hundred-percent into me. I couldn’t deny it—I felt the same about him.
As I lowered back to my heels, the realization hit me with the force of a blunt but deadly object.
I’d gone and done the worst thing ever. I’d fallen in love—again—with Cash Henry.
Chapter20
Cash
“You”—Ava lowered herself to my lap, sitting sideways on the lounger out by the lake—“are wonderful and thoughtful and one of my favorite people in the whole entire world.”
“Oneof your favorites?” I teased. I leaned forward and lowered my voice so the group around us couldn’t hear. “Guess I’ll have to campaign for a higher ranking later tonight.”
She laughed and kissed me briefly, touching our foreheads together. “Promise?”
“Count on it.” She had me smiling like a dumb ass, which was a feat considering I’d never been known as a smiley guy and certainly not after spending a full day painting.
She went serious, sitting up straighter. “Thank you, Cash. I can’t believe how much we got done.”
“That was these folks.” I waved toward the group surrounding us on the inn’s private beach, some of them on loungers like us, some standing in a group closer to the water, all of them in some stage of devouring the pizza Chloe had brought us. Holden’s pregnant wife hadn’t wanted to inhale paint fumes all day, so she’d taken on the task of keeping us in meals and drinks.
