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She didn’t seem to be surprised. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Austin.” Her skin felt surprisingly warm on his. And soft. She must use a ton of expensive creams on her hands. But she had a firm grip, which he liked. He hated those dead-fish handshakes.
Her smile widened. “Like the city. I can remember that. I once ate the most amazing steak in Austin.”
What an odd thing to say. He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he simply stood there like his feet were glued to the stones on the path.
Dani didn’t seem to notice. “Maybe I can take you to dinner as a thank you. Do you like seafood? There’s this great place down the street.” She froze, and her mouth shaped into a small circle. “Oh, I mean, after I get some money…” Pink rose to her cheeks and she shifted her weight. She’d obviously embarrassed herself. He felt bad for her, for some weird reason. A tense silence filled the space between them.
“I’ll treat,” he heard himself say. Wait, what? He hadn’t meant to say that. What was wrong with him? He didn’t want to sit through an entire dinner with Danica Jordan. He could just imagine what the spoiled princess would chatter on and on about.
But before he could take it back, her eyes lit up. “Really? You’d do that?”
Oh, man. He was in trouble now. She looked so genuinely happy that he couldn’t say no. “Sure.”
“Fantastic. Where should I meet you? Is there a maintenance shed or something?” She glanced around the property, as if the maintenance shed would be where he would be staying.
Austin almost backed out right then and there. This woman was such a clueless nut. Why was he even talking to her? He sighed and pointed. “I’m staying in 425.”
Her eyes widened. “You get to stay at the resort? Maintenance people must get paid a lot more than cleaning people. Kay suggested I go down to the budget hotel.” Her lips pulled down. “I don’t even want to know what that’s going to be like.”
He held back a smile. Whatever happened to Dani has put her in a tight spot for sure. He almost laughed at the thought of her having to do anything on a budget. The poor girl was completely unaware of how most people live. It might do her some good to have to work a bit for a living. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
Her face didn’t mirror his positivity. “Uh, huh.”
He held up the wrench, suddenly glad she thought he was a handyman. “Guess I’d better get back to it.”
“Oh, right.” Dani smiled. “I’ll see you tonight, then? I’ll stop by your room when I get off work.”
She seemed proud to say those words, which was so bizarre, like he’d fallen into some alternate world where it was cool for a notorious celebrity to don yellow gloves and clean bathtubs. There just wasn’t anything he could say to that. He gave her a small wave and headed toward the lobby to find Kay, because he could no longer handle the strangeness of the conversation.
He found Kay in her office, behind her desk. When he walked in, she glanced up at him, then did a double take. “Did you hurt your knee?”
He held back a scowl. How did she do that? She was the most perceptive person he knew. And now what was he supposed to say? “Not really.”
“What happened?”
“I just need some plumber’s tape. Do you have any?”
She frowned. “I’m not asking about the pipe. What happened to your knee? Your limp is more pronounced.”
“I…” He was going to lie, but decided it was useless around Kay. “I may have angered the knee gods a tiny bit.”
“Austin—”
“It’s not bad, ma’am, I swear.” He held up a hand like he was swearing in at court.
“Stop calling me ma’am.”
“I can’t help it. I grew up—”
“In the South,” she finished for him. “I know. It just makes me feel old.”
“You’re not old, ma’am.”
She shot him a withered look and held out her hand. “Give me that wrench. Go rest. I don’t want to see you fixing anything else. I’ll have someone else repair the leak.”
Even though he really had no desire to see Mrs. Fleming again, he had a sudden urge to finish what he’d started. “All I need is some plumber’s tape. Please let me do it.”
