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The side door opened and Becky laughed. “Talk about perfect timing.”
I turned to see who was walking through the door. “Claire?”
She laughed. “Don’t sound so happy to see me.”
“Why aren’t you working at the Tranquil Inn today?”
“It’s my day off. Isn’t that weird? I never get Thursdays off, but my boss called me last night and told me I could take the day off to get ready for my wedding. With pay, even. How weird that Myra asked for my help on the same day.”
Another eerie coincidence. “If you got the day off to work on your wedding, what are you doing here?”
She shrugged, looking over my shoulder. “That’s really him.”
“Him, who?”
Her eyes widened in exasperation. “Hot British Professor him. Who else?”
“I already told you he was here.”
“I wanted to meet him up close and personal for myself.” She pushed past me and walked up to David, extending her hand. “Hello, I’m Claire, Ellie’s best friend. I saw you in Chapel Hill, but we weren’t introduced, Dr. Preston.”
He looked down at her, amusement dancing in his eyes, and shook her hand. “David, please. And we weren’t introduced because I was about to call campus security on Ellie.”
Steven was sitting at the dining room table eating his breakfast, but he glanced up at us. “Ellie came to see you in Chapel Hill?”
“Yes,” David said. “It’s a long story that I’ll share with you later.”
Claire couldn’t stop grinning. “So, you’re taking her to see the Lost Colony.”
He winked. “It’s not lost anymore.”
Claire turned toward me. “I like him. You can keep him.”
I groaned and grabbed her arm, dragging her toward the kitchen. “Thank you. I feel so much better to have your blessing.”
“It was nice to officially meet you, Claire, Ellie’s best friend,” David called after us.
“I’m serious,” Claire said when we reached the butler’s pantry. “I like this guy.”
“You like his accent and his build.”
“Well…that too.”
I laughed and put a dirty plate into the dishwasher. “This is a working relationship. No flirting. No fooling around.”
“But fooling around is the best part of a relationship.”
My eyes widened in frustration. “There is no relationship. There is no us. This is a professional partnership.”
“Uh-huh.”
I shook my head and stared out the window over the sink. “I don’t want to royally screw this up. If we keep it professional, it will be easier for us to work together.”
“Uh-huh.” She sounded far from convinced.
“Stop trying to force something that isn’t there.”
“Hello, Ellie! He’s hot! And that accent!”
