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“Nah, no one can replace a boy’s dad as his hero, I’m sure.”
“You’d be surprised. Liam knows way more about Spiderman than I do, so that’s probably the basis of it. Regardless, James and I plan to get the kids together again soon, and I have you to thank for it.”
“Not a problem at all, but you’re welcome all the same. It’s hard for kids with single parents. They always think they’re missing out on something. So knowing other kids who are in the same boat helps them to feel more normal.”
“Ellie Tremont with the kid wisdom strikes again,” he grinned, and a flush of pleasure spread across my cheeks.
Jake continued. “Did everything go as expected?”
“No issues. We know what we're doing now, so it’s a pretty smooth process.” I shuffled a few papers on my desk to tear my gaze away from his face.
He settled further back into his chair, throwing one arm across the high back and crossing a leg over his knee. “Okay. So, when’s the next event?”
I gave him a mock-appraising look to avoid ogling. “Already looking forward to the next one, huh? I thought my little projects were all ‘good idea fairy’ nonsense.”
He seemed genuinely upset. “Hey, I didn’t say that. It’s more-”
“Jake, I’m just teasing you.”
A knowing grin curled his lips, and his tone turned flirtatious again. “Oh, I see how it is. Alright then, I see you Ellie Tremont. So, what’s next?”
I clicked on the calendar on my computer. “Well, now we prepare for the fall leaf-peepers. We’re already booked over 60% for the two weekends in October we expect to hit peak color, and it’ll be closer to ninety by the time we get there. After that, it’s a quick break before the season starts Thanksgiving weekend.”
“And that’s like, the super bowl around here, right?”
“If the super bowl lasted for five months.”
“Okay, so perhaps not the super bowl.”
I tried to join in his sports analogy. “I’d say it’s like March Madness for a month, and then the super bowl for the two weeks around Christmas and New Year. Then every three-day or holiday weekend is another mini super bowl after that, with just mid-season craziness in-between.”
Jake ducked his chin and regarded me with warm brown eyes. “So, a five month-long super bowl.”
It wasn’t far from the truth. “I guess, yeah.”
“So how can I help?”
“Help with what?”
He shrugged. “Whatever you need help with. We’re already working on JJ’s requirements, and I still check in with him to see if there’s anything he wants to add. But to be honest, he seems pretty happy with how things are going so far. So, if there are things you need help with, there’s no time like the present for me to learn.”
“Okay.” I thought about it for a moment. “We’re going to be doing an eighties movie trivia night Friday, if you want to help with that?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Did you bring that up because you think I’m old?”
The laugh burst from my lips. “You’re really sensitive about the age thing, huh? It’s nothing personal. We’ve talked about eighties movies a couple times and I thought it would be something you’d have fun with.”
Jake grinned, clearly not offended. “Fair enough. I do like eighties movies.”
“Me too.”
“Aren’t you a little young? I barely remember the eighties and you’re like a decade younger than me.”
“Six years,” I reminded him with a sniff. “I watched them with my mom a lot when I was younger. She loved them, showed me all the classics. Whenever I had a sick day from school, or the weather was crappy, we’d hole up on the couch and watch her favorites.”
Jake’s eyes were wide, a smile curling his lips. “Me too.”
“Really?”
