But he came around eventually. In all fairness, we were struggling to get the inn going at the time, and he was already overwhelmed.”
“Seems to be working out now.”
“It is. The inn’s doing good business and will soon be sold, God willing. I’m really excited to branch out into my own building. Though I’m a little nervous about it too.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, right now I have help from Levi and Molly. Whoever’s working the front desk handles rentals. Once I’m on my own, I’ll have to hire help. Plus a lot of my customers find out about the business because they’re staying at the inn. I’m a little worried tourists won’t find me so easily.”
“Sounds like a good marketing plan will be the solution.”
“Yes, but that takes money. The sale of the inn should leave me set to make a big push though.” The problem was, tourists came and went, so the marketing had to be ongoing. She brushed her worry aside, not wanting anything negative to intrude on the night.
“So tell me how your brother ended up becoming engaged to a celebrity.”
Grace chuckled, remembering the craziness from two summers ago. “Funny thing, Mia actually came to the inn on her honeymoon.”
“Come again?”
“Well, to be fair, her wedding didn’t exactly pan out, so she came alone. You didn’t hear about this? It was all over social media and the gossip sites.”
“I don’t really follow those things.”
“You don’t read People?” she asked facetiously.
He gave her a get real grin.
“Yeah, so there was a lot going on in Mia’s life that summer, including a huge scandal and paparazzi.”
“Here?”
“Right here in little ol’ Bluebell. And Levi came to her rescue.” As Grace remembered her brother’s fierce protectiveness and googly eyes, she laughed. “He fell for her hard and fast. It was fun to watch, let me tell you.”
“He seems a little . . . tightly wound.”
“Just because he sucker punched you at first chance?” she deadpanned.
“It factored in.”
“Thank you for not laying him flat, by the way. But yes, he can be a little uptight. That’s what made it so fun, watching him go down. You haven’t seen him around Mia yet. It’s like she calms him or something with just her presence.”
“You and Molly get along with her? She’s going to be part of the family soon.”
“Oh yeah, she’s great. Not at all full of herself or—as Miss Della says—‘too big for her britches,’ like you might expect a celebrity to be. She’s kind and thoughtful and easy to talk to. Levi’s ready to put an end to this long-distance dating though.”
A while later the server was removing their plates just as the giant pink orb of the sun began melting into the horizon. Pink and purple clouds swathed the sky in a brilliant display of artistry, the colors reflecting off the water’s smooth-as-glass surface.
“Look at that,” Grace said. “You timed it perfectly.” Wyatt’s actions were strategic and precise. She’d never considered how sexy those traits were, especially when he used them to please her.
They declined dessert and watched the sun go down in quiet awe. Grace never got tired of the beautiful lake sunsets. Mostly, though, she was thinking how strategic and precise his kiss had been. But there’d been a wildness too, and with that wildness a measure of restraint. She hoped he’d get the chance to display all those traits a little later.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Once the sun was gone, darkness quickly closed in. Wyatt settled the bill and led Grace from the restaurant, taking her hand as they made their way across the lawn toward the pier. Her hand felt small and delicate in his. Her skin soft.
He’d enjoyed their conversation over supper. Grace was easy to talk to and witty with her dry sense of humor. She wasn’t one to gush, but her love for her family was obvious. She was still younger and less experienced than he was, but instead of being repelled by her fresh outlook and naïveté, he found himself drawn to those qualities.
He hoped to extend the evening and was glad it was dark now so Grace couldn’t jet them across the lake in ten seconds flat.
The dock shimmied as they walked down the length of it, and when they reached the boat he released her hand. Grace slid behind the wheel while Wyatt untied the lines. Once they were both aboard she started the boat and found the nav lights.
“Back to the house?” she asked.
“If you’d like. Or we could do a little stargazing out