our meticulous cleanup. We know there’s no mold problem, but they don’t, so we don’t need to mention it.”
“Fine. I won’t bring it up.”
“Did you mention that stuff to all the other people who came through too?” Grace asked.
“No . . .” Molly shifted, her gaze darting around restlessly. “Well, maybe some of it.”
Grace threw her hands up. “Great. No wonder no one is interested. We’ve had Eeyore giving the grand tour!”
Molly gasped. “You’re calling me Eeyore?”
“No one is more surprised by that than me.”
“Settle down, you two. We’ll have plenty more interested parties.”
The front door opened and Wyatt entered wearing gym clothes. He glanced between the siblings, obviously catching the tense vibe.
His gaze zeroed in on Grace. “Everything all right?”
Grace calmed instantly at the sight of him. “Fine. Just sibling stuff. Good workout?”
“Very good.”
Mia came down the stairs, greeted them, then went straight to the front desk and leaned in, giving Levi a kiss. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
“Morning.” Levi went from stressed to smitten in ten seconds flat.
Grace introduced Wyatt to Mia, further dispelling the tension in the room. Then Grace agreed to take the desk while Levi and Mia ran some wedding errands. Molly, looking like a dog with its tail between its legs, slinked out the front door, leaving Grace alone with Wyatt.
After the door shut, Wyatt looked at Grace. “Not to sound narcissistic, but that wasn’t about me, was it?”
“What?”
“That wall of tension I walked into.”
Grace took her place behind the front desk. “That was about the inn. I overheard Molly not doing such a great job with the prospective buyers. I think she might’ve scared them away.”
“Maybe she’s not the right person for the job. You’d be great at giving a tour.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks, but Molly really is the right person. We had a talk with her, and she promised to straighten up. It’ll be fine.”
He ambled over to the desk, something shifting on his face with each step. He was staring at her in a way that stirred up those butterflies.
“I had a nice time last night, Grace.”
“Me too.” She’d been so full of adrenaline when she turned in last night, she couldn’t sleep. She kept reviewing that kiss—those kisses. Yum.
He looked at her mouth like he was doing that right now. Then his gaze swung back to her eyes, holding them captive for a long, delicious moment.
She’d been toying with an idea all morning but was afraid it was too soon. They’d only had one date, and he hadn’t yet mentioned a second. But those kisses. She was positive he’d enjoyed them as much as she had. And the warmth in his eyes gave her the courage to ask the question.
“I was wondering—”
“What are you—?”
They spoke at the same time.
He smiled. “Ladies first.”
This was the first time she’d considered that standard a disadvantage. She straightened the brochures. “Right. Okay. So I’m hesitant to ask you this because we’ve only gone out once. But it appears there’s a wedding coming up in our family, and I have a plus one. It’s next Saturday—and I don’t even know if you’re still going to be around—but I’d like to bring a date. And I know weddings have all kinds of heavy implications, real and imagined, and guys get nervous about that kind of thing. But really, I’m just looking for a friendly date, someone to—”
“A friendly date . . .”
“—dance with. I was actually thinking of asking Nick, you know, just as friends, but—”
“You are not asking Nick.”
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “You’re a little bossy.” Funny how it was so much more annoying when Levi did it.
“Are you trying to ask me on a date, Grace?”
Her face warmed, and heat prickled under her arms. He was always throwing her off balance. And from the cocky look on his face, he didn’t mind it one bit.
“I guess I am,” she said, flustered. “If you’re still going to be around and everything.”
“I am going to be around. And I’d love to be your plus one.” He set his palms on the counter, leaning in and coming within a foot of her. Giving her that intense look that made her knees go all wobbly.
“But that’s a whole week away, Gracie. And I’m not waiting that long to kiss you again. Go out with me tonight.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Grace followed the path down the peninsula, better known as Pawley Park. Maple trees cast long shadows on the well-manicured lawn as the filmy sun sank behind the mountains.