Here Comes Trouble Page 0,36
form of entertainment. I lived under an enormous amount of scrutiny when I was working for Patrick. I was twelve years his junior, and despite being more than qualified for the job, both by my upbringing and by my college education, absolutely everyone naturally assumed I’d slept my way into the job as resort manager at such a young age. The irony was that Patrick was considered quite the prodigy himself for being an internationally renowned resort owner at such a young age…but no one thought he’d gotten there by anything other than hard work.”
“Or the hard work of others, from the sound of it.”
She shrugged off the intended compliment. “Bottom line is, if you’re asking if I’d be bothered by what the locals here might think of how I conduct my personal life, then the answer is no. Both because it truly isn’t their business and therefore their opinion is none of my concern, but also because I don’t plan on conducting myself in any manner that could be considered questionable, no matter how conservative and small the mind. I’m a grown, single woman and can see or sleep with whomever I wish. It’s not like I plan to jump your bones in the middle of the town square.”
“Does Pennydash have a town square?”
“Are we in New England?” she teased. “Yes, it does. Actually, it’s quite charming and one of the draws for both the resort planners and me. It had fallen on some pretty hard times since the town’s inception a hundred years ago, but the resort is bringing a rejuvenation to the shops and empty properties. A few good winters and I think it will turn into something as special as the western resort towns, but with its own distinct East Coast feel. Which I think it is a good thing, despite my western background.”
“Actually, I think it sounds pretty nice. I have a thing for town square architecture and development.”
She looked surprised. “You do?”
“It’s partly why I turned up the drive to your place. I liked the look of the old structure. We don’t have this kind of architecture out west and I thought it was both charming and interesting.”
“Hunh.”
He chuckled. “Still an enigma?”
“More all the time, it seems.”
He smiled, but didn’t ask if that was a good or a bad thing.
“What about you? You sounded like you had small town experience. Did you live somewhere else before Vegas?”
His laugh was dry, short. “Oh, don’t be fooled. Vegas is the smallest of small towns. Especially if you’ve lived there your whole life.”
“Have you?”
“Until recently, yes.”
“Oh. I thought you were still a resident. Where did you move away to?”
He nodded in the general direction of the front of the house. “That bike in your driveway.”
“Ah,” she said again. “The running away that became a journey.”
Her hands were still on his bare shoulders, and his body was painfully aware of just how close she was, and how badly he wished there was a whole lot more contact points between them than his hands on her hips and hers on his shoulders. And he let himself get caught up in that for a moment, so she caught him off guard. It was the only reason he could think why he answered her so openly.
“You paused, a moment ago. When I said I’d sent your license to the sheriff’s office. I do that as a precaution. One of the good things about small towns is we all look out for one another, but I’m a lone woman running a business and times aren’t exactly flush, so while I am appreciative of the business, I’m also careful. No insult intended.”
“None taken.”
“So…why the pause? We’ve established you haven’t hacked anybody up recently, and there aren’t any angry exes chasing you—” She paused, and looked at him.
“What?”
“You just did it again.”
“Did what?”
“Paused.”
“I wasn’t talking.”
“Your body, something. You stilled, then. You sure there’s not someone in Vegas waiting for you to decide if you’re coming back?”
“I didn’t say there wasn’t anybody waiting, just that it wasn’t a woman. Or significant other. There are a few other folks waiting.”
“The ones on that list?”
“Them. And a few others.”
Now she paused. Then she said, “You’re right.”
“About?”
“Knowing too much. Maybe we should have skipped right past it. Just enjoyed the moment.”
“Maybe.”
She let out a short, self-deprecating laugh. “Although, in retrospect, I don’t know why I thought I’d be any good at this.”
“This?”
She played her fingertips along his shoulders. “This.”
He swore his entire body vibrated. They might be having