the heat rolling off her taking me captive in the humid air.
“Yes hi, you must be Danielle!” With a nod I confirmed. “It’s so great to have you here.”
From the look of fatigue in every line of her face I could believe it. With a little sleep and a little additional makeup Bailey really could be the girl-next-door. No—not the “porn star” version but the leggy, caramel blonde, adorable smile, type. My Grandma told me a little about Bailey and the best way I could sum her up was a worker bee. On countless occasions my Gram had offered her a managerial position but Bailey turned it down. She loved being an assistant without having the extreme duties that were now resting on my shoulders. Except I had a feeling she’d been doing much more than her share of work while my mother was “in charge.”
“Thanks.”
I tried to say, ‘it’s good to be here,’ but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Let me give you a tour!”
Bailey called someone to take over the front desk while she led me around the all-too familiar Inn. The majority of the Inn was different since I’d last set foot in there, but some things remained the same. The rooms were updated, the wood-paneled floors had been completely buffed out and the walls were all the same shade of crimson covering the accent wall in the lobby. We toured the new banquet hall, my office, the stables and the grounds. The place was impressive and the way Bailey’s face lit up while she showed me around I could see the love she had for it. One could only hope that someday I would feel that way about the Inn. One thing I could do without failure was put my business foot forward and like it or not the Hamilton Inn was my next project.
“Do you always work Saturdays?” I asked as Bailey walked me out to my car.
“If necessary.” She confirmed with a nod. Judging from the bags under her eyes, I could only imagine that was a yes.
“Thank you for being here today to show me around.”
“Of course, it was my pleasure.”
“Hey listen, it’s Saturday night and I don’t really want to sit around my house. Do you know of any good bars around here? I’m in desperate need to let my hair down and don’t know of anywhere good to go.”
The look she returned; gave me my answer. “I don’t go out a lot but I know there is a bar called The Underground. It’s about ten minutes from here and I’ve heard they have good drink prices.”
Before climbing into my stifling car, I flashed her a smile. “Thanks, I’ll check it out. See you Monday?”She nodded. “See you, enjoy your weekend.”
“You too, Bailey!”
Driving away, I noticed it was lunch time; before going home, I needed to stop at a Food Mart to load up my cupboards. It would also keep me from pigging out on greasy food that I shamelessly indulged on with Gabby.
I had my shopping cart loaded when someone called my name. Honestly, it was the particular voice speaking that had me stopping in my tracks. My heart was beating fiercely, while the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. This couldn’t be happening. I wasn’t ready to hear whatever it was he had to say!
A rough calloused hand pressed against the base of my neck, and, immediately, a mind-numbing tingle spread from the point of contact. I had no choice but to turn around.
Ollie looked even better up close, causing my mind turn to mush. A pair of dark jeans and a gray T-shirt stretched across his body showing off his bulky muscles that definitely weren’t around in high school. His damp blonde hair fell across his forehead and the smell of body wash mixed with another intoxicating scent crept into my lungs.
“I thought that was you!” His arms wrapped around my waist, pressing me into his rock hard chest. I stifled a whimper at the feeling of being back in the arms of someone I’d tried to convince myself I hadn’t missed—every single day.
“It’s me,” I mumbled lamely.
Ollie’s hands gripped my waist and shifted me back as he blatantly looked me over from head-to-toe. My cheeks and neck flushed. I prayed I wasn’t suddenly covered in some disgusting foreign substance.
“Did you just move back?” The smile on his face hadn’t faltered as I tried to form a coherent thought.