not nervous, she supposed. And that sounded better than I’m really hoping that you and your family don’t regret having me here and investing in me.
It was just a part-time job. They knew it was temporary. She was helping them out.
This wasn’t them making a long-term commitment to her any more than it was her making one to them.
But yeah, she couldn’t shake the memory of Garrett telling her she’d stolen two years of his life that he could have been with someone else. Someone good for him.
Mitch still looked concerned, so she nodded. “Yeah. I’m a little nervous.”
Nervous that me being here is a huge fucking mistake.
She was being selfish. She didn’t want to deal with her mom and family… and town… for a little while, so she’d run away and was now here complicating things for Mitch.
“It’s going to be great. My family is the best.”
Yep. Exactly what she was afraid of.
But she followed him out of the truck and up to the office.
“Mornin’, Ken,” Mitch greeted.
Kennedy looked over from where she was perched behind the tall counter that clearly served as the front desk. There was a computer monitor to one side. A phone, a big schedule book, and several piles of papers were set along the top. Kennedy sat on a tall stool. She was wearing jeans and a dark green polo with the Boys of the Bayou logo on the left side.
“Did you bring coffee?” she asked.
“Nope.” He glanced to where there was a refreshment station set up.
There was a single-serve coffee pot with a whole display of coffee pods, tea bags, and packets of hot cocoa. There was also a pitcher of water and some alligator-shaped cookies.
“You’ve got coffee,” he said, gesturing at the station.
“That’s tourist coffee,” Kennedy said. “I need real coffee.”
Mitch looked at Paige. “She means strong and with some chicory in it.”
“I’ve never had chicory coffee,” Paige told him. She’d read about it in her Louisiana research.
“You gotta try it,” he said. “Some people love it and some hate it. But you eat some weird stuff, so you might think it’s great.”
She laughed. He wasn’t wrong.
“So go get us some,” Kennedy said with a frown. As if Mitch should already be on his way to fetch coffee.
“I thought I’d get Paige settled here first,” Mitch said.
“What do you do if there are two seats left on a tour but a family of four calls and can only do that tour time?” Kennedy asked.
“Uh,” was Mitch’s reply.
“And what happens when the boat gets all the way out, and a little kid starts puking?”
“I, um…” Mitch answered.
“And what do we do if we take out a bachelor party and they’re horribly obnoxious, and the other members on the tour complain when they get back?”
“I… don’t know.”
“So why don’t you just go get the coffee, Mitchell?” Kennedy asked. “I think I can handle ‘settling’ Paige in.”
He shot Paige a look. Paige was fighting a smile. She liked Kennedy. She was no-nonsense, and Paige got the feeling that she’d always know where she stood with the other woman.
She liked that. A lot.
If she pissed Kennedy off or went against expectations, Kennedy would tell her. That’s what Paige needed. Wanted even. She knew she’d screw some things up but as long as people felt comfortable telling her that and how to fix it, she’d be fine.
And if she told Kennedy this was just a temporary job, and she wasn’t interested in anything long-term with Mitch either, she thought Kennedy would take her at her word and wouldn’t expect anything more.
“Yeah, okay.” Mitch still looked a little hesitant to leave.
Paige felt a little thump in her chest. He was feeling protective. That was so nice.
And bad. Really bad. He couldn’t feel responsible for her.
“I’m fine,” she told him. She was independent and smart and capable and didn’t need to be protected.
“You’re sure?”
“Yep. I’m good. And I’ll tell you all about it while we cuddle in the hammock later.”
His eyes flickered with heat, and that did the trick of making him relax and grin. “If I don’t keep your mouth busy with other things.”
That made her lower stomach flip, and heat spread. Yeah, that he couldn’t do on non-date days. She liked it way too much. But this was Tuesday. Thank God.
“Ahem.” Kennedy cleared her throat. “If she’s dirty daydreaming about you today and doesn’t get any work done, I’m coming for you,” she told Mitch. “I have to be in New Orleans all day tomorrow and Baton