Page 107 of Fallen Hearts

Pia also agreed it made sense to stay at the inn and would be moving, with Parker and Beck’s help, this weekend.

I should be there to help. Fuck that. I should be there to warm her bed the first night. And the second night.

But what bed? Mine? We’d be sharing a bed, a roof and a job. It’d be all but game over.

Was that so bad?

“Darts?” Cole asked, knowing he didn’t stand a chance at beating me. He might be able to kick my ass at foosball, but darts? Nah.

“You sure?”

“Why not?”

It was only after darts, after turning away the very same woman I thought was pretty, and after I was lying in bed, thinking about the week, thinking about Pia, that I finally broke down and texted her.

She replied immediately.

38

PIA

I didn’t have texting Mason for twenty minutes during my last night in this bed on the bingo card for tonight, but here we were.

I think you’re caught up, but I hardly know anything about your week.

Mason had first texted to remind me that, in addition to me moving into Heritage Hill tomorrow, we’d also be getting a shipment of carpet. Plus, the place was full, which would make for an interesting Saturday. Since Mason had left last weekend, it had been a whirlwind. But I’d vowed never to complain about a full inn, especially since the weekend before had been lighter than usual for this time of year. Not to mention, as fall turned into winter, we were headed into the leanest season yet.

But that would change.

I’d been hard at work on partnerships, and even conceived a reopening for early spring that would give us an opportunity to advertise something special for a typically down time until the weather turned.

The place looked great. New carpeting in all the bedrooms would make a world of difference too. The fact that I was excited about carpeting said all there was to know about this job. I loved it. Loved bringing Heritage Hill back to life. And would love to see it become a premier destination, the crowning jewel of Cedar Falls.

Trust me, the less details I share about my day, the better you’ll sleep at night.

Speaking of sleep…

I sent a bed emoji. A cocktail or two, plus my big plush pillows, did that to me every time.

Tired?

Getting there.

Pause.

Wish I was with you.

It was the first thing like that he’d texted. We were in work mode most of the time, and knowing we stood on extremely shaky ground, I personally hadn’t been willing to fall through this particular crack.

I wish you were too.

He sent a smiley face emoji, which, in turn, made me smile.

The first rule of a situationship? If you catch yourself smiling at your phone, block the other person immediately. Everyone knew that. But of course, instead of blocking him, or shutting down the conversation, I continued to smile at the fact that Mason was spending the end of his first night out in the city texting me.

Next thing I knew, a video call came through. Answering immediately, and almost breaking down at the sight of him, I scooted up in bed.

“Hey there.”

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