Page 42 of Fallen Hearts

His hand dropped.

“You’re finally admitting it?”

“Beck,” I said with an attempt at patience. “Like I’ve been saying since Pia started working here, she’s my employee. I’m her boss. It doesn’t matter if I’m attracted to her.”

“Sure it does. I’ll back off if you just admit it.”

Power move. Beck knew I wanted him to back off. He’d likely seen it with the daggers I’d shot him a few minutes ago.

“Fine. I admit it. But she’s free to date whoever she wants, just not me. So if you have a shot with her—” I was going to say “go for it,” but the words stuck in my mouth.

Beck’s silly grin was so typical of him.

“First of all, she doesn’t want to date me, obviously. It’s a joke between us at this point. Second of all, consider it done.”

Good.

I just wouldn’t say that out loud.

“It’s a bad idea,” I admitted for the first time to anyone but myself.

“Agreed.”

“Because she works for me.”

“Nah, not that.”

My eyes narrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It’s not ideal,” he said, Beck’s more serious side making a rare appearance. “If you get together and end up staying here, and it doesn’t work out.” He shrugged. “But aside from that, who cares? You’re consenting adults. And it’s not like you have some board of directors or someone to answer to. You’re a literal staff of three.”

I didn’t get it. “So why isn’t it ideal? In your mind.” Because in mine, screwing around with one of my only employees, and a good one at that, wasn’t a good idea at all.

“Because there’s more between you than a simple attraction. I’ve known you long enough to tell. And that, Mason, should scare the hell out of you. Or anyone who knows the success rate of long-term relationships.”

Leave it to Beck to force the truth down my throat.

“I like you better when you’re not so serious,” I said, echoing Pia’s comment about liking me more when she thought I was an asshole.

“Everyone does,” he said, slapping me on my shoulder and walking away.

Great. Now what?

Damned if I had any answers. Just more questions.

15

PIA

“Someone’s here to see you.”

Beck stood at my office door, which was always open. After a successful first week, I’d just been wrapping up, planning to head back to my apartment for a long, hot bath. Avoiding Mason during our opening week had been impossible. After that near… whatever it was… I’d just wanted to crawl in a hole. Instead, we had to navigate our roles, he as innkeeper and me as manager, and ensure all went smoothly when Heritage Hill opened for the first time in decades without his father greeting guests.

“To see me? Is it Delaney?”

She was the only person I knew in town besides the boys.

“Who?”

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