Page 8 of Fallen Hearts

Any one of his friends could stop a girl in her tracks. But there was something about him that was almost biblical. Suddenly Delaney’s small smile when she’d talked about Mason made sense. And here I thought the two of us would be friends. She was a devil to not have warned me about him first.

He waited. His friends waited. What was the question?

“Pia,” one of them said. I didn’t see which since my focus was 100 percent on the man filling the entire doorframe. “Pia Russo.”

He’d asked who I was. Shit. “Pia Russo,” I repeated, as if his friend hadn’t already said my name. Double shit. His dad. “I am very sorry about your father’s passing.”

“Thanks,” he said, frowning.

So he was a man of many words. I rushed to explain why I’d barged in here and tried to forget my audience of frat boys.

“Your father hired me a few weeks ago to manage Heritage Hill. I just got to town yesterday and learned of his passing.”

His eyes narrowed. One of the guys whistled, a kind of “oh boy” sound.

“My father would never hire an outsider to manage the inn.”

That took me aback, but I remembered the guy had just lost his father. Summoning more patience than was typical of me, I ignored the curt tone. “I can assure you, he did. I have the email chain to prove it. Restoring hotel properties is a specialty of mine.”

“Heritage Hill isn’t a hotel.”

He might be good-looking, but the guy was also kind of a dick. “Inns too.”

“Sorry you came all the way here, but no thanks.”

No thanks? Was he serious?

I looked around at his friends. Clearly they didn’t want to get involved. A second ago, all three of them had stood in a semicircle around me, but now suddenly each of them had somewhere to be. Muttering everything from “Nice to meet you,” to “Have to move my stuff,” the three scattered. Even Beck.

What the hell was I supposed to do now? Clearly he didn’t want me here. And he’d just lost his father. But I’d quit my job and moved across the country to be here.

Deep breaths.

I’d start there.

“I quit my job to take this one. Gave up my apartment, sold my car and moved from Oregon to be here.”

He blinked but didn’t say anything. The guy was a freak of nature, he was so good-looking. Too bad the personality didn’t measure up. How could he be Mr. Bennett’s son? They were like night and day.

“That’s across the country,” I added.

His biceps were much bigger than the average man’s. And he had those bodybuilder veins on his forearms. I couldn’t look away.

“I’m aware,” he said dryly.

He just lost his father. He just lost his father. Patience, Pia.

“I am sorry about your dad,” I said again. “I only spoke to him twice on the phone after a string of emails, but he seemed like a really nice guy.”

“He was. But he also loved this place and ran it himself his entire life. I can’t imagine he would hire someone and, no offense, but he didn’t mention you at all.”

He didn’t mention you at all either.

“Maybe he wanted to surprise you?” I ventured sweetly.

“He hates surprises as much as I do.”

Charming.

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