Page 13 of My Mistake To Make

‘Umyeah, three and ten have no bookings coming up.’

‘Ten then,’ she says brightly. ‘Thank you.’

‘No problem. I take payment upfront, but since you don’t know how long you’ll be here, shall we do it on a week-to-week basis.’ She must nod her agreement because I don’t hear anything until Zoe continues. ‘Great, let me get you some paperwork to fill out. Is that all your luggage?’

‘No, I left the rest outside. I hope that’s okay. My friend had to drop me off, and I couldn’t carry it all at once.’

‘Oh, it’ll be fine. You fill this out. I’ll get you a key, and Doug can help you with your bags.’

Wait. ‘What?’ I snap my gaze up to meet Zoe’s just as she raises her eyebrows and puts a hand on her hip.

‘You said you didn’t have a lot going on right now. Now you do. You can help—’ She looks down at the paperwork. ‘—Carahere with her bags like the gentleman you are.’

I scowl at her, and she smirks. Fuckin’ sisters.

I inhale deeply through my nose and then exhale the same way before, admittedly, making a big scene of pushing myself off my stool.

‘It’s okay. I don’t want to bother you,’ she says so fucking sweetly it pisses me off.

‘You couldn’t carry your bags into the bar, sweetheart. How are you going to carry them to the cabins?’

I smirk and should walk away, but like the idiot I am, I turn my gaze on her andfuck my life. She’s so pretty it’s annoying, with her big brown Bambi eyes and those freckles. That nose ring is sexy as fuck too, and that hair, long, blonde, and, is that, yeah, purple. I push aside the thought of that hair wrapped around my fist and head out of the bar to find her bags. Even though I hate tourists and don’t want to think about women as anything other than either family or an automatic pain in my ass, I can’t ignore that my traitorous dick also likes that face.

This, I do not need.

Living The Dream, Cara.

Cara

My word, he’s possiblythe grumpiest man I’ve ever met, but, my word, he’s attractive. That backside in those jeans, well, even I can appreciate that, and I’ve neverappreciateda bum in my life.

I don’t mean to drop back behind him as we walk toward the cabins, but he’s left me to pull my heavy case while he carries everything else, and his long strides are carrying him a lot faster than I seem capable of walking right now.

‘This is you.’ He comes to a stop in front of a cute little cabin in much better shape than the house I came here for, and I sigh, relieved. ‘Anything you need, call Zoe, or go down to the bar.’ His brow furrows a little. ‘It gets a little rowdy after five, so you’d be better off calling.’

‘Oh, I’ll be fine, thank you. I’m knackered, to be honest.’

‘Knackered?’ he grumbles, and I chuckle.

‘Tired, very bloody tired.’

He lifts his chin in acknowledgment of my translation but doesn’t smile, or say anything more as he hands me the key, puts down my bags, and turns.

‘Um, it’s Doug, right?’

He stops, and I see the rise and fall of his shoulders before he turns to face me once more.

‘Sorry, I just, I was wondering if you might know of a general contractor locally. Someone who can carry out house renovations?’

A little crease appears between his brows as they pull together at my question.

‘I might know somebody.’

‘Oh, amazing. Could you give me their details, maybe pop them under the door if you need to check with them first, or something? I’ll probably be asleep for the next day, so there’s no rush at all, but I’ve just moved here, and I don’t know anyone.’

‘Moved here?’ He tilts his head a little with the question that creases those brows even more. If I weren’t practically dead on my feet, I’d be positively swooning at how attractive this man is. Not my usual type at all with his unfairly broad shoulders and that beard, but for those caramel eyes and tattooed, muscular forearms, I could happily make an exception.

He clears his throat.

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