Page 35 of Burly Biker of Misty Mountain

I pushed into the Hollow Tree Inn, scanning the lobby.

Seated at a table by the window was Katie, with a slender, mature woman, heads bent close together, giggling about something. I blew out a breath of relief, seeing that my fears were unfounded. She wasn’t jumping into bed with another man to forget me.

At least not yet.

Katie glanced up and spotted me. Her smile faded. She closed the binder on the table in front of her and placed a hand over the cover, protectively.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I brought breakfast,” I said, gesturing behind me. “It’s still with my bike actually…”

“Oh, please come in.” The other woman pulled up an extra chair and waved me closer. She reminded me of my mother—soft-spoken with a tired smile in her kind eyes. “I’m Ella Franklin, owner of the inn. Are you Katie’s…?”

She faltered, hoping I would fill in for her.

“Boyfriend,” I said, settling into the seat. “I’m Maverick.”

Katie’s grip on that binder was growing tighter by the second. She pressed her lips together with a disapproving look. Because I still needed to convince her that we were together. That our temporary arrangement was now permanent.

“I heard rumors floating around town,” Ella replied. “But you can never tell what’s fabricated gossip and what’s true sometimes. I’m hosting a tea party for the Christmas season here at the inn. Katie has been helping me plan every detail. It’s only June, I know, but there’s so much to do. She’s an angel. I couldn’t do it without her.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“Yes, she is. I couldn’t agree more.”

Katie’s cheeks turned a faint pink. After everything we’ve done together, somehow she still managed to blush.

“So, tell me about this tea party,” I said.

“No,” Katie protested, with an edge of sharpness to her tone.

Ella raised her eyebrows.

“I mean, it wouldn’t interest you,” Katie amended. “We’re going over the boring things now—items for the menu, decorations, color palettes, selecting a theme.”

I held Katie’s gaze as I reached across the table and pried the binder away from her.

“Give me a chance. I might surprise you.”

She shifted in her seat, biting the inside of her cheek with uncertainty as she watched me flick open the binder. A riot of color greeted me—pearly whites and baby pinks and cornflower blues. Pictures of flower bouquets, platters of fluffy little cakes, and entire rooms bedecked in ribbons, lights, and frothy lace.

“I’ve wanted one of Katie’s famous tea parties for so long,” Ella said. “She really transports you to another world.”

I flicked a glance at Katie. She regarded me quietly, scrubbing at her palm with her thumb. Ella’s phone rang and she murmured her apology as she rose from the table to answer it.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” I asked when Ella was out of hearing range.

Katie shrugged.

“I didn’t want you to think it was silly.”

“No one else seems to think that,” I countered. “And this binder clearly shows you know what you’re doing. I take it you’ve done this a few times before.”

“I started an online shop when I was a teenager,” she admitted. “It took off, and I’ve been running with the momentum ever since. I’d love to have a real, physical shop one day.”

“So, you aren’t a cam girl after all,” I said.

Katie rolled her eyes and breathed a laugh. My heart squeezed. Fuck, I loved that sound. I wanted to make her laugh every day for the rest of our lives.

---