“I’m good, thanks. I know we just called everything in, so it’ll probably be about an hour before I’m back.”
“That sounds good, I’ll see you then,” she tells me, moving away from where we were standing and heading over to where the girls are taking pictures. I try not to stare too much as she walks away, but I completely fail.
Damn it, I’m fucked when it comes to this girl.
“So,y’all have a hotel full of women, huh?” Everett asks.
“Yep,” I say, and he waits for me to continue.
When he realizes I’m not going to say anything else, he asks, “And how is that going?”
“Okay, I guess. I’m really proud of Stels and Avery, and the guests seem really impressed, mostly thanks to all the upgrades we’ve made in the last few weeks. But also, they take a lot of fucking pictures.”
Everett bursts into laughter, shaking his head. “Okay, people on trips tend to do that, Wyatt.”
“I know,” I grumble, feeling my frustration rise the longer he talks to me.
“You know, it almost seems like you're annoyed at something else entirely, and you just don’t want to admit it.”
“Fuck off,” I mutter, regardless of the fact that I know he’s right. I’m starting to realize the more time I spend with Stella, the more I’m going to want her, even though I know I shouldn’t.
“Fine, I’ll drop it, but just know you’re not fooling anyone around here. And the sooner the two of you admit it, the sooner you can stop storming around here like an asshole,” he tells me before turning to the kitchen and coming back with several bags of food.
“Here’s your food,” he says, holding out the bags for me to take.
“Thanks, man. And I’m sorry. You’re right. The last few weeks have been great, but it’s also been a lot to process. I’m sorry I was a dick.”
“Nothing new there,” he mumbles, before turning and chuckling at his own joke.
“Yeah, yeah. Fine. Thanks for taking care of the food.”
“No problem. See you later,” he says, stepping back behind the bar to get back to work.
After loading everything up and making the short drive to the Hideaway, I grab the bags of food and make my way through the lobby and out to the pool. “Food’s here ladies,” I call out, and Stella and Avery rush over to grab the food from my hands.
“Perfect, thank you for picking this up for us,” Stella says.
“No problem. Everything still okay over here?”
“Yep, we’re going to feed them out here and then they’re planning to go back to their rooms for a lingerie shower, so I shouldn’t be out here too much longer.
“Okay, that sounds good. I’m gonna go check on Duke, but you can call me when you’re ready to clean up. I’ll come help you.”
“You don’t have to do that, Wyatt. But I appreciate it. I’ll just see you at the house in a few hours. Give my sweet boy some cuddles in the meantime.”
I roll my eyes at the suggestion, before saying, “Yep, sure. I’ll be sure to get right on that.”
Stella laughs, and I turn to head toward the cottage. Just as I’m almost on the path, one of the bridesmaids stops me.
“You must be her husband, huh?” she asks, and it takes me a moment to realize what she just asked me.
“Oh, yeah. I am. What gave it away?” I ask.
“You two look at each other the way my husband and I do. I’d recognize the sight of two people in love anywhere. How long have you two been married?’
Holy shit. What is in the water in this damn town?
“Just a few weeks, actually,” I answer, trying to ignore everything else she just said.