Page 71 of The Inn Dilemma

She gives me a deadpan look. “Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?”

I settle my hands on my hips.

Reese ticks off her fingers. “Marriage, then babies. Lots and lots of babies.”

I feel my cheeks flush. “What?”

“I’m not sure how you can’t see it, but that man is head over heels for you. Like I said, that kiss.” She fans herself. “Had me blushing! It was the perfect distraction from my scumbag of a date too.”

Covering my face with both hands, I attempt to hide the redness I know is there.

She gently pushes my shoulder. “Go talk to him. What’s the worst that could happen?”

My arms fall to my sides. “I could make a complete fool out of myself and ruin a lifelong friendship.”

“Well, don’t rush in there and throw yourself at him. Just be yourself, act normal, and see where the conversation and situation take you.”

I point at her. “I’m trusting you on this.”

She gives me a sassy smile. “You will never go wrong with trusting me on anything.”

“We’ll see about that.” I turn to leave.

“Call me as soon as you’re home and tell me everything. And I mean…everything.”

Without turning around, I know she ended her statement with a wink.

“Stop!” I say with a wave of my hand, then turn to face her again. What I’m about to say dies on my lips when a clean rag hits me in the face.

“Get out of here and go get your man.”

I laugh at her antics. “See you later.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Holt

The satisfying crack of wood splitting temporarily distracts me from the impending conversation I plan to have with Nova. I neatly place the split pieces onto the growing pile. The stack is double the size it usually is this time of year, but I needed something to keep my body occupied while my mind ran away with the memory of that kiss.

It was supposed to be fake. At least, that’s how I tried to play it off. The reality of it, though…not a single breath of that kiss was fake for me. I felt every brush of her lips, the way her fingers dug into my chest as if she was holding on to me with her dear life while branding me with her touch. The way her body melted into me, telling me what I already knew, that she was my perfect fit—she is my perfect fit. But when Reese interrupted us, the look on Nova’s face made me question if these feelings are all one-sided.

Tootsie and Titan jump up from their place under the pine tree and both give a happy yelp. They wag theirlittle stubby tails like crazy as Chris rounds the corner of my cabin.

“Hey,” he says, bending down and giving Tootsie and Titan some scratches.

I swallow the growing lump in my throat. “Hey.”

“So you and Nova, huh?” He stands, and the pups trot off to lay back down under the pine tree’s shade.

“What about me and Nova?” I try to play dumb, but he gives me a look that tells me he doesn’t buy it.

I grab another log and sink the axe into it. The stubborn log only splits a little, so I do it again. This time, it splits in two.

He pushes his glasses up his nose. “If you think I came here to tell you to back down with Nova, you’d be wrong.”

I toss the logs onto the pile haphazardly. “Really?”

Chris nods. “Really. You’re the first guy Nova’s picked that I’ve actually approved of. Not just because you’re a good friend, but because you let her be herself. She doesn’t have to wear a front for you, and when she does, you see right through it. It’s kind of scary that you seem to know my sister better than I do.”

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