Page 49 of The Magical Bed & Breakfast

Except…when would Kate have time to work on this? He knew she had a tight schedule with her inn, that she wanted it open by the first of the year. And was even hoping that with her new furniture she could maybe open by Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving. Rory only had until then to have all the new songs written and be ready to be back on tour for the holiday concerts.

Quinton left, and they sat alone at the table, not quite making eye contact.

Rory hated it. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She was brisk, businesslike.

“You didn’t want this.”

“Nonsense. Now I can afford more repairs on the inn.”

“He manipulated you.”

“He owns a management firm.”

“For reputations.”

“For always.” She sounded resigned. Finally, she looked at him. “You didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Rory shifted, uncomfortable. “About my stalker-fan? Crazy stalker-girl? When would I bring that up? Over breakfast? When we were playing the piano? In the basement?”

They stared at one another as all they had shared in the basement, the merging of past and present, flooded their thoughts. Together, they were so much more than this scandal.

Kate shook herself a little. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe before she showed up at my front door demanding to know why I would rent you a room and not her.”

“Wait, she what?”

“She showed up at the inn and asked about you. That’s how I found out who you are. I didn’t just randomly decide to do an internet search on you. Why would I? I thought you were just Seymour’s grandson, not a rock band keyboardist for Endeavor Street.” She shook her head.

Her disapproval irked Rory. “Hey, I’m still the same guy, the one willing to help you with your Harvest Festival performance.” He so totally wanted to help her now, but she was shaking her head.

“No, you were right to hesitate. It’s too risky. You need to lay low. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“It’s important to you.” His words were soft. Suddenly Rory wanted to perform the musical score with Kate at his side in front of the entire town of Hazard more than anything. No doubts, not anymore.

“Nonsense,” Kate said in the brisk tone she used for business.

And Rory hated it, hated her using that tone on him. She was managing him, and it frustrated him.

But she was on a roll. “I’ll take care of everything we decided today. I can get the press releases drafted and ready for your approval by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll reach out to Nolan to coordinate.”

“You don’t need to do that.” He heard the imploring in his tone.

She laid her hand on his arm. “I do.”

“Nolan isn’t in charge.”

Kate raised a brow.

“I only pay Nolan to act like he’s in charge.”

Brow still raised, she waited, silently demanding the explanation Rory couldn’t deny her. “I don’t like to boss my bandmates.”

“Ah, so you’re the one in charge, but you don’t want them to know.”

Rory gave a curt nod, and he could see Kate understood it all in the blink of an eye. And that to her, this meant he’d essentially lied to his band. She wasn’t wrong, and it was clear she didn’t approve, but that flash was there and gone in an instant. If he didn’t know her so well, he would have missed it. He felt himself falling in her estimation by the second, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He was now a client, and clients obviously did not equate with friends in Kate’s world.

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