Page 86 of His North Star
“N.O.P.E.”
“Then, yes.” I stared at his gorgeous emerald eyes. “We’re fighting.”
He leaned closer, our faces three inches apart. I sucked in a ragged breath. Heat pumped through my veins.
“I play to win.” His voice was husky.
“So do I,” I returned faintly. His nearness, tone, and steady eyes bore into my every pore. The energy between us sparked with change.
Did he merely miss flirting, and that’s all this was? His eyes said it was more, but how would I know? When it came to guys, I’d struck out. Neither Ty nor I had been single at the same time since we were fifteen. There were no boundaries like before.
A high-pitched buzz trilled in the air. Ty and I startled at the noise. He grunted and rolled off me while I got up to check my phone. Time to head home for tonight’s event at the bed-and-breakfast.
“I need to head home.”
“Just when we were having fun, too.”
I snapped my gaze up to his. He felt it too, then? “Maybe we can pick up where we left off next time?”
A slow smile lifted his lips. “Yes, let’s.”
I walked home, fanning myself with the front of my shirt.
“Come into the back bedroom,” Dad called out when I opened the door to their apartment. My parents asked to meet with me before the s’mores and more event tonight. The back bedroom used to be my room. They’d turned it into their personal office when I moved to the apartment above the garage.
“What’s up?” I sat on the straight-back, tufted chair across from Dad.
He slid a paper across his desk. “I believe you’ll find this information to your liking.”
I held a résumé for Claire Rawlins. Dad waited patiently while I read the entire thing.
A slow smile spread across my lips. “Where did you get this?” Excitement bubbled within me. On paper, this person was exactly who I’d been looking for to fill the management position.
“Steve and Carol dropped by for a visit. They said their niece is living with them for a bit. Something about a divorce and needing a clean slate. Anyway, she worked at a boutique hotel in Astoria. They were hoping we could use her. I didn’t tell them we had an opening in case the interview tanked. But either way, here’s her information. She’s coming next week to meet with you.”
“I really, really hope she’s as good in real life as she is on paper.”
“Agreed.”
If she started next weekend, it would free up so much time for all of us. Not only that, my telescope and I could spend quality one-on-one time together. It’d been too long since I’d sought its solace.
Mom hobbled into the room, going to stand behind Dad. “So?” Mom’s chin jutted toward the document I held.
“We’ll see what she’s like in person, but this”—I waved the paper—“is a good start.”
“We knew you’d say that.”
“Are you two okay with an outsider?” I asked. “I know it’s never been your ideal situation.”
Mom and Dad shared a look. “We’ve come to terms with it.”
I smiled. “I’ll let you know my thoughts after we meet.”
“We haven’t told Landon,” Dad said. “You might want to invite him to sit in on the interview.”
I nodded. “Of course. He and I should be united in our management.”
Dad turned to Mom. “How did we get so lucky?”
