Page 76 of Resisting You
I shifted my purse on my shoulder and took Birdie from her arms. The little guy let out a soft whine, curling against my chest like he knew something was wrong.
“To say the least,” I snorted. “It’s very sweet of you to try to get to know my parents, but it’s really not necessary, you know.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marty said. “We’re family now. Which means your parents are family, too.”
The lump in my throat grew bigger. Mine and Noah’s feelings for each other were more real than ever… but it didn’t change the fact that we were keeping up the charade of this marriage because we both had something to gain from it within our careers. Otherwise, we would simply be dating right now. Just two people going on some early dates and getting to know each other. Now? Now our parents were family.
Marty reached over and hugged me, Birdie giving a little grunt between our bodies. “Do me a favor?” Marty adds. “Make Noah a hot chocolate this morning. It always was his favorite when he was hungover.”
I grinned wider. “How do you know that?”
Marty rolled her eyes. “Oh, honey. Parents always know these things. Especially when you have five kids. I’ve seen more teen rebellious years than most people.” She waved over her shoulder as she turned around and headed off in the direction of Main Street.
As I headed into the lobby of the inn, I took a quick detour into the attached cafe and was met with a woman working behind the counter with bright red hair and a brighter smile.
“Hey,” I said. “Any chance I could get an americano and a hot chocolate?” I asked, still holding Birdie, tightly against my chest.
“Ah,” the woman said, grabbing two paper cups. “You must be heading to Noah’s room.”
I blinked, surprised by her response. “You know Noah?”
She nodded. “I went to high school with him and Callie. I’m Lyla. And hey… You look pretty good for a girl the morning after her bachelorette party.”
“Thanks,” I said over the shrieking sound of her steaming some milk.
“Cute dog,” she said, leaning over to pet him.
“He is, isn’t he? Oh… wait, I wasn’t even thinking. I can’t have him in here, can I?”
Lyla waved my concern off and moved onto pressing some espresso into the filter. “We don’t get many surprise health inspector visits here, so it’ll be fine as long as we don’t make a habit out of it.” She hit the button and the strong brew of espresso filled the air.
“Are you coming to the wedding this weekend?” I asked. Even though I’d only just met Lyla, it sounded like she knew Noah pretty well.
“I’m planning on being there,” she said, popping a plastic lid on the cup and sliding it over to me. “My mom and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. My mom is Elsa… she and Marty have been best friends for decades.”
I smiled at that, feeling a calm sense of peace knowing that Noah’s mom had her version of a Hazel in her life. “Ahhh, Elsa. As in Elsa’sPiner?”
Lyla chuckled. “You are officially a Maple Grover if you’re calling us the Piner.”
Then, pouring the steaming milk over the chocolate syrup, Lyla punched some buttons into the computer and gave me the total. I tapped my credit card to the reader and added a 25 percent tip as she placed the two drinks in a carrier for me.
“Since you have your hands full,” she added with a wink.
I made my way down the hall to the elevator and pressed a kiss to Birdie’s forehead while we ascended up. When the doors opened on our floor, movement immediately caught my eye. Down the hall, Morgan was walking toward me. Toward the elevator.
Morgan.
A slow prickle of unease spread through me as I slowly stepped off the elevator toward her.
She wasn’t staying on this floor. She shouldn’t have been anywhere near our room. And yet… here she was. Wearing the same dress as last night.
Her gaze flicked toward me, and for a fraction of a second, I thought I saw something—hesitation, guilt—before she quickly put a shaky smile on her face.
“Good morning, Rosa,” she said, walking past me to press the elevator button with a perfectly manicured hand.
My heart kicked against my ribs. This could have been a coincidence. It could have been nothing.
But something about it felt very, very wrong.
