Page 35 of Here With You

“Because you gave him the stink eye.” Miles finished the last quiche and leaned back to pat his stomach. A fine hairline led her eyes to his jeans button and zipper.

“What brings you here, Emmaline? I'm sure you didn't come to help me dress for the day again. If you did, let's do it.”

Her roaming eyes snapped up to meet his mirth-filled ones. “I came to talk about the plan. You know, the one we made last night while dining with your mother. The one where you help me prepare for the travel critic.”

“Right … the plan. Is The Kessler fully staffed today? If it isn't, I can't help you.”

“You have a full staff.” She hated to admit she'd short-handed him, but it was a good lesson. Running a resort wasn't easy, and sometimes getting his hands dirty would be necessary.

“I knew you shortchanged me. Now that we're over that, what if the critic is already here?”

She pulled a paper from her back pocket. “Here are The Brown and Kessler guests. I've looked them up online, and no one is affiliated with a travel agency, airline, magazine, or anything.”

“I imagine they keep that under wraps since these things are done on the sly.” He rubbed his chin. “Wouldn't you rather they judged the resort on how things ran rather than how they are supposed to run?”

She snorted with indignation. “The Brown is perfect as is, and I'm sure we could do nothing, and it would get stellar reviews, but don't you understand? This is the opportunity my father was always waiting for; after he passed, it was what my sister coveted. Do you know what getting a five-star review from a professional traveler means to us?”

“Don't you mean you? There is no us in your equation. Everyone you mentioned is dead.”

“You'll never get it, but I'll try to explain. Getting that five-star review means I was good enough. After all those years when my father didn't choose me, a great review will prove he was wrong. I can run the resort.”

He sighed. “Okay, let's get that five-star review, but remember, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. We all know you're capable. I've always believed in you.” He stood. “You coming to watch me dress, or do you want me to meet you somewhere?” He didn't wait for her answer and walked away.

She had no choice but to follow him, or that's what she told herself. Once at his room, which was Carter's old room, she walked inside and turned her back while he dropped his jeans and reached for another pair. She knew exactly what he was doing and missed none of it because she gawked at him in the mirror's reflection. It was hard to admit, but she had truly missed him. There was a saying,you don't know what you missed until it's gone.But it should be,You don't know what you missed until it left, came back, and stood in front of you naked.

“You don't have to be shy,” he said. “You've seen it all before.” He looked at her back, and she knew exactly when he figured out she'd been watching him in the mirror. “Turn around, Emmaline. I've never known you to be a wilting flower. If you want to look, then look.”

She whipped around. “I didn't come in here to ogle.”

He pulled on his pants and tucked himself gently inside before zipping and buttoning. “You could have fooled me. If watching me get dressed wasn't on your agenda, then what was?”

She knew she'd be distracted until he was fully clothed, so she reached for the Kessler logo shirts he had stacked on the dresser behind her and tossed him one. Once he was dressed, she said, “I wanted to make sure we were on the same page, and I was curious about Darryl and how it all turned out. I didn't see his truck in the parking lot this morning.”

“He refused to stay.”

“Can we rent the room?” There was nothing like full occupancy to impress a critic. And while she didn't want to accept that they could stay at The Kessler, she had to consider the possibility.

“I think he'll be back. My mom won't give in and let him return to the ranch, and there isn't any place in town to stay.”

He pulled on his boots and spritzed himself with his cologne. It seemed to swirl around her like a hug.

“I'm sure Marybeth can put him up.”

He brushed her arm as he moved past to get his wallet and comb from the dresser. “He tried that before he came here. She's filled up too. It would seem I vacated her place at the perfect time.”

“Speaking of that. Who approached whom about you working here? You or Carter?”

“It was me. I asked Cormac to set up a meeting. I knew Carter's father, Cyrus, had passed away. Through the grapevine, I'd heard Carter was back in town. Rumors were swirling about him and Brie. Marybeth isn't known for her secret-keeping skills. The hardest thing to comprehend was how they'd grown from babies to the adults they are today. So much happened while I was away.”

“Life doesn't stop. It just continues to drone on. But why The Kessler?” She followed him back to the kitchen, where he cleaned the table and washed the dish he'd used. She liked that he was tidy. Her granny used to saycleanliness was next to godliness.In her mind, keeping things tidy kept the roaches away.

“Over the years, I'd saved a little money and figured if Carter wasn't going to stay, maybe he'd—”

“Let you manage it?”

“Something like that.”

“But you knew it would put you in direct contact with me.”

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