Page 40 of Here With You

Margot bolted for the storage closet.

“You’re making me work?” Darryl asked.

“There are two ways you stay here. You either pay for your room, or you work for your room. Since you can’t pay for it, I assume you’ll take option two.”

Margot came back and held out two shirts. “Large or extra-large?”

Darryl swiped the extra-large. “Fine, but I’m not working for him.”

Em sighed. “You are if you want to stay here. He runs The Kessler. What he says goes. Take it or leave it.” She turned and smiled at Miles, and he stared at her like she’d grown a third eye. He probably wasn’t expecting her full support, but if he was going to run The Kessler, then she had to let him run The Kessler. “Are we still working on the loungers?”

Miles nodded. “Give me a few minutes to get Darryl situated, and I’ll be out.”

Em stuck around for an extra minute to ensure fists didn’t fly, and when she was certain Darryl had accepted his fate, she walked outside. It was a lovely day, despite the wind and cooler temperatures. The beach filled up with guests who refused to give up a day on the sand. She couldn’t blame them. Life was busy and complicated and stressful, but even a windy day on the beach was better than a day in the office.

Miles and Darryl walked past her to The Kessler boathouse, and she was happy to see Miles put him to work in a place where he wouldn’t come into contact with guests. There was nothing worse for business than an unhappy employee, and while Darryl wasn’t technically an employee, wearing a Kessler T-shirt would make him appear so. His attitude would be bad for business.

Knowing Miles would be a while longer, she headed to the kitchen and Tilly. As soon as she entered, Tilly moved from behind the line and came to the table.

“Is that a glow I see on your face?”

The mention of a glow heated Em’s cheeks and gave her away. She pulled Tilly to the corner. “Oh my God. It was amazing.”

“I want all the details.” Tilly moved to the coffeepot on the nearby sideboard and measured the grounds. While they put K-Cups in the rooms, the coffee from the kitchen was always freshly brewed and contained chicory, which gave it that rich and slightly bitter taste you only got from southern-brewed coffee.

“I don’t have time for the details now because we have a cleaning date.”

Tilly stopped with a scoop of grounds in the air. “A cleaning date? That man is getting off cheap, or you’re obsessed with the idea of the critic and can’t see what’s right in front of you. Forget the cleaning and focus. You’ve got a hot man who wants you. No review is worth giving that man up for.”

“I’m not obsessed. Besides, why can’t I have both?”

“You two could be in your room getting on that glow again, but you’re going to clean? Your priorities are skewed.” She dumped the grounds into the filter and pressed the start button. “Seriously, didn’t you learn anything from the past?”

“Girl, we aren’t twenty anymore. While getting my glow on again sounds amazing in theory, I’m fairly certain we aren’t up to a repeat so soon.”

“Fine, but if that man were mine…”

Em giggled. “Honey, you’d be in traction.” She leaned toward Tilly and whispered, “I might need a massage later. He threw down blankets and made love to me in the boathouse.”

“Some things never change.”

“No, they don’t. It was just as good as I remembered.”

“Don’t rub it in.” She filled up three cups and handed Em two. “Sounds like you both need this. There’s nothing like a little caffeine to ignite that get-up-and-go.”

Em had never known Tilly to date. “When was the last time you…”

“David Hasselhoff.”

“TheDavid Hasselhoff?” Em stared at her friend in confusion. “The actor? How could you keep that from me?”

Tilly laughed. “No, not the actor. He’s the electrician.”

“Wow, that shocks me.” Last year, he was around a lot, and Em thought she’d have to rewire the entire resort, but come to think of it, only one bill came, and it was to install a new breaker box for the kitchen.

“Shock is a good word. It was quite electrifying.”

“What happened?”

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