“I’m still a part of this company.” Sam turned to me and smiled warmly. “I was curious how things were going.”
There was a glint in his eyes that made me think he knew something. My gaze darted to Mac, who shifted on his feet. Had he told him? If so, that would be interesting. It would mean he thought it meant more than an awkward encounter with a woman he wasn’t interested in.
Instead, Mac quipped, “I got the pipe fixed in the kitchen, Dad.”
Sam punched him in the shoulder, hard enough for Mac to grunt. “Don’t Dad me.”
Mac grabbed the spot. “Hey. Don’t hit me.”
Sam shook his head. “What are you going to do? Tell Dad?”
Mac pulled out his phone and held it up. “Nope. I’m going to tell Mom.”
“You wouldn’t,” Sam grumbled.
I couldn’t resist smiling at their antics. This was the kind of tight-knit family I’d wanted growing up. They reminded me a little of my best friend Kylie’s older brothers.
“Stop messing around and show me what’s what.” Sam walked with Mac to the kitchen, but I stayed behind.
I didn’t understand all the ins and outs of the renovation. I had a picture in my mind of what the B&B should look like. At the end of the day, I tried to pay attention to Mac’s updates, but most of them went over my head. Or I was too busy admiring the confident way he explained everything. The two things I paid the most attention to were an increase in the budget and an extension to the time line. Those two things impacted me greatly.
I needed the B&B open soon to welcome clients. Anytime would be good since Telluride was a year-round tourist destination, but spring was more realistic for our time line.
I wandered to the front room, eager to have female interaction. I was surrounded by men with tools during the day and a nine-year-old in the evenings. I didn’t get out much.
Alice was carefully hanging new mosaics on the floating shelves in her shop.
“It looks amazing in here.” I’d ordered mosaics for every room in the B&B, and these looked beautiful in the windows with the light streaming through.
Alice smiled at me over her shoulder before slowly stepping down. “I’m working on some new designs for Telluride. People don’t appreciate my crabs like they do in Annapolis.”
“It’s a wintery theme here for sure,” I agreed.
A store in Annapolis ordered a ton of crabs in every color combination. It was a thing there, apparently. “Sam’s here.”
Alice smiled. “I saw. I think he wanted to talk to Mac.”
“He doesn’t usually come over to my side.” If he visited, it was only to see Alice. Occasionally, he brought in Maggie to visit. If Delaney was home, the girls played together. Delaney adored little kids.
“Mac came over the other night after the issue with the faucet in the kitchen,” Alice said carefully, keeping her gaze on my face.
I couldn’t stop the flush to my skin. “Oh?”
Alice moved closer, leaning a hip against the table in the center of the room. “Is there anything going on between you two?”
I shook my head hard. “Definitely not.”
“What happened with the faucet?”
I wrung my hands as I looked to see if the guys had returned. “I didn’t know anyone was here. Some nights I hang out in the B&B’s living area for some privacy. I was getting a glass of water when the water started shooting from the faucet, going everywhere. I was wearing pajamas—the silky kind.”
Alice’s head tipped to the side. “But Mac was here.”
“He was tiling the upstairs bathroom. I had no idea.” I remembered the initial shock when I heard his footsteps, then relief because he knew what to do to stop the water.
Alice’s eyes narrowed. “Something happened.”
I sighed, needing to talk to someone about it. “We argued like usual. Then I started shivering, and he helped me dry off.”
Alice’s eyes widened. “Is that code for warmed you up?”
My face heated as I remembered the feel of his arms around me and my pebbled nipples flush against his hard body. “I thought he might have felt something, but I was wrong. He hasn’t said anything about it since.”
Alice’s frowned. “I don’t think you’re right about that. He came over to talk to Sam. I think he wanted advice.”
“What did Sam say?” I felt like I was in middle school all over again, wanting to know if the boy I crushed on told someone else he liked me.
“He wanted to talk to Sam alone.” She was quiet for a few seconds as she gathered the supplies to set at each chair. “Whatever happened between you two was something.”
“It shouldn’t matter because I just got divorced. I don’t have the time or the energy to deal with a relationship or even the potential of one.” I wasn’t ready to date, but my hopeful heart wanted a love that lasted a lifetime and more kids. I needed to focus on what I had—Delaney and the B&B.
Alice gave me a sharp look. “Just because one man cheated on you doesn’t mean you should avoid men forever.”
“I have no desire to go through that again.” I shuddered at the thought of meeting someone, going through the motions of dating, and then a relationship. Trusting someone enough to marry them? That sounded impossible.
Alice squeezed my hand. “Keep an open mind. Don’t close yourself off like I did.”
Alice had done some things in her past that she wasn’t proud of. She moved here and became a bit of a recluse for a few years before taking the job as the nanny for Sam’s daughter. They weren’t able to resist each other for long, and now they were engaged. “Just because it worked out for you doesn’t mean it will for me. Besides, you swore off men for three years. Don’t you think I need a similar break?”
“It sounds like a long time when you say it out loud. But it’s different because you’re older and you have a child. Besides, Mac’s a good guy. He’d never cheat on anyone.”
I sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. “It is different. I have someone to shield and protect. I won’t let Delaney be hurt like that again.”
“Any new guy won’t be her father, so it won’t be the same,” Alice persisted stubbornly.
“Maybe not, but I don’t know.” I felt conflicted. I was attracted to Mac. Our late-night interlude solidified that. But should I act on it?
Alice pulled out a chair and sat. “We should go out—just us girls.”
The thought of getting dressed up and going to a bar didn’t appeal to me. “I don’t know. I have Delaney.”
“You need to find a babysitter so we can have some girl time. Have you been out since the divorce?”
“Not at all. I suppose I could ask Kylie.” She was my childhood friend, and her family owned the Wilde Ski Resort on the top of the mountain, just outside of town.
Alice tapped her fingers on the table. “Don’t you want to have Kylie come with us, though?”
“Probably.” Kylie was a lot of fun when we used to go out.
Sam appeared in the doorway. “What are you two talking about?”
Mac stood next to him.