A knock on my window startles me. I turn and see none other than Finnegan King standing there, a questioning look on his face. My heart instantly jumps into overdrive at the sight of him. You’d think after all these years, I could find a way to make it stop doing that, but no. It happens every time. I have managed to perfect my unaffected expression around him though. I try to tell myself that’s good enough as I press the button to lower the window.
“Can I help you?” I ask sweetly.
Finn smiles, showcasing the dimple in his right cheek. “Just wondering if you’re planning to come inside today.”
I shrug and glance at the sky. “It’s a nice day,” I say. “You sure I can’t work out here today?”
“If you can find a way to manage the desk from out here,” Finn says, “I’ll be thoroughly impressed.” He meets my gaze, an apology in his blue eyes. He grimaces a little before he delivers his next bit of news. “Matt is going to be out until at least Thursday. Flu.”
I groan and my head falls back against the seat. With Matt out, it means I’ll have to cover the desk as well as my regular office duties. And we have a wedding party due to check in this afternoon. I’d already planned to coordinate the events for the wedding as well. I close my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. As far as Mondays go, this one is setting up to be a doozy. And I haven’t even gotten out my car.
“I think I feel sick,” I say, shooting a sideways glance at Finn. “I probably shouldn’t come to work today.” We both know I’m lying, but it makes me feel better to say the words. To pretend that I might actually skip work. I throw in a fake cough for effect.
Finn leans down and waves a gray and black paper coffee cup at me. I catch the delicious scent of my favorite latte and reach for the cup. He pulls it out of my grip before I can grab it.
“Nope,” he says, stepping back. “You only get the coffee if you get out of the car.”
“I hate you,” I grumble, pressing the button to raise the window. I can hear Finn’s laughter as it closes.
After turning off the car and grabbing my phone and purse, I climb out to see Finn standing before me looking far more awake than anyone has a right to on a Monday morning. He’s also looking entirely too sexy in a blue button-down that nearly matches his eyes. I do what I’ve done since I first met him which is to tamp down the attraction and shove it aside so I don’t make an utter fool of myself. Finn is my boss and my friend. If he also happens to be the hottest single man in town, that’s just too bad.
He hands me the coffee cup and I notice he has another cup for himself. I inhale the mouth-watering aroma and let out an involuntary moan of anticipation before I take my first sip. Ah, heaven. Finn had known what we’d be walking into this morning and had come prepared with the ideal bribe. Momma Jean’s Café makes the best caramel lattes I’ve ever tasted. Finn knows it’s one of my weaknesses. It would be thoughtful if it weren’t also slightly manipulative. When I lower the cup, I notice that he’s watching me. For a split second, the look in his eyes is one I don’t recognize. There’s a hint of fire there. Before I can be sure I even saw it, the look is gone and he’s back to normal.
Finn clears his throat and looks away for a second. “Oh,” he says as though just remembering something. “I talked Claire into coming in and helping run the desk. But she can’t get here until later.”
Claire is Finn’s younger sister. She came back from college a few years ago but still hasn’t really settled down. She’s smart, funny and incredibly talented. So far, she hasn’t found a career to suit her. She spends most weekends singing at Mack’s, the restaurant owned by two other King brothers. I’m relieved she’s coming to help me. She knows her way around the inn and she knows how to run the front desk. All five members of the King family have done their share of work at the Jester over the years.
“That’s great,” I say. “I’ll take all the help I can get. She’ll be a lifesaver.”
I smile and raise the cup at him in a little salute. “Nice bribe.”
He grins and that dangerous dimple makes an appearance. “What can I say? I know your secret obsessions. And I like to use that information to my advantage.”
I roll my eyes even as my belly flutters at his words. I know your secret obsessions. If only that were true.
“I’m not sure my addiction to Momma Jean’s is a secret to anyone in Oak Hill, North Carolina,” I tell him.
He shrugs and takes a sip from his cup as we begin to walk toward the main building. “Maybe not,” he says. “But I have other tricks up my sleeve.”
Part of me wants to dive deeper into what he means by that, but I decide not to ask. Instead, we fall into our usual Monday morning routine of discussing the coming week. We talk about the upcoming Harmon wedding and the events the Jester will host surrounding the occasion. It’s not the first wedding that’s taken place on the grounds, but it will be one
