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Chapter 19
They were now in theearly part of December and the inn was bustling with tourists. Mostly men who wanted a nice place to stay while they ice fished or hunted throughout the day and could relax with a few beers before a fireplace at night, and Kim couldn’t be happier as it was booked solid up until Christmas Eve, the night of the Ball and Brit and Jasmine were running their feet off.
“Brit, are you done your shift in the dining room? Can you clean room 7 in the east wing please?” Kim asked, as Brit came into the lobby.
“I am, but I just need to get this for my last table,” she said, snatching a local attractions brochure from the carousel by the front desk.
Luke was sitting in a wingback chair, waiting for Brit to finish her shift and saw how tired she looked. Despite the crease on her forehead, she smiled at him with a lopsided apologetic smile.
“I’ll give you a hand with the room Brit,” he said, standing up.
“Would you?” Her shoulders slumped with relief as she held up the brochure. “I’ll just drop this off to my table and meet you upstairs in the supply room.”
“Take your time.”
“No! Don’t take your time!” Kim said, as Brit turned and made her way back to the dining area.
Luke leaned against the counter and looked at his aunt. “You know how much I love you Aunt Kim, but you need to give those girls a break.”
Kim looked at him over her reading glasses, pen poised over a pad of paper and didn’t say a word.
“You’re running them into the ground and even though you provide lodging for them, you’re not paying them their worth. So, either start doing that, or hire more staff so they aren’t run into the ground.”
She threw the pen down and pointed her finger in his face. “You’re right. You’re free so you’re hired! And I’m giving them a raise. Now after you are done helping Brit with the cleaning, the bar needs restocking.”
Luke grinned. “I walked right into that didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did smartass,” she cackled. “Now get going! That room isn’t going to clean itself!”
Shaking his head, Luke pushed away from the counter and made his way to the front staircase to meet Brit at the supply room where he found her already inside.
He snaked his arms around her from behind, one hand finding her breast as the other slid to the junction of her thighs. “God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.
Brit leaned against him, her hands covering his, urging him to cop a feel. “It’s been a hectic week.” She leaned back into the embrace. “I've barely had a second to breathe.”
Luke's hold tightened just a fraction. “How about we take a short walk after your shift? Fresh air might do you good, and I could use the company,” he suggested.
“I’d like that, I’m sorry we haven’t been able to see each other as much.”
“Oh, you will be seeing me more often than you will probably like,” he laughed, stuffing his hands in his pockets when she turned to look at him with questioning eyes. “I told Kim you and Jasmine needed help and a raise, so she’s putting me to work.”
“You did not!” she laughed, running a hand down his chest.
“I did and she did,” he nodded, taking hold of her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. “Though I think we might want to avoid any shenanigans while she’s present, don’t want to get fired now do we.”
She turned back to the cart she had been filling with supplies and shook her head. “No, we do not. I love it here.”
Luke frowned. He wondered if she loved it so much that she would never want to leave Pearl Lake, because if that were the case, he would have no choice but to relocate.
Moving around to the front of the cart, Brit looked at him and said, “What’s wrong?”
