Page 6 of Three Months Yesterday

It was never a secret that I’m the Hawthorne sibling who wanted to run the inn. My older brothers love Stonebridge Hollow and our family, but they had other dreams. Aiden knew he wanted to work for the FBI since he was in high school, and Wyatt? Well, he’s always marched to the beat of his own drum.

I always knew they’d both leave, at least for a little bit. But small-town living is in their blood, and they love family too much to stay away for long.

Wyatt may still be flying all over the world a majority of the time, but he’s here every chance he gets. And Aiden’s move last year may have been outside of his control, but he didn’t have to choose Stonebridge Hollow as his landing spot. Soon, all the Hawthorne children will be back exactly where they’re meant to be, and I, for one, can’t wait.

The sound of the front door opening pulls my attention back to the moment, and I quickly glance at the reservation print-outs in front of me. I don’t remember any check-ins scheduled for this morning and most of the current guests left for their days before I stepped away twenty minutes ago.

Forgetting about the papers in front of me, I lift my eyes to smile at the newcomer. I’d like to say I’m not one of those people to freeze up when they see someone attractive, but this man would prove me wrong in an instant.

It’s his eyes that distract me the most. I’m tempted to pinch myself to make sure I’m truly awake with how blue they are. There’s no way they’re real.

And those cheek bones and jawline? Seriously? Is this man made of marble or something?

It’s the sound of his gravelly voice that has me realizing I’ve been staring at him far longer than appropriate. “Um, hi. I have a reservation?”

How can a voice be both smooth and gravely at the same time? Why is that so sexy?

In a normal situation I’d make a joke about how he’s asking me if he has a reservation—banter is my preferred form of communication—but clearly I’m not acting normal.

“Oh. Um. Name?” I ask, stumbling over my words. What the heck is happening?

I force myself to look away, focusing on the printed reservations on the desk. There are only two sheets, but neither look like they’re meant for the person in front of me. Both are for people with feminine names and are marked for late check-ins.

Before I can even lift my eyes back to the man on the other side of the desk, my brother’s voice rings out from behind me. “I love you, sis, but you really need to enter the current decade.” Wyatt reaches over the desk aiming to mess with my hair, but I lean back before he has the chance.

“What?” I ask, confused. “What are you even doing here?”

It’s not unusual for my brother to stop by when he’s in town, but I thought he left for a job early this morning.

“Come on, Mads. Is that any way to talk to your brother in front of a guest?” Wyatt aims a smirk at me over his shoulder before turning to the Greek statute of a man in front of him. “Sorry about that, Beckett. And sorry I couldn’t fly you down myself, but I wanted to be back for the Thanksgiving activities yesterday.”

My eyes shift to the man I assume is Beckett, wondering who the hell he is that he can afford to pay for a private pilot. There was a time my brother didn’t charge as much for his services, but ever since he bought his own plane, it costs a pretty penny to hire him. And he still gets jobs like crazy, having built quite the reputation for himself.

“It’s no problem.” Beckett reaches to shake Wyatt’s hand, offering a charming smile as he does. “I ended up needing to be home for the holiday myself, so it all worked out in the end.”

“Good.” Wyatt smiles and then turns his expectant eyes back to me. “You just gonna stare at us all morning?” he teases.

My smile is forced, and I’m sure even the stranger at my brother’s side can see it for exactly what it is. “Just waiting for you two to finish your conversation.” My smile comes a little easier when I turn to look at Beckett. “Sorry, I didn’t get your full name to pull up the reservation.”

“Oh, it⁠—”

“Mads,” Wyatt interrupts. “How in the world do you not know who this is? Beckett Stone is quite literally the most famous singer in the world right now.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Beckett rushes to say.

“Dude, you may not want to flaunt it, but it’s the truth. I’m shocked your team let you come here without any coverage.”

“Well…” He lets the word hang, not even trying to add anything else as his body shifts slightly, a little color rising in his cheeks.

I thought he was attractive before, but that little blush does something for me.

Noting his discomfort, I address my brother as I wake up the computer to pull up our reservations. “You still didn’t tell me what you’re doing here. I thought you had a job today and had to leave for Lancaster early this morning.”

“I do, but the flight got pushed. I don’t need to be there until this evening. I figured I’d come by and make sure Beckett gets settled in.”

I frown slightly, not only at my brother’s words—why he thinks I’m not capable of doing my job frustrates me—but also at the fact I don’t see any reservation for a Beckett Stone in our system.

“What’s wrong?” Wyatt asks, able to read me far better than I’d like.