Page 38 of The Accidental Innkeeper

Dottie crossed her arms. “Time won’t tighten loose stairs.”

“I can tighten stairs.” Total lie. No idea how to do that.

Dottie sighed, the long-suffering sigh of a woman who had watched many people injure themselves unnecessarily. “Sarah. Listen to me. Some of this work requires physical strength.”

I bristled. “I’m strong. I can lift things.”

Dottie raised an eyebrow. “Emotionally, yes. Physically? That boiler weighs more than your car.”

“I don’t need to lift a boiler.” But I still needed to get my damn car from Hugh’s garage.

“You need to not die,” corrected Dottie.

Lola leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “Also, no offense, darling, but you look like you’d twist an ankle stepping off a curb.”

I frowned. “Thanks.”

I opened my mouth to argue but then shut it before I said something I might… would… regret later.

“And Alex is the best,” continued Dottie, undeterred. “He’s honest. He won’t screw you over.”

The word screw hit my brain and ricocheted. It didn’t help that I had a vivid imagination. Said imagination was me naked. Dust-guy naked. Together. In the very unhelpful, extremely distracting definition of screwing.

My face went hot, like instantly, as though someone had flipped an internal switch labeled mortification.

Lola noticed, of course. Her lips curved slowly. “Oh my.”

“I’m not…” I started. “That’s not… I just…”

Dottie frowned at me. “What?”

“Nothing,” I said.

Dottie shook her head and turned back to Alex. “He’s fair. He explains things. And he doesn’t talk down to people.”

“I don’t,” said Dust-guy flatly.

I glanced at him. He wasn’t smirking or anything. He looked… neutral. Professional. Like he was already mentally sorting problems into columns.

Which was kind of hot.

“I don’t want anyone thinking I can’t do this,” I said, my voice lower now. “This is my aunt’s inn. Mine. I don’t want to be the girl who needed a man to fix everything.”

Dust-guy looked at me then. Really looked. “I’m not here to fix everything.”

“Then why are you here?” I challenged. Yeah. I wanted to know the real reason.

He shrugged. “Because Dottie called. Because the building’s old. Because some things need doing before your guests arrive tomorrow.”

Shit. Guests. Real people. With expectations and luggage and opinions.

Damnit. I exhaled slowly. It’s not like I had anyone else to help me right now. And I didn’t have time to look.

“I’m not agreeing to… anything permanent,” I said. “This is temporary. Just to get through the soft open.”

Dust-guy nodded once. “Fine.”

“And you don’t get to tell me what to do.”