Page 17 of Dandelion Sighs

“What was the discount?” Being direct would work better at getting the story from her. I hoped.

“Oh that? Nothing.” Tap, tap, tap.

“Maria.”

She sighed. “He was upset that we don’t have a room that could fit a group bigger than five. So I told him he could have a discount on a second room.”

It wasn’t the worst idea, but Maria’s resistance to telling me the situation stuck with me. “How often does that happen?”

She sniffed and lifted her chin. “I don’t go around giving everyone a deal.”

I empathized with her defensiveness. I’d had to argue my decisions enough, but if this was a recurring issue, we needed to solve it. “How often does it happen that parties need more than one room?”

Her sigh was smaller this time, and she took a moment to think. “Once or twice a month.”

A month? Boulders filled my gut. “Do you know if they ever choose somewhere else to stay instead?”

“I don’t know the instances off the top of my head, but it’s happened before.”

I drummed my fingers on the counter. “So it’d be nice to have a room that can fit, what, a party of six to ten?”

“If we don’t have an adjoining room, yeah. At least eight. We’re a resort.” She shrugged as if to say, Yeah, we should have more than normal hotel rooms. I didn’t disagree.

“Let me do some checking. Can you jot down whenever this happens or when the same guest books more than one room but it’s not for an event?”

She shifted her weight on her feet. “Yeah. I mean, I guess I can.”

Was she happy that I followed up on what seemed to be a pinch point in our process? She was guarded, like when I asked for the list of things to order. When I turned to go, she rose. I hadn’t noticed she was using the stool.

“Thank you.” She patted the seat behind her after seeing that I noticed. “For this.” She stamped her feet. “And this. My back also feels a lot better at the end of a shift.”

“You’re welcome.” It was too early to pat myself on the back, but I’d give myself a “good job.” Taking care of my employees was the most important part of all this. If I could care for them, I could care for myself.

I went outside into the muggy heat. Jasper was squatting with a tape measure at his boots. He was placing a paver, his biceps flexing. His gray shirt had a sweat line down the middle of the back, and the material molded over him. Faint whistling reached me.

Was I being a stalker? I had interrupted his day so many times, but I always had a reason. The problem was, I could think of a billion reasons to hang around Jasper. I could easily become his biggest creeper.

I stopped a few feet away. “I know you said that you don’t get hungry, but I worry.”

He tilted his head and peered over his shoulder. “You worried about me?”

“Yes. If you collapse, it’ll be all my fault.” I held up the to-go box. Providing him with meals and catering to him was worlds different than what I had done for my ex. That guy had been like having a child. Jasper was all man. “I asked the kitchen to make a couple of pieces of fried chicken and put them in the fridge, so it’s cold and shouldn’t be too warm and heavy on your stomach on a hot day.” I shrugged before I kept rambling. “I hope you like cold fried chicken.”

“I happen to like most food I don’t have to cook.” He pushed back onto his butt and planted the heels of his boots on a paver in front of him. He twisted and reached for the water bottle a few feet away. His shirt caught at his waist and tugged just slightly out of his jeans to reveal tanned skin. How could such a small strip of skin tease me like that?

How long had it been since I’d been on a date? I left my ex right before I had to do everything for Christmas, while only receiving a gift that he really wanted for himself. He’d used half the box of face masks he’d given me for my birthday.

It’d been a while.

Jasper held his hand out, but I clutched the container. “You should sit in the shade.”

He chuckled and propped his arms across his knees. “I used to spend all day outside under the open sky. I promise you, I’ll be okay.”

Of course, he could take care of himself. Why was I coddling this grown, strong guy who’d done nothing but save my ass? He was helping me with the maintenance, and it’d be because of him that the resort didn’t lose the wedding event next weekend. “Here you go.”

I handed it off and backed up.

“Sit, Sheridan. Enjoy the sunshine for a while.”