Page 53 of Just One Chance

I sighed. "It's going to be amazing."

He scowled. "Did my parents already approve it?"

"I talked to your mom about it. Not your dad. I just wanted to get something ready to show them. This is the only thing that's speaking to me at the moment." As a creative, he should understand the idea of inspiration or instinct when it came to work.

He leaned a hip on the table, bringing him closer to me. "You want to go to the brewery tonight? Get some pizza and enjoy the brews? I think the rest of my brothers will be there, along with Beck and Clara."

"That sounds like fun." After talking to Malcolm, I felt like I should get to know the other siblings. To get a sense of how they felt about the businesses and their future.

It was clear that Boone didn't want to talk about the snow room, at least not tonight. I didn't want him to be upset with me, but at the same time, I had a job to do. But it was getting harder to separate our relationship from the decision I had to make.

I'd gotten involved with someone at work before, and it had cost me my job. I didn't want to do anything that would cause an issue for my business. Especially since reputation was so important to a consultant.

I wanted to be taken seriously. But at the same time, I didn’t want to end our relationship. I was enjoying it too much.

There was something about Boone and how he was different from every other man I'd ever met. I didn't want to walk away.

15

BOONE

Istill thought the snow room was a ridiculous idea. It seemed like something a bored celebrity would want in their house, and I couldn't imagine why our inn would need something like that to draw guests.

My parents were quick to trust Kennedy. Whether that was a smart decision was still debatable.

I enjoyed spending time with her, but I didn't trust her ideas. I was trying hard to compartmentalize everything: our nights together and work. They were separate and distinct. But the lines were starting to blur.

It was harder to separate things when I saw the design she spent all day working on. She was serious about this, and it wasn't going away. She wasn't backing off her idea. If anything, she was digging her heels in. This was important to her.

That meant that she wasn't going to take my feelings into consideration when it came to her consultation work with my parents. She was a savvy businesswoman, so she shouldn't. But it bothered me anyway.

We'd always been a family-run business. I didn't want people to see our inn as commercial or gimmicky.

We didn't need to do something drastic to draw in guests. Surely the rest of my family would agree.

"Are you ready to head over now, or do you need to change first?"

She looked down at her rumpled blouse and slacks. "I'd love to change."

I glanced at the time on my phone. "We have time."

She started packing up her things.

When she was done, we headed toward the elevator. "You got a lot of work done today?"

"I love when I have an idea and I can see it come to life. I'm usually not around for the final reveal, but clients will send pictures and updates, which always make my day."

I pushed the Up button. "Your clients are generally happy with your suggestions, and they implement them?"

"Usually what happens is that they decide to go forward with one or two, they see the success of those upgrades, and then they go back and do more."

"That's impressive."

"They get evidence that it works, which lends credence to my opinions. I'm available to talk to them after I leave, so they'll have a few questions before they go forward. But they usually implement most of my suggestions."

We stepped into the elevator, and Kennedy pushed the button for the top floor.

"I didn't realize that you continue to consult with your clients after you're gone."