Page 54 of Just One Chance

She nodded. "My work doesn't stop because of one visit. I give them my suggestions, and then they can continue to follow up with me. Sometimes there are unexpected snags or results we didn't expect, and we tweak and go from there."

That changed things. I thought she'd be done working for my parents once she left Colorado, but it was an ongoing relationship.

"There are a few businesses that take my suggestions, and I don't hear from them again. But I love the updates and encourage more interaction. This is just the start of my working relationship with your family."

"I assumed it was a one-time thing," I said as the doors swished open and we stepped into the hallway.

"I work for a set number of months, and then they can choose to continue for longer, or not. The vast majority choose to continue working with me."

Her business model was impressive. I admired the way she'd set things up so that she could generate continuous income and work with hotels from afar, but I didn't like what it meant for our relationship. I'd hoped for a clean break, but she might still be in my life after she left.

I might have to see or talk to her. I wasn't sure that was a good idea. Every day, I felt more for her than the day before. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle seeing her after we broke things off.

But tonight was about spending time with her and my family. She'd get to know them and see that traditions and family were important to us. Hopefully, they'd tell her how crazy her snow room idea was. I was desperate for some backup on that.

It was clear that my mom hadn't discouraged her from designing it after their lunch together. And I couldn't imagine why that was. What was it about Kennedy that had my parents so enamored with her?

She swiped the card over the lock and stepped inside. "I'll just freshen up."

I sat on one of the chairs and scanned the room. It was clear that she used the desk; she had a brief case with a pile of papers on it, and the chair was pushed back. Her clothes were hanging in the closet, so she wasn't living out of her suitcase.

She grabbed clothes and stepped into the bathroom. I should've stayed away from her, but I couldn't seem to do that.

I wanted to spend more time with her, not less. And maybe the closer we got, the more I'd be able to influence her opinions when it came to the hotel. At the very least, my family should be able to make her see that the snow room didn't fit with our inn.

The water ran, and then a few minutes later, she stepped out in jeans and a soft green sweater that brought out the green tints in her eyes.

She crossed the room and settled into my lap. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. I touched her back, pulling her against me so that she could feel my body. I wanted to throw her down on the bed and remove everything she'd just put on. Could we disappear for the night, and no one would know? I wanted her to myself.

I forced myself to pull away. "We should go. They're expecting us."

She moved off my lap. "We'll have to wait until later."

"You can come back to my place again where we'll have more privacy."

She grabbed her purse. "I never spend time in my room at night anymore. Hopefully, no one notices."

I opened the door for her. "Who would be paying attention?"

"I'm here to do a job. That's all anyone should care about."

There was a lump in my throat because it had become more for me.

I drove to the brewery. The lot was already filling up for the night. When we walked in, Beck met me by the door. "We reserved a brew bath for the family."

"Thanks."

"I hope you're enjoying your stay," Beck said to Kennedy.

"It's been great. Thank you. I've enjoyed getting to know the area and everyone here."

"I'm glad to hear that. Go on back. They're expecting you." Beck inclined his head toward the door to the brew bath area.

It was a good thing we didn't get distracted in her hotel room. They'd wonder what we had been doing.

We maneuvered our way through the crowd and tables to the other side of the building. We went into the dressing rooms to change. I was done first, so I waited for her in the hallway.

She walked out in a robe and slides. Today, she wore a blue bikini. The strings on the sides were tied in a bow, and I was tempted to give them a little tug. I wished that we were alone, like that night on her balcony. It was too bad we couldn't spend more time in her room, but it would be too risky.