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He shook his head. “And miss my chance at being alone with you?” He slung his arm across her shoulders and pressed his lips to her hair. “Nah, c’mon, love.”
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STANDING WITH HER HANDSencased in oven mitts, hands on her hips, Kim looked to the door for the guests of honour. “Where’s Abbi and Ben?”
“They are walking,” Mark said, snagging a celery stick off a veggie platter.
Kim looked at Mark with confusion, “Why?”
“That’s what I said. I’m starved, there was no way I was taking any longer to get here than need be.”
“They should be here in a few minutes. What do you need help with Aunt Kim?” Ava asked.
“Ah, nothing.” She tugged an oven mitt off and was working on the other and said, “Desi has it all under control. She’s just in the solarium now putting the finishing touches on the table settings.”
“That’s a helluva machine you have there, Lane,” Dean said, announcing their arrival into the kitchen.
“Lane!” Kim squealed and tossed the mitt into the air at seeing her nephew. Rushing over to him, she waited until he took his jacket off and hung it on the coat rack before making her move. She knew he’d been going through hell lately and she was so happy to see him looking so good. “Would you look at you! All tanned and... is that a tattoo?” She asked as she gave him a hug, “What did your mother say about that?”
“Nothing,” Ava grinned. “He had his jacket on since he got here.”
Lane looked at his aunt and said, “I’ll just blame Luke, he’s the one that got me drunk.”
“Good idea! Well, I’m happy you came early. Gives you time to get to know—”
“Kim,” Dean growled a warning as he went to the fridge and dug out a few beers.
“What?!”
Everyone turned to watch the exchange between the two.
“You know what. The man has plans.”
“There’s nothing wrong with him getting to know the locals before the plans,” Kim grinned.
“Aunt Kim, I already know the locals, I’m good.” Lane took the beer Dean offered him and twisted the cap off.
“Not this local you don’t,” she mumbled under her breath as the backdoor opened and in walked Abbi and Ben. “Well, it’s about damn time you two got here. Let’s get started.” She walked to the swinging kitchen door that led to the hallway and pushed it open. “Destiny! They’re here!”
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DESI WAS HIDING OUTin the solarium trying to quell the anxiety that was welling in her chest. It was a lovely room that her employers had turned into a dining area for the restaurant part of the inn. The one she was supposed to oversee. She should have known better than to accept the job. It required a people person, something she was not. But seeing how she wasn’t rich; she needed a job while she searched the area for Nala.
She had been straightening every utensil that was laid on the table and once that was done, twice, she moved onto the flowers that were the centerpiece for each table. She was about to move onto straightening the chairs when she heard Kim yell for her. She thought about staying planted to the spot but that was childish, nor would it be a very good first impression. She needed to figure out somehow to convince Lane to help her in her quest.
Judging from what she overheard Kim and Dean talking about the man, she wasn’t exactly his type. Using her feminine wiles, not that she had any, wouldn’t work. To do that she would need to drop at least twenty pounds in the next five minutes.
Heaving a sigh, she slowly walked out of the room towards the hall to the kitchen. When she rounded the corner, she was met with the group coming at her, each carrying a serving tray of food. She sidestepped by the elevator and waited to catch Kim’s eye.
Ben and Abbi said hi, followed by Mark and Ava and then the door closed behind Dean. She waited a full five seconds thinking the door was going to open any moment. When it didn’t, she walked up to it and pushed on it, only to hear a man cursing, followed by a loud crash.
She peeked around the door and saw a very attractive man, who could only be Lane, sprawled on the floor with the butter biscuits scattered on and around him. One strategically landed on the zipper of his jeans. He was looking up at her with an accusing glare.
“Can I help you?” he bit out.
Desi pulled the door towards her and rushed into the room. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were on the other side.”
“I’ll mention to Dean about putting a window in that door.” Kim pulled a dry erase marker from its holder on the fridge and bit the cap of it. She then made a note of it on the fridge door like nothing just happened. “There.” She recapped it and tossed it onto the counter. “Destiny. this is Lane. Lane, Destiny. She’s the local I was talking about; she’ll be needing your services.”
