Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“Is it mandatory that you accept an invitation from the CEO of Wolf Hotels?” Belinda arches an eyebrow. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask me that.”
Lena’s shoulders sink. “That’s not … I mean, who else is going to be there?”
“Your boss and his wife, which should be enough,” Belinda begins with forced patience. “Henry wants to celebrate the opening of the hotel. Besides, it’s a good trial run for the servers in a less stressful environment.”
“Serving Wolf is supposed to be less stressful?” Ten bucks says they don’t get through the night without another blood-letting injury.
Belinda’s lips purse. “It’s a more casual atmosphere. His people will be there. Preston and Merrick, for one. You remember them from the wedding, Ronan?”
“How could I forget?” They were both groomsmen. Two richer-than-thou bastards—one a pompous hedge fund executive from England, and the other one a guy who runs a hotel in Vegas and may or may not be tied to a crime family. The whispers are loud but inconclusive.
I got along well enough with them regardless, so I guess it’s not the end of the world.
“And, of course, Margo,” Belinda continues.
I stifle my inward groan. That changes things. Wherever that woman goes, chaos and debauchery follow. “Are we positive this dinner is mandatory?” I echo Lena’s question.
“Yes.” Belinda’s voice is laced with annoyance. “You can bring your sidekick if it makes you feel better. Gary is coming, right?” She stares expectantly at Lena.
“Yes, though Daniel has a soccer game that one of us should be at.” Lena studies her fingernails while her passive-aggressiveness seeps into the conversation.
Belinda’s phone rings. “I need to take this.” She smoothly vacates her chair as she answers, leaving Lena and me alone with our tablets and our thoughts.
I check my watch. It’s almost three. What’s going on with the mermaid tank? And have they figured out the sprinkler situation yet? I punch out quick messages to Chester and Dorian, checking in. What I really want to do is get the hell out of here and go find Sloane. It’s been twenty-four hours since I’ve seen her, and I think I’m suffering from withdrawal.
But what the fuck do I say to her? No, you’ve got me all wrong. I’m not a fuckboy, I promise.
And now, there’s this whole eminent domain bullshit that I have to either play dumb about or tell her, in which case I can basically kiss my job goodbye.
I feel Lena watching me.
“So … Daniel’s your kid?” I knew she was married on account of the flashy ring, but I know nothing else about my counterpart. Maybe I should attempt to be friendly. And, hey, at least then I can honestly say I haven’t slept with every woman in my life.
“Yes. My twelve-year-old son, who is very angry about his mother taking this job and forcing him to move away from his friends. You’d think the beach would be more enticing than Chicago’s suburbs, but apparently not.” Her smile is tight.
“That’s where you’re from?”
“Charlotte, originally, but we were living in Chicago for the past decade.” She smooths a hand through her auburn hair. I note the faintest hint of gray at her temple. “It’s all Daniel knows.”
“I’m lucky, I guess. I didn’t have to think about a wife or kids when Wolf told me I had three days to get here.” No one to pack up except for a giant man-child. Speaking of, I should check in to see how Connor’s knee is doing. Though I’m sure Katie and Rachel are taking really good care of him.
Lena’s golden-brown eyes narrow as she regards me.
“Something on your mind?” I ask guardedly.
“I still can’t figure out how you ended up in this job.”
“Besides my sharp intellect and vast experience?” I quip. Me, an outdoor crew guy with no real management experience. Everyone knows it. It’s a fair statement, and yet I can’t tell if she’s genuinely curious or if it’s an attempt to insult me. “I must have skills you haven’t seen yet.” I wink.
The simple move seems to startle her. She clears her throat while refocusing on her tablet, her cheeks pinking.
I smile. Lena may be as uptight as a bridezilla working on a seating chart, but I could bend her my way if I wanted to. Thankfully for both of us, I don’t. She’s attractive, but there’s nothing appealing about wrecking a marriage. As soon as that ring is on a woman’s finger, a giant “do not enter” sign appears. I won’t let myself so much as imagine what they look like naked.
Except for Abbi, of course, but that’s different.
Belinda returns then, saving us from our awkward conversation. “Okay, I think we’ve covered off everything we need to for today, unless there are any other pressing matters?”
“Besides my housekeeping supervisor stumbling upon two staff members having intercourse on a freshly made bed?” Lena frowns at her screen. “Connie is asking how we would like to proceed.”