Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“You’re hungry again?”
Lots of nodding.
“Where are you keeping it?”
She pointed to her stomach, and everyone around us laughed.
I really enjoyed being with the family. It had been a nice start to my job. A distraction until the real work began. Would it be too much to ask that the rest of my time in Maine be just as smooth?
One could only hope.
THREE
When we finally reached the inn, it was chaos. First off, people were a bit surprised that it looked more like a ski lodge that belonged in Colorado than a building one would find in historic Maine. I had to agree, but that wasn’t so bad. What was horrible was that the line to get checked in had the same snaking velvet ropes as did theme parks and big hotels in Vegas. The idea of joining the wait was not appealing, so once my new friends left me—Jeff was a very smart man and had the groom check him and his family in earlier so they could go straight to their room—I took a seat in the lobby and waited for the line to thin out.
Gemma was sad to walk away from me and turned and ran back to hug me even after giving me lots of love, as had her mother, before they started across the lobby. I promised I would see her again, and with a wobbly lower lip, she left me, waving over her shoulder.
“You must have made quite the impression,” a woman said.
Turning, I found the stunning blonde I had seen with my ex earlier. Really, there was only one kind of luck I was having lately.
“Toddlers go crazy for me,” I assured her.
“Oh, do they?” she said, laughing. She had a great laugh.
“Animals too. Dogs, cats, small children—I’m utterly irresistible.”
“And women?” she asked.
“Nope. And more importantly, not men.”
She nodded. “Got it.”
“Although,” I said because I was undercover after all, “things have been looking up lately.”
“Have they? Do tell.”
I shook my head. “Tell me about you. Are you here for the wedding as well?”
She made a face. “Yes, sadly. I’m here under false pretenses.”
“Oh?”
“I thought it would still be wintery here, and how romantic would that be, on the water of Penobscot Bay, with the snow, and I was promised outdoor snowflake carriage rides, and warm, cozy rooms, and candles. Maybe even sitting outside under tents with fire pits.”
I couldn’t help my grin. “So what you’re telling me is that the yellow tape around everything when we came in and the construction equipment aren’t speaking to you?”
She really did have a great laugh, and it was there again in full force.
“It looks like all the winter storms they had here damaged a lot of the paths along the shore, so I’m guessing the carriages and moonlit walks are out as long as the waterfront clean-up continues.”
“Yes,” she whimpered. “And there’s no snow, just rain and more rain, and it’s cold, but not cozy, and did you see the fog?”
“I did. It’s very Scottish moors out there at the moment.”
She threw up her hands, clearly done. “You’re supposed to be able to see a lot of little islands from here, but again, there’s just a wall of gray.”
“At least it’s nice in here,” I offered, indicating the giant hearth of the lobby. “I mean, if it rains the whole time we’re here—”
“Which it will,” she grumbled.
“Which it probably will,” I agreed. “And if we lose power, we could all huddle around the fire like they did hundreds of years ago. It will be very…rustic.”
We both laughed that time, and she leaned forward and offered me her hand.
“I’m Sienna Donahue, but my friends call me Seni. Tell me who you are, because I think we’re going to be friends.”
Not likely, but I got why my ex liked her. She was beautiful and warm and easy to talk to. I was betting she came from money as well. As his family was in the upper one percent, that had to be important. “Cooper Davis,” I said, taking her hand gently. “Nice to meet you.”
“Where are you in from, Cooper?”
“Chicago.”
“Oh,” she said with a sigh. “Now that is a fun city. If we were stranded there, it would not be the horror show that this will surely be.”
“Agreed. And we could have deep-dish pizza delivered.”
“That sounds amazing. Are you starving too?”
“Getting there,” I said, glancing around.
“My fiancé is checking us in and—oh, here he comes.”
I had no one to blame but myself.
“Damie,” she greeted him, as the man I used to hold down in bed appeared at her side. Not to mention, Damie was terrible and something he’d told me he hated. “This is my new friend, Cooper Davis. He’s marvelous.”
“So is your fiancée,” I told him, getting up to offer him my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
He looked odd, sort of stiff, unsmiling and aloof. And yes, I hadn’t seen him in over a year, so maybe this was how he looked these days. But the spark that used to be in his eyes was completely missing.