by Coleen Kwan
Prying open his blurry eyes, Joe blinked at Patty Williams, one of the committee members, who was tapping him on the forearm. “Hmm?”
“Did you fall asleep?” The older woman frowned.
Joe pushed himself upright in his chair and became aware of the others around the table staring at him in surprise. Damn, had he just nodded off during a meeting with the festival committee? He rubbed a hand over his face, suppressing a yawn. “Sorry. You were saying?”
Patty cocked her head to one side. “Are you all right, Joe? I’ve never seen you drop off like that. Had a late night, did you?”
He sure had. Last night he’d taken Nina home with him. His bed was definitely more comfortable to sleep in than hers, but they hadn’t done much sleeping. They’d stayed up late again, then caught a few hours of exhausted sleep before he’d driven her back to the Comet Inn before dawn broke. He’d returned home, collapsed in bed again for an hour, and somehow managed to drag himself to the festival committee meeting, only to succumb to fatigue once he’d sat down.
“I’m fine,” he said even as the muscles in his lower back twinged. Three late nights in a row. Three nights of incredible, hot sex. Now he was paying for it.
“Okay.” Patty didn’t look convinced. She pushed a printout toward him, her expression still concerned. “Think you’ll have time to review the financial statements? We really need your input.”
Some of last night’s euphoria ebbed away as guilt took over. He had a responsibility to the town, and he shouldn’t allow this affair to distract him from his duties. The Food and Wine Festival was a huge deal for Hartley, and it deserved his proper attention. Instead, he was falling asleep on the job daydreaming about Nina.
He took the printed spreadsheet from Patty and assured everyone that he would go over the numbers before the end of the day. Soon after, the meeting broke up, and Joe headed to the Comet Inn, determined to be his professional best.
But his resolve was tested as soon as he encountered Nina in the hotel lobby chatting with Vince. When she spotted him, she flashed him a dimpled smile that tied his stomach and sent lust shooting through his veins.
“Hi,” she murmured, a dreamy, sleepy look to her eyes as she twisted the mop handle.
“Hi,” he replied, sounding husky.
Belatedly he realized Vince was studying them. Was it obvious that he and Nina couldn’t stay away from each other? If Vince suspected, then it wouldn’t take long for the others to notice it too, and he didn’t want to have to deal with the possible fallout right now.
He schooled his face into a bland mask. “Hey, Vince. Everything okay here?”
“Sure,” Vince replied. “Everything’s fine here.”
Damn, Vince did suspect something.
Nina gathered up her mop and bucket. “Better get going with my chores,” she said, hurrying up the stairs.
It took an almighty effort for Joe not to stare after her. Vince was still eyeing him. Joe cleared his throat. “I’m going to Fort Bragg this afternoon. Got a meeting with another bank.”
“Good. Maybe that’ll keep your mind occupied.” Vince walked off, leaving Joe to frown after him.
…
“And this is my spatchcock with sage and wild mushroom,” Sarah announced as she laid a platter on the table where Nina was sitting with Vince and the other kitchen staff.
Vince sat up. “Let’s see how it goes with the old ale, then.”
Nina and the others had just finished the staff dinner, but Vince had saved his appetite to sample Sarah’s dishes for the festival. Sarah placed some clean plates on the table.
“It looks delicious,” Nina said, “but I’ll let you experts try it first.”
“Suit yourself.” Sarah shrugged. She swiveled round and waved at Joe, who’d just entered the restaurant. “Come and try my spatchcock.”
As Joe walked toward them, Nina couldn’t keep her eyes off him. After three late nights spent with him she’d been lethargic all day, but suddenly she was wide-awake.
Joe wore a business suit because of his bank meeting in Fort Bragg. His jacket was slung over his arm, revealing a soft gray dress shirt and close-fitting charcoal pants. Joe in corporate attire was just as smoking hot as Joe in jeans and a T-shirt. Nina’s brain turned woozy as she imagined running her hands over his shirt and pants, feeling his muscles bunch up beneath the fabric. She curled her fingers into her palms as she struggled to contain her fantasies.
“How did your meeting at the bank go?” Vince asked Joe.
“Don’t ask.” A vexed look passed over Joe’s face but was quickly gone. “I need food. Looks like I arrived at the right time.”
Sarah motioned for Joe to sit next to her, but instead he rounded the table and slid into the chair beside Nina. His nearness set her body humming, the attraction sparking and pulling her into his thrall. She drew in a breath to steady herself, but instead inhaled a whiff of Joe’s crisp cologne that went straight to her head.
Sarah frowned but continued to divide the spatchcock into three portions. She passed plates to Vince and Joe. When Joe saw Nina had been left out, he turned to her, his eyebrows lifted in query.
“I’ll let you three be the judge,” she said, striving to sound normal.
Joe sampled the spatchcock and nodded at Sarah. “This is incredible.” He ate another mouthful and sipped at the old ale beer. “Amazing how the beer complements all the flavors.” He nodded at Sarah and Vince. “Great work, guys. Sarah, I think this is going to be one of your signature dishes.”
Sarah went pink. “Thanks. I’ve been working really hard to get it right.”
Joe turned to Nina. “You should taste this, seeing as it was all your idea.” He forked up a morsel of meat and held it to her. “Here, have some of mine.”
Nina blinked at him in surprise. Beneath the table, his knee nudged against hers, causing her thigh to quiver. The glint in his eyes told her it was no accident. So, Joe wanted to tease her in front of his staff? Well, two could play that game.
Angling forward, she wrapped her fingers around his hand and guided his fork into her mouth. She let the fork slowly glide out past her lips, all the while keeping her gaze locked on Joe, her provocation deliberate. A spark flared in his eyes. He pressed the length of his thigh against hers, and she almost choked on her mouthful of food. Oh, Joe was too good at this game. As she leaned back in her chair, flushed and aroused, she realized everyone at the table was staring at them.
Sarah pulled a face. “Are you two finished?”
Vince coughed uncomfortably. “I’d better get back to the bar.” He pushed to his feet and hurried out of the restaurant. The other staff members scattered, too, except for Sarah.
Nina swallowed her mouthful of spatchcock. “It’s, er, delicious.”
“Really?” Sarah was giving her the stink eye again. “How could you tell when you gulped it down in one second?”
Joe cleared his throat. “Sarah…” he warned in a low voice.
Thoroughly discomfited by the situation, Nina pushed to her feet and grabbed the empty plates. “I’d better get these to the kitchen,” she said, and beat a hasty retreat.
As the evening wore on and the place got busier, Nina concentrated on her work and pushed all thoughts of Joe to the back of her mind. She hoped the incident with the spatchcock would be forgotten but knew it was a vain hope when, later that night as she stepped out the backyard with two bags of garbage, Sarah’s tall figure loomed up beside her like a prison guard.
Still, Nina tried to keep the atmosphere neutral. “Lovely night tonight.” She walked toward the Dumpster, tilting her head up to the sky. “Look at all those stars.”
Sarah kept pace with her, ignoring the stars. “What’s going on with you and Joe?” she asked bluntly.
“Nothing’s going on,” Nina insisted. Technically, that was true. Joe hadn’t made any promises. And she didn’t want any. She opened the Dumpster and heaved the first bag in.
“Bullshit. Are you a
nd Joe having an affair?”
Nina stood her ground. “That’s none of your business.”
“It is my business. Joe’s my friend. I won’t stand by and let an oversexed tramp mess him around.”
Nina gasped. “Oversexed tramp! You’ve got one helluva nerve calling me names.”
Sarah stepped closer, tall and menacing. “You talked Joe into hiring you when you’re obviously unqualified. You’ve been here two weeks and already he’s drooling over you. You’ve schemed and seduced your way in here, and you’re up to no good. Of course you’re an oversexed tramp.”
Nina let out a furious laugh. “Ha! If I’m such an oversexed tramp, then why am I the one taking out the garbage?”
“It’s all a stunt, a cover. You’re not really here because of the job. Anyone can see that. There’s something else going on.”
Indignation boiled in Nina. “I might not be as quick as everyone else, but I pull my weight around here, and even you can’t deny that. As for Joe, he’s a big boy. He can take care of himself. He doesn’t need a mother hen like you flapping around him.”
Sarah gasped and faltered back as if Nina had pushed her. For a few seconds she appeared to struggle for breath.
“Joe takes care of everyone else, but he needs someone watching out for him.” Sarah sniffed and fisted her hands. “And I am not his mother hen.”
Nina bit her lower lip as the truth sunk in. Oh, shit. Sarah had a crush on Joe, and he probably had no clue. No wonder Sarah was so ready to bite her head off. Nina and Joe had shamelessly flirted over the spatchcock right in front of Sarah, and that must have hurt. If she found out that Nina had been spending nights with Joe… Nina’s animosity against Sarah subsided.
“Look, I appreciate your concern for Joe, but he’s in no danger from me.”
Sarah shook her head morosely. “You don’t convince me. I knew you were trouble the moment I saw you.”
Nina sighed, her patience slipping. “Well, maybe you should speak to Joe instead of me.” She tossed the second garbage bag into the Dumpster and slammed the lid shut. “I’m going back inside.”
The other woman glowered at her. “I know you’re hiding something, Nina, and sooner or later I’ll find out what it is.”
Nina shrugged and left the yard. If Sarah only knew how her secret was weighing on her… How much longer could she continue deceiving Joe?
Joe had been nothing but open and honest with her. He didn’t deserve to be lied to. But if she told him the truth, Joe would surely despise her, and that prospect was too much to bear.
…
Nina retreated to her bedroom as soon as her hectic evening shift was over. After her confrontation with Sarah, she didn’t think it would be appropriate to hang around in the bar waiting for Joe, especially since she found it impossible to hide her attraction to him. She should try to curb her libido. It was crazy sleeping with a man who didn’t know her true identity. Crazier still to have these strange, warm feelings whenever she thought about him. All things considered, it was better to be alone tonight.
But all her sensible ideas scattered when, an hour later, she heard someone walk up to her room. The footsteps paused outside her door, and she knew instinctively that it was Joe standing on the other side. Her breathing hitched as she waited for him to knock. Please, please, please knock. Her desperation for Joe shocked her. Before she could help herself, she moved to the door and opened it.
Joe blinked at her, making her conscious of her scrubbed face and the fact she wore only a T-shirt. His dark eyes warmed, and the glow in them chased away her reservations. Yes, she felt increasingly guilty over her deception, but she wasn’t lying about how she felt about him.
And what exactly are those feelings? a critical voice queried at the back of her mind. This is supposed to be just some harmless fun, isn’t it?
The nagging voice faded as she took in Joe’s presence, delighted at his visit.
“Are you just going to stand there,” she said, “or are you coming in?”
His gaze swept over her T-shirt, making her nipples perk up in anticipation. “I shouldn’t be here,” he said.
She smiled. “No, you shouldn’t be.” But he was. She took him by the hand and tugged him toward the bed.
“Tired?” she asked and sat next to him.
“A little. It’s been a busy day.”
She recalled his bank meeting earlier that hadn’t gone well, and bit her lip. To help ease her conscience, she shifted behind him and squeezed his shoulders. “Want a massage?”
“That’d be great.” He sounded surprised.
She began working on his muscles, kneading the tight knots in his back and shoulders. Joe groaned in relief, lowering his head. The sight of his bowed head made her heart twinge in a novel way. She was only giving him a massage, and yet it felt more than that. It felt as if he was letting down his barriers, allowing her into his citadel. She slid her palms over him, relishing the flex of his muscles, the scent of his skin. She wanted to do this every night. Wanted to be the one he turned to for comfort at the end of a tiring day.
Her heart panged with deep longing.
But how could she ever have that without telling him the truth? Maybe—her mind quavered—it was time to fess up. Not now when he was at ease and relaxed, but maybe later…sometime soon.
Joe sighed. “I should go home.”
No, she almost cried out. She wanted every drop of him while she could, because who knew how long this would last? “Why?”
“I have spreadsheets to go over.”
Her body took over, reckless with yearning. Rising to her feet, she spread her legs over his knees. “I have a spreadsheet for you to go over, too. Figures that need massaging…”
He ran a hand along the length of her thigh, the glint in his eye mirroring the fire in her veins. “I’m good at massaging figures.” She quivered as he slid his hand higher under her T-shirt and pulled her down to sit astride his knees.
“W-wonderful.” She clutched at his shoulders. “What about bottom lines? Any good at those?”
Laughing, he leaned in to nibble her earlobe. “Sweet pea, I’m all over your bottom line. It’s one of your prime assets.” Shifting his hand up, he cupped her bare breast, causing them both to breathe faster. “Along with these…”
She hissed with pleasure. “That’s some dirty bookkeeping you have in mind.”
He lifted her and pushed her onto the bed, pressing the full weight of his body onto her as he covered her mouth with his.
“Just wait until we get to double-entry accounting, sweet pea.”
Chapter Ten
“You haven’t looked at the spreadsheets?” Patty Williams blinked in complete bafflement. “But Joe, the festival’s next week, and you promised.”
Guilt and embarrassment crawled over Joe as he faced his colleague. Those budgets and costing were vital for the festival. He’d let Patty and the committee down, all because he couldn’t keep his priorities straight recently.
“Sorry, Patty. I’ll go over them as soon as I can.”
The older woman glanced around the lobby of the Comet Inn, where several people stood about, some waiting to check in, others browsing the tourist brochure stand. The inn was booked with guests invited to a weekend wedding, and the restaurant would be hosting a prewedding dinner that night.
“Doesn’t look like you’ll get a chance today,” Patty said through a sigh.
Joe grimaced. He hated reneging on his word. This was all his fault. He shouldn’t have gone to Nina’s room last night.
“I’ll get on it today, I guarantee.”
Patty nodded, though doubt lingered in her expression. She took her leave, and he went back to seeing to his paying guests.
Later, Joe retreated to his office to study the spreadsheets. He couldn’t let Patty down a second time. After a couple of hours of intense concentration, he’d finished his analysis, made several corrections and emailed the revised spreadsheets to the committee. Reliev
ed, he told himself there’d be no more slipups from his end. This festival was too important to mess up. Tourists brought in revenue, and he needed every extra cent for his B&B.
…
The sound of breaking glass made Joe wince as his trainee bartender dropped a full bottle of single malt whisky. At a nearby table, a disgruntled customer pulled a face at the scorched patty in his hamburger. Joe approached the man—one of his regulars—and whisked the burger away, telling him his meal would be on the house. He gave instructions to one of the kitchen staff to get the man a replacement burger, then returned to the bar, where Vince was overseeing the trainee and his mess.
“What’s going on tonight?” Joe asked Vince when they had a moment alone. “Everyone’s dropping things, mixing up orders, burning food. Is there a full moon or something?”
Vince picked up a cloth and began wiping the bar counter. “You can’t guess?” he said, almost sullen. He’d been unusually clammed up all evening.
“No.” Joe looked him in the eye. “You going to tell me?”
His friend paused his polishing. “You really can’t guess why everyone’s acting weird? It’s because of you and Nina.”
Joe’s stomach muscles tensed. “What about me and Nina?”
“You know.” Vince shrugged. “All that flirting going on between you two.”
Joe’s mind raced.
“You mean yesterday with the spatchcock? That was nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing. You were practically making out in front of everyone. And it’s not just the spatchcock. Every time you and Nina are in the same place together it’s like happy hour at a pickup joint. You’ve got a thing for her, and don’t even try to deny it.”
The truculent tone in his friend’s voice irked Joe, but he kept his own voice steady as he said, “Are you jealous? Thinking you want a crack at her, too?”
Vince’s cheeks grew ruddy. “I like Nina, but we’re just friends. That’s not why I’m pissed off.” He rubbed at a spot on the counter vigorously. “You must have noticed how upset Sarah was when you started fooling around with Nina at the table. Sarah’s bad mood affects everyone around here. Hence the accidents happening tonight. Sarah’s never liked Nina, and you made things worse by agreeing to Nina’s idea about the craft beer thing.”
