With This Kiss

by Bella Riley

  So close. He’d been so close to the edge. Almost all the way there, about to jump off into the abyss. She’d just told him she and Stu didn’t love each other. That they were just friends. So there was no barrier there, not really.

  But there were others. Big ones, like the fact that she wasn’t telling him the full truth about Stu’s disappearance. She hadn’t actually admitted to knowing more than she was saying, but she’d quite clearly evaded his questions.

  Yes, she seemed like an open book. It looked like everything she was feeling was written on her face. Hell, when she’d been talking about wanting love her wistful longing had almost gotten to him, to the heart he swore he didn’t have.

  Sean knew better than to be fooled by it, though. Not when everyone he knew held back as much as they could. Especially if it made them look ridiculous. And even though Rebecca gave off an air of not being able to hold anything back, he knew better.

  She wasn’t telling him the truth about his brother’s disappearance.

  Sean’s early years as a venture capitalist had been exciting, but the past year or so he’d gotten tired of the scene, of dealing with people who were only in it for the kill. Just as he always had been. He’d come back to Emerald Lake for his brother’s wedding and to prepare for his next career move, but now he realized there was a bigger reason he should have come back.

  His brother had needed him. And he hadn’t been there for Stu.

  Sean wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  Just as he wouldn’t make the mistake of falling for Rebecca’s “look how honest I am” act, complete with big eyes and that sweet mouth that kept making him lose his train of thought like the idiot he’d sworn he’d never be for a woman.

  Despite the late night, Sean was up early. Not as early as Rebecca, however. He found it hard to believe how fresh and bright she looked, considering how little sleep he knew she’d gotten the night before—and how hard she’d obviously worked putting on both Andi and Nate’s wedding and keeping the inn running. He couldn’t help but feel a grudging respect for her.

  She was on the phone and there was a little frown between her eyebrows. The fact that his thumb itched to smooth it out made no sense, considering he didn’t know her beyond their conversations the day before… and given that he didn’t trust her.

  From where he was standing, at the doorway to the inn’s front room, he could see that she was on the phone and hear most of her side of the conversation.

  “Mom, no, I’m fine.” She frowned again, deeper this time. “Please stop worrying about me. I’ve told you before, it’s not like I’m all alone out here. I have a lot of wonderful friends.” She gave a little shake of her head, her long, silky hair moving around her shoulders. “Please don’t come right now, Mom, and don’t let any of my sisters drive up, either.” She lifted her eyes to the ceiling as if she were looking for divine intervention. “No, it’s not that I don’t want you to visit. Of course, I do. But when you come, I want it to be for a vacation, so that you can relax on the lake. Summer will be a much better time for that.”

  Evidently, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t like seeing Rebecca look upset. Her mother was clearly beside herself at the wedding being called off.

  “Besides, I have too much to do right now with the Tapping of the Maples Festival to spend time with you.”

  Tapping of the Maples Festival? What was that?

  Finally, her lips curved up a slight bit at the corners. “It’s going great. But I’m crazy busy trying to run the inn, too.” Her smile fell away at whatever her mother said in response. “Stu would be here to help me with everything if he could, Mom.”

  It sounded like she meant it, but at the same time there was a thread of irritation there, whether at her mother or his brother—or both—he wasn’t sure.

  “I know I made another bad decision,” she was saying into the phone, bristling now as she defended herself. “But I’m staying this time, Mom.”

  Another bad decision? What kind of woman had his brother been engaged to?

  “No, I’m not waiting for him to come back.” Rebecca’s voice had risen and she was pacing the small area behind the check-in counter. “Even though things didn’t work out with Stu, that doesn’t mean I have to pack up all my things and leave my friends and my job.” A pause, and then: “I really love being an innkeeper. And I love Emerald Lake.”

  He saw concern and remorse—and frustration—flash across her mouth as she said, “Of course, I love you all, too! But I’ve made my decision. I’m staying. Talk to you tomorrow. Give my love to everyone.”

  She’d been firm without becoming nasty. Yet again, she’d surprised him with her strength of will. In fact, she was a great deal firmer than anyone would ever guess, especially given how sweet and gentle she looked. It wasn’t just her delicate angel’s face that gave that impression; it was the picture of those pink painted toes he’d seen the night before that wouldn’t leave his brain.

  The inn was home to her. That was why she felt comfortable coming downstairs to the kitchen without shoes on. It was just what she’d told her mother.

  Sean hadn’t felt like he’d had a home in a very long time. Although, in truth, the inn had a warmth about it that even managed to draw him in and made him want to stay in Emerald Lake when, previously, for years he’d barely been able to come back home without itching to get away again as soon as he could.

  Why, he had to wonder, had her mother treated her like that? What else had Rebecca screwed up? And how badly?

  Damn it, listening to her on the phone with her mother gave him more insight into her than he was comfortable with… and only made him want to learn more.

  Being hit with yet another urge he didn’t understand where Rebecca was concerned had him heading away from the check-in counter for the kitchen.

  “Sean, well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? I heard you were back but didn’t get a chance to feast my eyes on you yesterday. Stand still and let me get a good look at you.” Mrs. Higgins, the inn’s head chef, grinned at him, her eyes twinkling. “I can see that you are still just as much of a heartbreaker as you always were.”

  Knowing better than to get into it with the woman who used to change his diapers when he was a baby, he said, “Are there any of your delicious scones left?”

  She nodded to a tray beside her. “I just pulled a new batch fresh from the oven. How many, sweetie?”

  Only Mrs. Higgins would call him sweetie. And, strangely, it was okay when she did it. Because he knew she was one of those very rare people who was just as nice as she seemed. No hidden shadows. No secrets.

  “How about four?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Got a big appetite today, don’t you?”

  “I’d like to bring some out for Rebecca, too.”

  Her expression softened. “Such a sweet girl, isn’t she? And so good with the guests. Although I’ve always thought there’s a little bit of wicked waiting inside of her to get out.” Not waiting for him to reply to her offhand comments, she said, “In that case, let me just add a pot of her favorite tea.”

  Sean could smell the roses from the leaves the chef put into the pot and something else that he was sure he was getting wrong.

  “Is there maple syrup in that tea?”

  “Oh, yes. It’s a new tea she’s been experimenting with. For the festival.” She handed him the tray. “Her idea to launch the festival was a smart one, no question about it.”

  Biting back his questions for the time being, he thanked her and carried the tray back out to Rebecca. She looked up in surprise as he placed the scones and tea in front of her.

  “Are you hungry?”

  Given the way her mouth tightened at his question, he had a feeling that if she knew it was his idea to bring the scones out to her that she’d refuse them. He shouldn’t care if she did. Then again, he didn’t want his all-important innkeeper to faint from hunger at the front desk, either.

  “Mrs. Higgins said these were
your favorite.”

  “They are. Thank you,” she said as she picked one up.

  “I wanted to tell you, my secretary found Stu’s letter.”

  “I knew he had to have contacted you,” she said, clearly relieved to hear it. “Did he tell you anything about his whereabouts?”

  “No.” Damn it. “Just what he’d said in his note to my parents.”

  “I’m sorry. I know you were hoping for clues.”

  Sean felt a pang of guilt at what he wasn’t telling Rebecca—that Stu had, in fact, said more. “It’s my fault. Treat Rebecca kindly, she deserves it.”

  Reminding himself that he had nothing to feel guilty for and that she was the one who hadn’t answered his direct questions last night, he forcefully returned his focus back to business for the time being. He’d quiz her on his brother again soon enough.

  “How have things been going here at the inn with Stu gone?”

  She poured two cups of tea and handed him one. It smelled surprisingly good, like being out in the large maple grove behind the inn.

  “Good. Busy, but good.”

  “Mrs. Higgins mentioned a maple festival?”

  Even though she clearly felt uncomfortable around him, Rebecca’s face lit up. “Oh, yes, it’s going to be wonderful.” She reached under the counter and handed him a well-designed flier, putting the rest on a stack on the corner of the check-in counter. “It’s going to be a day of nonstop maple syrup, maple cookies, maple candies.” She lifted her cup. “Even tea. I’ve found some incredible vendors the past few weeks. I really think people are going to love being able to tap the maple trees themselves. I had someone come out and do a demonstration for me a few weeks ago and it was really fun.” She tapped on a spreadsheet she had in front of her. “Just a few more details to iron out and the festival should be smooth sailing in two weeks.”

  Sean quickly scanned the flier. “How are you managing to run the inn by yourself and put on this festival at the same time? Especially with Stu gone?”

  “Honestly,” she said, “it hasn’t been easy. But I’ve been pulling it all off so far.” She gave him a little smile that made his heart do funny things in his chest. “Besides, who needs sleep? I figure I can do a little reverse hibernation after the snow thaws and the festival has passed.”

  “What are you going to do if a ball drops, Rebecca?”

  She was about to take a bite of her scone when he saw his question register. Holding it halfway to her mouth she said, “Excuse me?”

  “I understand that you’ve been managing to pull everything off thus far. But what’s going to happen when you have a problem with one of your festival suppliers and you’re needed to deal with an emergency at the inn? What if, say, two of the cleaning staff call in sick and you’re needed upstairs as well as downstairs and you’ve got a vendor waiting for an answer to his question?”

  Her flush disappeared as her face paled. He felt bad about poking holes in her plans, but looking for problems—and solving them before they happened—had been a big part of his career.

  “I suppose I’ll have to deal with that if it comes,” she said slowly. “And hope that it doesn’t.”

  He shook his head. “You should hire someone to deal with the festival and focus on your job at the inn.”

  She frowned at him. “No. No way. The festival is mine. It’s the first thing besides running the inn that I’ve ever really felt proud of.”

  He couldn’t believe the way she continually spilled her innermost thoughts and feelings. He would never—ever—admit to anyone the kind of things she was admitting. Was it some sort of trick to get him to back off on asking questions about Stu?

  Telling himself it had to be a trick, that no one could possibly be this devoid of pretense, he said, “I’m afraid I don’t see how the situation can continue for much longer. You’re clearly exhausted. And I’d hate for the inn to suffer because you’re focused on some festival.”

  Anger lit her delicate features. “First of all, Stu trusted me with the inn while he was gone. I would never let any part of it suffer. Second, it’s not just some festival. The Tapping of the Maples Festival is going to do great things for this town and the inn. And third, considering Stu is the owner of the inn, I’m going to ask you to respect his wishes and let me run the inn as I always have, thank you.”

  Her strength surprised him, yet again. And the way her cheeks were flushing, her eyes flashing as she held her ground, made her even prettier.

  Sean knew why Stu hadn’t told her the full truth. He’d asked his brother to keep his involvement in the inn quiet. Just another half-lie to add to all the others.

  Looked like it was time for there to be one less secret.

  “Actually, Stu and I own the inn together. All these months, you’ve actually been working for both of us.”

  Chapter Six

  Rebecca felt her eyes widen at the news. She narrowed them again as she glared at Stu’s far-too-attractive brother.

  It was just one surprise after another around here, wasn’t it?

  “Why didn’t Stu tell me you owned the inn with him?”

  She wished Sean looked guiltier about the way he’d sprung the news on her. He was clearly a very astute businessman, and yet he hadn’t found a very nice way of giving her this information, had he?

  “I never planned on coming back to run it, so it wasn’t relevant.”

  Last night, he’d told her he’d sold his business and that he was looking for something new to work on. Is this what he’d meant? Oh, no, she wasn’t sure she could work with a man like him bossing her around.

  She dropped her untouched scone back onto the china plate with a loud clack. “No, I suppose it wasn’t relevant to you,” she said, not bothering to keep the sarcasm, or anger, from her voice. “Only to your employees who had no idea you were Stu’s silent partner all these years.”

  A muscle began jumping in his jaw and she waited for him to defend himself, to point out to her that Stu was just as much at fault for not telling her the truth.

  Instead, he said, “Now that the situation has changed, I’ll need you to show me everything about running the inn.”

  She couldn’t stop her eyes from widening at the thought of having to spend big chunks of time in close quarters with Sean, teaching him the ropes of the inn he owned but clearly never had any interest in learning about.

  For the first time since Stu had left, she finally let herself be good and angry at him. How could he have done this to her, to Sean, giving them no other choice but to have to deal with one another?

  Just then, a couple came down the stairs carrying a baby. “I hope we didn’t keep anyone up last night,” the woman said, an apologetic smile on her face. “Janie has some trouble sleeping out of her usual crib.”

  Her husband was trying to manage all of their bags and the car seat and bottles on his own, but Rebecca could see what a difficult time he was having, especially considering half of the bags weren’t quite zipped all the way and a diaper was about to fall out.

  She was incredibly glad for a reason to move away from Sean. “Don’t worry about a thing. Your room was in the corner and I’m sure no one heard her crying. If it would help, I’d love to hold her for a moment while you get your things packed up and into the car.”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful,” the woman said, fortunately not at all reticent about handing the sweet baby girl over.

  Rebecca’s heart squeezed as she looked down at big blue eyes and a sweet little mouth. “Hey there, pretty girl. I hear you’re quite the traveler.”

  The little girl started to fuss and the mother frowned and said, “I can take her back.”

  “I took care of three little sisters. I miss holding a baby. I miss making them laugh.” As she spoke, she was quick to reposition Janie and get her giggling with funny faces.

  The young couple were kneeling over their bags trying to do a quick reorganization while neither of them had their hands full when the phone behind
the counter started ringing. Rebecca automatically shifted the baby to the crook of her right arm and picked up the line.

  “Oh, yes,” she said a moment later. “We’d love to be a part of your wedding plans in July. I’m a little bit tied up now, could I call you back in a few—” She paused, listened. “Oh, I see. You need to do it right this second?”

  Sean was standing a handful of feet away, watching her on the phone with narrowed eyes. Feeling as if he was judging her performance—now that he was her surprise boss, and all—a devil landed on her shoulder.

  Before she could stop herself she said, “I’d be more than happy to book it all with you right now. Could I put you on hold for ten seconds and then we’ll get started?”

  When they agreed, she put the phone down, walked over at to Sean, and handed him the baby.

  “Could you take her back to her parents?” She looked over the couple, who had half of their things spread out across the rug and looked exhausted. “On second thought, I’m sure they’d be much happier if you could just keep her entertained for a few minutes.”

  Sean looked utterly, supremely uncomfortable. But, amazingly, the little girl was snuggling in closer to him, her soft blond hair falling across his upper arms as she gave him an adoring coo.

  Rebecca almost snorted at how quickly he had the baby caught up under his spell. Although, in some ways it did make her feel a bit better to know it wasn’t just her. In any case, she didn’t have time to wait for his answer before getting back on the phone and burying herself in wedding planning.

  By the time she got off the phone, the couple and baby were gone. But Sean remained.

  She’d never pushed at a boss like that, never deliberately gone and done something she knew would get her in trouble. But, for some crazy reason, he’d brought that out in her. A little bit of daredevil. It hadn’t been on any kind of grand scale, but frankly, she was more than a little surprised to realize it was there at all.

  And, even crazier, instead of apologizing for it and trying to start over on a better foot, another devil jumped onto her other shoulder and had her saying, “So, when do you want to start?”