“Thanks for hiring Olivia on at the hotel. She’s excited about it.” Trent sat back down beside Olivia and draped his arm across her shoulder.
Nolan’s gut twisted but he forced a smile. “We’re excited to have her.” He glanced at Olivia. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say her smile looked a little forced too.
“Yes, I’m anxious to get started,” she said.
“HR should get back to me by tomorrow, and then we can set up that meeting we talked about.”
“Meetings already, huh?” Trent teased.
“Yep.” Olivia turned to him. “I’ve got a list of activity ideas for the resort to run past Nolan.” She looked back at Nolan. “I’ve added a few more since we talked. I can’t seem to stop brainstorming.”
He smiled. “Good. I look forward to hearing them.”
Savannah glanced between them and then cleared her throat, extending her hand to Nolan. “It’s good to see you again. It sounds like you’ve been busy since I last saw you at the wedding.”
Nolan forced his attention away from Olivia to shake Savannah’s hand. “It’s good to see you too, Savannah.” He released her hand and nodded. “It’s been a crazy few months getting the resort staffed. And I’m sure you’ve been busy too. How’s the wedding planning going?”
“Definitely busy.” She shrugged. “But that’s the way I like it. The owner of the company I work for is retiring at the end of the year, so if all goes well, I’m hoping to get even busier.”
He tipped his head to the side. “You’re hoping to take over the business?”
“Not just hoping—she’s a shoe-in for the job,” Olivia interjected. “She’s worked there longer than any of the other wedding planners, and she’s the best there is.”
“Thanks, Liv.” Savannah beamed.
“So what you’re saying is, you’re ‘married’ to your job?” Trent asked, looking at her for a reaction to his corny pun.
Savannah rolled her eyes, and Olivia gave a small courtesy laugh. “Trent is always coming up with puns,” she explained.
Trent held up his hands. “Come on, that was a good one.”
Nolan offered him a half-smile in return.
“Savannah is definitely married to her job,” Jade said, coming into the room with a chilled bottle of Coke. She handed it to Nolan with a mischievous smile. “And you know all about that too, don’t you, Nolan?” She looked at him and nodded toward Savannah with an overly obvious hint that they shared their workaholic ways in common.
He ignored the look and took a swig of his drink. There was a slightly awkward pause in the wake of where his answer should have been, but he didn’t care. Let it be awkward. He saw right through Connor and Jade’s matchmaking tactics and wasn’t interested in playing their games.
“Dinner’s ready,” Connor called from the kitchen.
There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief at the announcement. Jade smiled. “If you guys want to come into the dining room, we’re serving dinner in there.”
“Sounds great. I’m starved,” Trent said, hopping up from the couch and following Jade toward the dining room.
Nolan stared in disbelief. Trent hadn’t even offered to help Olivia up from the couch or waited for her to come with him. Judging by her expression, she’d noticed too. “Here,” he said, offering his hand.
“Thanks.”
She took his hand, and her touch sent an electric current straight up to his elbow. He swallowed. “Anytime.” He gestured toward the dining room. “I guess your boyfriend wasn’t kidding about being starved.”
She gave an embarrassed laugh. “I guess not. I’ll go see if I can help Jade with anything.”
Nolan nodded and turned, ready to offer to help Savannah up next, but she was already standing.
She waited until Olivia was a safe distance away before tossing her raven black hair over her shoulder and shrugging at Nolan. “It seems we’re meant to be a pair tonight. Sorry about that. It’s probably my fault. I think my friends are paying me back for all the times I set them up on blind dates.”
Nolan laughed, relieved to have the obvious stated in the open. He liked Savannah’s straightforward attitude. “It’s not your fault. I’m pretty sure Connor and Jade cooked up the scheme together. He practically threatened me about coming tonight.” He winced, realizing how rude that sounded. “Not that I didn’t want to. I mean . . . it did sound fun,” he added.
She shook her head. “No worries. I didn’t really want to come either. It’s weird having all of my friends either dating or married and being the one left behind, but I’ll get used to it.” She sighed and put her hands on her hips. “So what do you want to do? Go in and eat, or make a run for it?”
He shrugged. “As long as we’re here, we might as well stay.”
Her bright blue eyes ignited. “Good, because I have a theory I want to test out.”
“What kind of theory?”
She smirked. “One that will stop Connor and Jade from attempting to set us up again, and hopefully to confirm a hunch. But it will require help on your part. How good are you at acting?”
“Decent.” He’d taken a drama class in high school, if that counted.
Savannah clasped her hands together and Nolan was officially intrigued. Whatever scheme it was, if it meant getting back at Connor for forcing him to come tonight—he was in.
Chapter 5
Olivia took a drink of water. What could possibly be keeping Savannah and Nolan? A flicker of jealousy flared inside of her, but she doused it. If Savannah was hitting it off with Nolan, she would be happy for them. Savannah had closed her heart for too long, and Olivia truly did want her happiness. She deserved it after being left at the altar and put through the kind of pain and humiliation she went through. Olivia set down her water glass and straightened the fork at her place setting, determined to be happy for her friend.
“Should we wait for Savannah and Nolan, or get started?” Jade asked, looking at Connor.
“Let’s get started. They’ll join us when they’re ready,” Connor said, winking at her.
Olivia’s stomach clenched.
“Awesome. This food looks too good.” Trent helped himself to a roll. “Can you pass me that plate of roasted chicken?” he asked Connor.
Olivia gawked at him, slightly appalled by his lack of manners. But then, she’d been raised by a nanny and learned formal etiquette. Trent had been raised with three brothers in a small house in the Denver suburbs. She couldn’t expect him to act the same way she did. But when he was in the same room as Nolan, it was hard not to compare the two. Nolan was considerate and a gentleman, and Trent was—rough around the edges.
Laughter from the hallway broke through her thoughts. She turned, her heart pinching when she saw Savannah with her arm through Nolan’s, her eyes sparkling as she laughed at something he said.
“There you two are,” Connor said, taking them in with a smile of approval. “You’d better have a seat and eat before the food gets cold—or before Trent eats it all,” he teased.
Trent gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” He unceremoniously dumped a large spoonful of mashed potatoes on his plate.
“Just be sure to leave some for the rest of us,” Connor said, half-teasing, half-serious.
Olivia cringed. Nolan met her eyes with a hint of a look she couldn’t define. Was that pity? Disgust? She wouldn’t blame him for either. Trent was acting impolite and immature. She didn’t know what had come over him tonight.
“Why haven’t you eaten since breakfast?” Jade asked, leaning forward in an attempt to smooth over the awkwardness.
Olivia silently thanked her for coming to the rescue.
“It was a busy day. These two aren’t the only workaholics around here.” He gestured to Savannah and Nolan.
Nolan dipped his chin in acknowledgment as he held out Savannah’s chair for her. “What do you do for work, Trent?” he asked.
“I race supercros
s. Not as good as Connor here, mind you.” He clapped Connor’s shoulder. “We can’t all be two-time supercross champs.”
Connor shook his head. “Don’t downplay your talent. Everyone who knows the sport, knows what it takes to qualify to compete in the race.”
“That’s right,” Jade agreed. “You’re doing really well, Trent, and you should be proud of that.”
He shrugged and turned to Nolan. “Once I retire from supercross, my friend has a roofing company he asked if I’d be interested in going partners in. So that’s the plan.”
Nolan nodded. “It’s a good business to get into.”
Trent leaned back in his chair. “It might not be prestigious, like managing a big hotel resort. But yeah . . . I think I’ll do alright.”
The two eyed each other before Nolan gave a tight smile. “I’m sure you will.”
Olivia glanced between them, finding it difficult to breathe. What was going on here? The tension was palpable.
Savannah cleared her throat and touched Nolan’s hand, giving him a little smile that made Olivia’s stomach drop. “Nolan, I was hoping to talk to you about booking weddings at the resort,” she said. “With Briarwood soon to be unavailable, we’re desperately in need of a new venue so the hotel couldn’t have come at a better time.”
And that’s not by coincidence, Olivia thought. Even Savannah, Piper’s roommate and closest friend, didn’t realize that Drew was the actual new owner of Briarwood and had orchestrated the resort largely to serve as a replacement wedding venue.
“We’ve already had several requests, and I was hoping we could set up a meeting sometime to discuss the schedule?” Savannah asked, batting her fringe of dark lashes.
“Definitely.” Nolan glanced sideways at Olivia before looking back at her. “And the sooner, the better. Why don’t you stop by on Monday? I’ll give you a tour of the ballrooms and the other facilities we have available for wedding parties.”
“Shouldn’t I be there too?” Olivia interjected. Savannah and Nolan looked at her in surprise. She flushed and tried to appear calmer than she felt. “I mean, since I’m the new event planner, I should probably know this information as well.”
Savannah lifted an eyebrow, a slow smile spreading across her face as if Olivia had just confirmed something for her. “Yes, I think that would probably be a good idea. Don’t you think so, Nolan?”
Nolan turned to her with a look of confusion before facing Olivia. “I—uh.”
“Maybe Olivia could get the tour another time,” Jade supplied. “I mean, I’m sure you’ll get lots of training.” She threw Olivia a loaded look.
Olivia instantly felt bad. Here was Savannah’s chance at love and she was trying to sabotage it. She bit her lip. “Oh . . . of course. I could take the tour another time.”
“No,” Nolan said almost forcefully. He leaned back, relaxing into smile. “It’s a great idea to have you come on Monday. And I’m sure we can work in your meeting after that.”
“Okay. Great.” Olivia looked down at her untouched food, refusing to meet Jade and Connor’s accusatory glares. Part of her was relieved that she would be there when Savannah took the tour with Nolan, but the other part was awash with guilt. Here she sat, next to her boyfriend, and couldn’t stand the thought of her new boss and one of her best friends finding happiness?
She glanced up to find Nolan watching her with his unreadable, deep hazel eyes. He looked away as soon as she met his gaze. She blinked and took another sip of water. Maybe it was best that she couldn’t read his expression.
Because whatever he was thinking of her at the moment, it couldn’t be good.
Chapter 6
Nolan paced back and forth in his office, checking his watch every few seconds. It had been agony waiting to see Olivia again. He wasn’t entirely sure what Savannah’s scheme was the other night. She’d suggested that they flirt and act interested in each other, saying it would somehow keep Jade and Connor off their backs, so he’d gone along with it. They hadn’t gone overboard—he’d been too distracted by Olivia to get fully into the part.
When he’d apologized to Savannah later for his poor acting, she’d waved it off, saying she’d found out what she needed to know. Nolan wasn’t sure what she was up to, but whatever it was she was keeping it to herself. She was quirky and he liked hanging out with her. They’d formed a kind of comradery that was purely platonic. But it got trickier when Olivia was around. Nolan was attracted to her. Desperately so. And trying to hide that fact was growing harder each time he saw her.
She deserved someone better than Trent. Sure, he was a decent guy, but he was young and immature. Olivia deserved someone more worthy of her. Someone older and more experienced. Someone like—Nolan paused, ashamed of himself. What made him any better for her than Trent? They seemed happy. If she didn’t want to be with him, she would have broken up with him by now. What Nolan needed was a distraction to get her out of his head. And he needed it soon.
He would take her on the tour today and have the planning meeting, and then he would turn her over to work directly with Fred, the assistant hotel manager. It would be easy. Painless.
A knock sounded on his door and Olivia stepped in. Nolan never knew a hard hat could be sexy, but she looked more breathtaking than ever with her long brown hair falling in waves below her hat. Her eyes held a teasing gleam, and the fitted blouse and grey pencil skirt she wore perfectly accentuated her curves.
Nolan swallowed. Who was he kidding? There was no way getting Olivia out of his head would be easy or painless. She had him completely spellbound.
“Jasmine told me I should just knock once and walk in,” she said with a look of apology. “Are you still planning on the tour?”
He blinked. “No. Yes.” He scratched his eyebrow. “I mean, no need to apologize. She was right to tell you to walk in, and yes, I’m still planning on the tour.” He looked past her shoulder. “Is Savannah on her way?”
Olivia shifted her weight. “She called me on my way here. I guess something came up with work and she can’t make it. She asked me to send her apologies and she hopes to reschedule soon.”
Nolan stared. He would be giving Olivia the tour? Alone? His pulse kicked up a notch.
She frowned, clutching the folder in her hands. “Do you want me to come back when Savannah can make it? It’s no trouble.”
“That won’t be necessary.” He forced a smile. “You’re already here and I’ve blocked out the time for the tour and our meeting, so we might as well take advantage of that.”
Her face relaxed, but her brown eyes were still unsure. “Okay.” She held up the file folder. “I brought my ideas along. Some of them are for the holiday season, so if anything appeals to you, we’ll want to get a jump start.”
“Good point.” There was plenty that appealed to him at the moment. That was the problem. He cleared his throat and reached for the folder. “Why don’t I set this on my desk while we take the tour, that way you won’t have to carry it around.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and handed the folder to him, accidentally brushing against his fingers.
His senses came alive at the contact and his heart beat erratically. He needed to get out of the privacy of his office where her close proximity was messing with him. “Let’s start with the grand ballroom,” he said, placing the folder on his desk and reaching for his hard hat. He crossed the room and opened the door for her, motioning for her to go first.
“Sounds great.” She smiled and stepped into the hallway. “I told Savannah I would take pictures for her.” She held up her phone. “I’m sorry she couldn’t make it.”
“It’s not a problem. She seems to have a busy schedule.” He walked beside her, noticing the subtle scent of her perfume and holding back a groan. Every part of her seemed designed to draw him in.
She looked at her hands. “She is busy, but she also makes time for having fun. She really is an amazing person, inside and out.”
Nolan fumbled for an answer. �
��She seems to be,” he said lamely, glancing at her sideways. Was Olivia determined to set him up with Savannah too? The thought cut him. She’d given a few signals the other night—just a few hints that she was attracted to him. But maybe it was more wishful thinking on his part. Besides that, there was still the small detail that she had a boyfriend. Ugh.
“The two of you have a lot in common,” Olivia continued. “I mean, the fact that you’re both so good at what you do.”
Nolan couldn’t take it anymore. He nodded and then changed the subject. “Feel free to take pictures anywhere you like. Since Savannah’s not here and we’re not solely focused on wedding events, I’ll give you a grand tour of the place so you can become familiar with the amenities available.”
She paused. “That’s very generous of you. Are you sure you have time? I don’t want to impose on your busy schedule.”
“It’s no imposition,” he answered without thinking. Did he have time? Probably not. He should have had Fred give her the grand tour, but somehow the words had escaped without his bidding. Besides, he could text Fred and have him meet with his next appointment if he needed to. There were only minor decisions to make at this point, now that the resort was nearing completion. The rationalization came all too easily with Olivia at his side. His resolve to put her from his mind was crumbling by the second. There was something about her that made him feel alive and he relished spending time with her.
“So, there’s a grand ballroom and a smaller ballroom, right?” Olivia asked, pointing to the sign on the wall leading toward the ballrooms.
“Yes, as well as classrooms for conferences. We’ve already booked a few conferences, and I know that will be a lot to take on, especially with the other activities you’ll be running for guests, but the event coordinators we’re hiring will help to lighten your load.”
“That’s a relief,” she said. “In fact, depending on what the budget allows for, you might consider having one coordinator exclusively dedicated to weddings, another for conferences, and perhaps one more overseeing resort activities for the guests. Judging from what Savannah said, this will be a popular wedding venue, and that alone will probably be a full-time job to coordinate.”
Falling for You: Clean Contemporary Romance (A Pine Ridge Romance Book 3) Page 3
