9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
ANGIE
I didn’t know what to think. Why was he saying all this? Did I believe he hadn’t slept with the beautiful woman he’d taken up to his room earlier? Why would he lie about that? Better question: Why did I care?
“Wyatt?” Steven’s voice broke through the moment.
“Yeah?” Wyatt groaned and glanced over at where the young guy stood, holding the door open.
Relief flooded me. I refused to get attached to the idea that Wyatt was attracted to me.
“We have a problem.” Steven looked back and forth between Wyatt and me. “Might need both of you.”
We followed him inside to the lobby. A young girl, not much older than four or five, sat curled up on a chair with a stuffed bear.
“She showed up in the lobby about five minutes ago.” Steven glanced our way. “I’ve been trying to get her to tell me where she came from, but she won’t talk.”
Wyatt moved toward her before I could even utter a word. He sat on the corner of the long accent table in front of the chair, and immediately, the little girl held up her bear, showing it to him.
“Well, I’ll be…” Steven shook his head. “She acted scared of me. Surprisingly likes you, though.”
Wyatt smiled back at us. “What do you mean surprisingly? I’m good with kids.”
I shook my head, mirroring Steven’s surprise. The man who didn’t like dealing with people was good with kids.
“I’m going to start calling guests that had children on their reservation.” I eyed Wyatt as he interacted with the young child. “Can you see if you can get her to talk?”
“I’ll do my best.” He shrugged, directing his next words to Steven. “Can you get coloring paper and a set of crayons from the restaurant?”
“Yep.”
I headed toward the front desk as Steven made his way to the restaurant. As I stood there, calling guests, my gaze kept seeking out Wyatt as he sat on the floor coloring with the young girl. He had her smiling after the first few calls I made and was more comfortable with the small girl than even I would have been. It seemed so out of character. But then again, I barely knew him. He really could be good with kids.
I’d half expected him to tell Steven and me to deal with it. I shook my head. This guy was a walking contradiction, that was for sure.
Before I could call the next guest, a young woman in one of our housekeeping uniforms appeared, frantically looking around the lobby before her gaze zeroed in on Wyatt and the girl.
“Oh, thank God.” She beelined straight for her and scooped her up. “Chelsea, I told you not to wander off.”
I stepped out and walked over.
The woman bowed her head, refusing to meet either one of our eyes. “I’m so sorry. My babysitter canceled and I didn’t have a choice but to bring her.”
Wyatt stood, eyeing the young woman. “Sadie, why didn’t you say something? We would have understood if you needed to take off.”
The woman’s head popped up and her eyes widened. “No, sir. I couldn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
I was pretty sure I understood, and it wasn’t something I thought Wyatt would, though.
“I can’t afford to take any time off.” She averted her gaze again. “And with Chelsea being so sick this winter, I’ve burned through all my paid leave.”
Jesus, that sucked. It was only March. I made a mental note to look into it. Was she new or had she been here for a while? I wanted to get familiar with all the staff and their situations, but that would come with time. It surprised me that Wyatt knew this woman by name. Was he familiar with all the staff?
Wyatt looked from the little girl and back to her mother. “How much longer do you have on your shift?”
“An hour or so.”
Wyatt nodded. “Okay. We can sit with Chelsea while you finish up.”
“That’s not necessary?—”
“It’ll be easier for you, and I don’t mind. And if you want to leave a little early, that’s fine too.”
Was he serious? Occupying the kid for a few minutes was one thing, but to sit with her for another hour? Nothing in his expression said otherwise.
Sadie hesitated, obviously unsure of what to do.
“I’ll come get you if Chelsea needs you,” I added, to make her feel more comfortable. My parents had worked long hours, leaving my younger sister and me with our older brother a lot, just to make ends meet, so I understood where she was coming from. I was still surprised Wyatt understood her situation.
Again, walking contradiction… but… Thinking about his interactions with the staff over the last three days, it was apparent he cared. Asking the maintenance guy how his wife was doing, leaving pizza in the staff lounge, talking to Jenny about her college classes. Maybe he wasn’t good at dealing with people’s complaints and demands, like Bridezilla. Or noticing the flowers that littered the lobby. But he obviously didn’t lack empathy, and he made it a point to know his staff.
“Okay.” She set the little girl back down. “I’ll finish cleaning the ballroom and then I’ll probably head out early.”
Wyatt nodded. “That works.”
After ten minutes of coloring, two rounds of hide and seek, and five rounds of I spy, Sadie reappeared, thanking us and gathering her daughter before heading out.
To say I was exhausted was an understatement. “I don’t know if I want to soak in a hot bath or climb into bed.”
“You go ahead.” He waved toward the elevators. “I’ll check in with the night shift.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” His gaze heated my body as it trailed its way down. “Use the en suite attached to my room. It has a large soaking tub.”
The thought of being in his personal space was doing weird things to me. I wasn’t sure if it was making me nervous or excited or both.
God, I was ridiculous. I straightened my back and crossed my arms under my breasts, feeling confident when his gaze locked on my cleavage. I shouldn’t be allowing his attention or encouraging it. But we both knew there was a line we couldn’t cross, so what was the harm?
Finally, his eyes met mine, heat swirling there, and I puckered my lips in a seductive pout. My breath hitched as he crowded my space and leaned down. His mouth inches from my ear caused gooseflesh to pebble along my skin.
“I like seductive, playful Angie.”
His warm breath along my skin sent desire coursing through me. I squeezed my legs together to ease the tension.
“And if I thought I could give you what you deserve, I wouldn’t hesitate to give us both what we want.”
Before I could even ask what he meant, he was gone, walking toward the front desk, and leaving me there like a puddle of goo on the floor.