Chapter 16
Sixteen
Reese suddenly felt claustrophobic. She’d met parents before, so she couldn’t understand why she was freaking out.
Well, partially understand, at least.
It was hard to calm the blood pumping through her body when she was still aware of the ghost of Sydney’s hands on her. Still acutely aware of Sydney’s fingers playing against her back, which should probably have been calming but was having the opposite effect instead.
Physically, all they’d been doing was holding hands, but emotionally… She already had Sydney undressed in her mind’s eye, eager to map the divots and contours and soft skin that she’d only seen hints of this summer. She bet that Sydney had an amazing back. Was it weird that Reese wanted to lick it?
She felt the heat fan across her cheeks at the thought. “Mrs. King, it’s so nice to meet you, too,” she said quickly, extending her hand for a shake. God, she hoped Sydney’s mom didn’t notice her sweaty palms.
Rachel cast a long look around the lobby, which now felt muted and shabby under her observant stare. “How are you liking owning the inn, Reese? Hallie and Sydney spent most of their youth here.”
It would be a lie to say she didn’t find Rachel King intimidating. She had Sydney’s same tall stature, along with beauty that hadn’t faded with age.
“It’s been an adventure, to say the least,” Reese admitted, knowing that lying would likely do her no good. She was a horrible liar, anyway. “And Hallie has been a godsend. I couldn’t do anything without her.”
Hallie smiled brightly and stood up a little straighter. Reese made a note to tell her more often because, truly, she’d be lost without her. But this wasn’t the time to think about what would happen if Hallie decided to move on in a few months and Reese was left to tackle this beast alone.
“Well, I don’t want to interrupt everyone’s day, but I was hoping I could steal Sydney for a few hours if she’s available.
” Mrs. King turned her attention to her daughter then.
“Your father and I are going to visit my sisters, and we thought that since you haven’t seen them since coming back, you’d like to join us. ”
Reese was still wrestling with keeping her desire in check, Sydney’s ministrations on her back continuing in a way that was not at all helpful. But Rachel’s words were a cold dose of reality that, needfully, brought her down from a boil to a slow simmer.
There was no way they were getting out of this quickly.
Sydney’s fingers moved down to Reese’s lower back, finding their way to the cutout in her dress, and in an instant, Reese was going higher, higher, higher.
“I’d love to Mom, bu?—”
Reese ballooned with hope for the briefest moment before she deflated with a quick pop when Mrs. King said breezily, “Amazing. They’ll be so happy to see you!
And then maybe later this week we can all do dinner?
Reese. Hallie. Anyone else in the Devereux family that I should invite?
” Rachel asked, her implication clear when paired with a focused stare in Reese’s direction .
And with that, the flames were fully doused. She’d been too off-kilter until now to notice that the vibes were definitely off .
Reese shut her mouth, teeth clenched as she swallowed quickly.
Her instinct was to react, but she wanted the approval of Sydney’s parents, she realized.
So, instead of asking what Rachel King meant, she turned toward Sydney, slipping about a foot away so she could capture the hand that had been torturing her masterfully only moments before.
“That sounds nice, Sydney. You can find me later?”
She didn’t miss the confused stare that Sydney gave her, followed quickly by an appreciative smile. “Promise?”
Reese squeezed Sydney’s hand at the same time she dropped a soft kiss on her cheek. “It’s a date,” she said when she leaned back, their stares catching in a way that sent electricity through her again.
Yeah, they were going to pick this up again later.
“Let’s grab your father,” Mrs. King said, cutting into the moment. “I think he’s outside inspecting the shrubbery surrounding the inn.”
Reese wasn’t going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole.
Sydney threw Reese an apologetic look over her shoulder as she followed her mom out.
“Whew.” Hallie said the word as more of a whoosh of air than anything else. She stretched her arms out against the counter, leaning over it to get closer to Reese. “How’d you get on Mrs. King’s bad side so quickly?”
“You caught that, too?” Reese asked defeatedly.
Hallie picked up her tablet and scrolled through it absently. “I think the space satellites caught that.”
“I appreciate that you don’t pull any punches. It’s really a rare trait.” She could at least let Hallie enjoy having a little fun at her expense.
“How was the party at Casa Devereux? Canapés and Cristal abound? ”
“There were also mini cinnamon rolls, but yeah, that’s basically the gist.”
“I cannot believe those made the approved menu,” Hallie said, genuinely shocked.
Reese shrugged. “The father of the bride is a simple man who likes simple things.”
“I like him already.”
“I do, too,” Reese admitted before adding, “If we could just keep Brynn’s side of the family and get rid of mine, I think we’d really have something going.”
“Tweedledee and Tweedledum not bringing the right energy to the family tree? Can’t say I’m surprised.”
Reese stilled, processing Hallie’s words. “Are you talking about my dad and brother?” she asked, letting out a loud guffaw.
“I was never a Grant fan. He has a pompadour, for crying out loud!” When Hallie talked, she did it with her whole body, her arms swinging out in both directions. “Plus, I’ll never forgive him for what he did to Sydney.”
“That makes two of us,” Reese agreed. Still, him ruining the best thing he’d likely ever have was only playing out to be Reese’s gain in the end. She only wished that Sydney hadn’t ever had to suffer through it.
“But we… like your mom? Just checking,” Hallie finished quickly. “I want to make sure I know who to not let on the property.”
“We do,” Reese said with a fond smile that surprised her as she thought of her conversations with her mom over the last few weeks. “We’ve really reconnected this summer. I’m liking it a lot.”
“A better relationship with your mom. A new girlfriend. A perfectly imperfect inn. Looks like it’s all coming up Reese Devereux lately.”
Reese smiled because nothing about Hallie’s words were untrue, and it felt good to let the feeling wash over her. “You know, things have been going pretty well lately. Besides Grant’s idiocy at every turn, it’s been a pretty amazing summer. ”
“Oh, tell me, tell me.” Hallie held out her hands, opening and closing them like a baby asking for candy.
“He’s… even worse than I remember, if that’s possible.
” It didn’t feel fair to talk about Grant with Sydney, which was ironic considering he was the thing that had brought them together.
But maybe it would be nice to have, while not completely unbiased, another person to bounce the situation off for perspective.
“He was wasted today. Like ‘day-drinking kegger at the frat’ wasted by noon.”
Hallie scrunched up her face in disgust. “This was, in fact, his couple’s shower, correct?”
“Ding, ding, ding.” Reese ran a hand through her hair, trying to make sense of it herself. “His fiancée seems lovely, but it’s like he’s being dragged to the gallows. Is this how everyone feels about marriage? Like, why is he even getting married then?”
Hallie popped a grape in her mouth from a bowl she had nestled beneath the counter. She crunched on it thoughtfully. “The men-children, at least. But no, normal people don’t feel that way.”
“Yeah, I just… ugh. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about this.”
“Because you’re being dragged through an awkward-as-hell summer with a couple that’s on the verge of a quick divorce or a wildly unhappy marriage.”
“That’s pretty accurate,” was what Reese settled on after she’d taken in Hallie’s words. Because Hallie was absolutely right. She, and by extension Sydney, was party to something that was making her more uneasy by the day.
Hallie hopped down from her seat behind the desk. “It’s a gift. Anyway, Candace called out today, so I’m about to go restock the rooms. Something about Greg’s third eye being in an emotional affair.”
Reese looked at Hallie, who was staring back at her. “Are you serious?”
“They invited me out to The Lobster Trap last night, so do with that what you will,” Hallie answered, seemingly nonplussed.
Reese hadn’t been to the local dive bar, The Lobster Trap, since she’d been twenty-one and briefly home for a summer in college. She doubted very much that it had changed in the last decade, and her face scrunched up reflexively.
But more importantly than remembering the patina of grime coating all the surfaces at the bar, she really needed to work on finding a balance with Hallie between being a good boss and being a pushover. But that was a conversation for another day.
“Let’s go,” Reese said, rapping her knuckles on the countertop. “We’ll be done faster if we tag-team it.”
Plus, it would give her something to focus on instead of the empty feeling that Sydney had left in her wake.
After the sixth lap, Reese was glad she’d taken Hallie up on the recommendation to use the pool after hours. The sun had just set, and Reese glided through the water with a practiced, albeit rusty, ease.
The pool was at the edge of the property, secluded by rows of hedges that created a privacy barrier between it and the large lawn next to the inn.
Her master key card opened it even after hours, and the combination of setting sun and fairy lights created the perfect blend for relaxation.
It was like Reese had stepped into her own little world, and even though the pool could use a little love and care, it was a gorgeous and heated addition to The Stone’s Throw.