17. Gianna
Hunched over my computer,I go over the numbers for the marketing effort Cam wants to focus on one last time. We met briefly this morning in his room to go over a few things, then I came back to my room to get some work done.
And shower.
That’s when I saw the little puddle of water in the bathroom. Turns out that little puddle was actually quite big, and I was lucky the whole floor wasn’t flooded. I spoke with the front desk and the owner, and things are being managed, but I keep waiting to hear some great rush of water from the bathroom.
I shut the door and tried to ignore it while I worked at the desk. I was hoping that they would be able to fix it quickly, but I’m still waiting.
Glancing at the time on my computer, I decide to call it quits for the time being and go grab some lunch. Cam texted earlier to let me know that the Books N’ Brew had great lunch options, so I’ll just take a walk and grab something. Hopefully, by the time I get back, everything will be back in order.
I grab my wallet and jacket, double check I have the room key, and head out. I squint against the bright sun, wondering if it would be worth it to turn around and grab my sunglasses.
I decide against it since it’s a pretty quick walk to my destination. Closing the gate behind me, I head down the sidewalk toward the more populated area of Main Street.
There are quite a few people out and about. The diner is almost packed with the lunch rush when I walk past. My stomach grumbles quietly as the scent of fried food fills my nose. I keep moving toward the cute sign that reads Books N’ Brew. The coffee cup is slightly discolored, and the letter “w” is almost nonexistent, but it screams quaint small town cafe.
Inside, it smells of freshly ground coffee. I sigh happily. There’s coffee at the bed and breakfast, sure. Even a small little Keurig in my room. But this is heaven.
A display case to the right of the counter houses all kinds of good stuff. There are dozens of different baked goods, fruit parfaits, sandwiches, salads, and veggie cups. It’s pretty quiet. I’m the only one at the counter, and only a few people are sitting at some of the tables enjoying their coffee or lunch. Once I decide on my order, I step up to the counter.
“What can I get you?” The woman behind the counter is probably in her late twenties, like me, and she looks bored. She’s wearing a fluffy black sweater dress under a black apron. Her hair is dark too, cropped short just under her chin, and it makes her whole look kind of severe. The contrast of her dark lipstick and intense mascara against her light eyes and pale skin enhances the effect.
Her lips are pressed into something that resembles a smile but isn’t remotely cheerful.
“Uh, could I get the turkey avocado wrap, a chocolate croissant, and a small flat white please?”
“Sure. Do you want the sandwich or croissant warmed up?” She punches my order into her POS system and waits for my answer.
“Um, yeah, that would be great. Thank you.” I hand over my card to pay.
“It’ll be just a couple of minutes. To go?”
“Yup.”
She hands the card back, finally giving me a small but real smile, and I nod and walk over to a free table to wait.
It takes less than five minutes for her to get my order. When she hands me my coffee and the bag with my food, she holds on for an extra beat.
“Hey, sorry about the low energy. I’m usually more chipper than this.” She laughs and releases the bag. “Okay, not that much more chipper, but anyway… sorry.”
“I promise, you don’t have to apologize. Customer service jobs are soul sucking. I’ll never forget the summer I worked as a hostess at a busy restaurant. Everyone has their off days.”
“Any chance you’re in need of new headshots or literally any kind of photos done?”
The question catches me off guard, but she seems sincere. “Uh, no, actually. Are you a photographer?”
She sighs and nods her head, a small smile still turning her dark-painted lips up. “Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything with my camera. I’m starting to think I’m just a purveyor of coffee.”
“Sorry, I wish I needed photos for something.”
“Don’t even worry about it, but if you know of anyone or end up needing photos, let me know. I’m Leah.”
“Gianna, nice to meet you. I’ll definitely keep you posted if anything changes. In the meantime, I appreciate the purveying of coffee.” Smiling, I hold my to-go cup up and turn to leave.
As I make my way back to the bed and breakfast, I take a sip, even though it’s probably still far too hot. The coffee singes my tongue but not enough that I can’t taste how good it is. With an extra pep in my step, I make it to the wrought iron gate and let myself into the little courtyard. I tuck the bag beneath my arm so I can dig out my keycard and let myself into my room.
The moment I walk in, I realize that I must be interrupting whoever’s here to take care of the sink. There’s a tool bag on the floor outside of the bathroom. The door is slightly ajar, and I can see a shadow of someone inside.
“Hello? Sorry to interrupt. I just stepped out to get lunch,” I call into the bathroom as I slip my shoes off. I drop everything else on the small table and shrug out of my jacket just in time to hear a man curse.
The sound travels from my ears and reverberates through every part of my body. I’ve heard this person utter the word fuck before. In an entirely different context.
“Oh, hey, Gia. Sorry to invade your space.” Henry’s voice filters out from the bathroom as he pushes the door open, looking like a perfect porn star from one of those cheesy videos.
He’s wearing carpenter pants that fit far too well with a loose black and gray flannel over what looks to be a tight white tee shirt. His boots look well-worn and sturdy. And God, he’s sweating a little.
I struggle to get a word out as I gape at him standing in my room. Again. As if we didn’t have that conversation about not having sex together again.
“Hey, I know this is probably kind of weird all things considered, but Roxy’s brother usually takes care of maintenance, and he’s out of town, so I was the only option, and it sounded like kind of an emergency.”
I shake my head, finally regaining my ability to speak. “No, no. Not weird.” Totally weird. “I just wasn’t expecting you. It was kind of an emergency, so I’m glad you’re here.”
Letting out the breath I only just realized I was holding, I smile at him and hope like hell it comes off as friendly. Because the way I’m thinking about how easy it would be to get him out of those clothes is anything but friendly.
And so completely unhelpful.
Get it together, Gianna.
“Yeah, me too.” His dimple pops out as he grins right back at me, and for a moment, it feels like we’re not talking about a plumbing issue.
When I break eye contact, he clears his throat and shifts on his feet. “So, yeah, it seems like there’s just a couple of parts that are super old and need replacing. It should be an easy fix.”
Nodding, I make my way back to the table with my food and take a seat. “Okay. You don’t have to order anything?”
“Nope. I’ve got everything I need. Lucky for us. I’ll just get back to it so you can enjoy your lunch.”
He gives me a little salute before disappearing back into the bathroom. With him finally out of sight again, I close my eyes for a second. My heart’s beating a mile a minute and not because I don’t like him being in my room.
This is not what I had planned. But at least he said it was going to be a quick fix. Once he’s done and gone again, I can focus on keeping him out of sight and out of mind.
It’s abundantly clear that having him this close does stupid things to my brain. Focusing on the meal in front of me, I try my damnedest to refocus said brain onto important things.
Like my job. And not risking it for a hotter than hell guy who’s nice to me.