10. Bailey
Bailey
“Are you sick?”
“I’m not sick, Bailey.”
“You look sick.”
“Well, looks can be deceiving,” Noah grumbled. He looked awful. Still hot, but clearly exhausted and under the weather.
“Should I put a mask on? Keep six feet of distance?” I jokingly asked.
“Pretty girl has jokes this morning, huh?” he replied. “How about you give me an update on the festival that’s two weeks out?”
Right. My job. Tone down the flirting, girlfriend.
“We’ve secured fifteen local businesses, meaning we’re completely sold out of booths. Tessa is graciously donating baked goods from her shop to go along with Matt’s spread, and the local theater is putting up tickets for a raffle,” I declared.
He nodded along as I continued through my list of updates: yes, we had extra tables booked, and no, I did not sign off on Grant’s idea to have a beer pong table.
“I’m really glad Tessa was able to help you out. She’s been a family friend for a while now,” he added fondly.
I made a mental note to text Harper and ask if she knew anything about Tessa’s connection to the Whitaker family, and I selfishly hoped that her friendship with Noah was purely platonic.
A small seed of jealousy planted itself deep in my stomach at the thought of them dating, and I crossed my arms. My mental spiral must’ve shown on my face because Noah furrowed his brows.
“Something wrong?”
“Nope. Nothing at all. Cool as a cucumber over here,” I replied. “Any other questions for me? Otherwise, I’ve got a busy day full of, uh, event planning.” I’d say anything to get out of the room at this point.
Noah frowned, clearly confused by my emotional whiplash. “Bailey, obviously, something is wrong. Something you don’t want to tell me about. Which is fine, you’re entitled to your privacy, but you know I’m always here to listen to you.”
Stupid, handsome, considerate man.
“Nothing to worry about, boss. I’ll see you around.”
I darted out of his office and whipped out my phone.
Bailey: SOS
Bailey: Do you know anything about a Tessa??
Bailey: Couple of years older than us?
Harper: Her name sounds familiar…she might have dated one of the Whitaker brothers?
Harper: I can’t remember which one but I think it was serious!
Typing bubbles popped up on my phone, but before I had a chance to respond, I ran straight into Eli, who, surprisingly enough, had become a close colleague and confidant due to our shared love of country music and anything deep-fried.
“Whoa there, speed demon. What’s got you running out of there so fast?”
“Ugh. Stupid, gorgeous face. Small-town bachelor,” I muttered. “Can I ask you something, and you promise to keep it between us?”
Eli’s eyes darted side to side before he slowly nodded and leaned his head down so I could whisper in his ear.
“Is Noah by chance seeing anyone at the moment? Or was previously seeing someone? Just out of pure curiosity, I don’t have any sort of vested interest in this information whatsoever,” I stated.
He blinked, then frowned. “Did he say something to make you think he was seeing someone?”
“Oh, um, not really, just a family friend that he seemed quite partial to. Which is fine. Totally fine. I’m doing great, actually, in case you were wondering,” I said in a single breath, feeling winded after my rant.
“Who exactly do you think Noah dated, Bailey?” Eli asked.
“Does a gorgeous redhead who smells like a caramel latte ring a bell?”
Eli looked at me, his eyebrows furrowing, confusion written all over his face. “Are you talking about Tessa?”
“Obviously!” I exclaimed.
Understanding crossed his face as he processed my words. “You’re jealous,” he said plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Not in the slightest,” I retorted. “I actually couldn’t care less. I just wanted to stay in the know on town gossip.”
“Bailey, there’s something you should know—”
Turns out I actually wasn’t prepared to hear this news, and the avoidant Virgo in me needed to retreat ASAP.
“Like I told Noah, I am super busy, so I’ll have to catch you around. Bye!”
I headed over to my makeshift workspace to finish out the day, wishing instead that I could curl up in bed and cry over a tub of ice cream.
This was what I asked for anyway. A boss. Not a boyfriend.
I distracted myself by digging into work; these goody bags weren’t going to stuff themselves. I prepped one hundred bags, filling them with local donations and a surprise bag that would let one couple win a weekend at the inn.
I stifled a yawn as I finally glanced at my phone, noting that it was already well past 6:00 p.m. I had gotten so distracted, a flurry of tissue paper surrounding me, that I didn’t notice that the daytime staff had already left for the day.
I saw the light in Noah’s office was still on, and in the spirit of being a responsible grown-up, I figured I’d check on him before turning in for the night.
I entered without warning. “Knock knock, boss! Shouldn’t you be out saving kittens from trees or—”
The scene in front of me stopped me in my tracks. Noah looked significantly worse than he had this morning—and that was saying something. He had lost all the color in his face, his skin was clammy, and it was evident that he was not okay.
“Jesus, Noah, why didn’t you go home hours ago?” I asked, heading over to his desk and placing the back of my hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up. You’ll never make it home in this condition.”
“It’s just a cold,” he coughed out. “A shower and decent sleep are all I really need.”
“And to think you got on my case for not prioritizing my safety when you’re practically knocking on death’s doorstep over here.”
I moved before I could think, tugging his muscled arm over my shoulders and guiding him out.
“Where are we going?” he slurred.
And in a moment of weakness, I replied, “My room.”
I don’t know what I was thinking. Just that he was unwell and clearly needed someone to take care of him for the night, and I really wanted that person to be me.
I placed a cold washcloth across Noah’s forehead and collapsed into a chair next to my bed. Lugging the six-foot giant back to my room would have been a hilarious feat had I not been so concerned about him passing out and tumbling down the staircase.
He was asleep now, and I decided to take advantage of the fact that I could look at him unashamedly to my heart’s content.
He was stripped down to his briefs—his doing, not mine—and I could see every inch of lean muscle on his body.
He had biceps I wanted to curl up next to, abs I wanted to lick my way up slowly, and an extremely impressive bulge that would probably ruin me for any other man.
But more than his physical appearance, he looked at peace, as if the weight of being the oldest son and inn manager faded away as he slept. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him look this unguarded.
I leaned over and couldn’t stop myself from smoothing a curl away from his forehead. He looked younger like this, and something inside me ached at the thought of anyone expecting so much from him all the time.
What would things have been like if he weren’t my boss? Would we be in a relationship by now? Friends with benefits? Would he get to come home from a long day at the inn and curl up on the couch with me, letting me be his safe place?
I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. I was only hurting myself by having daydreams like this. I hadn’t heard from my parents since that email when I first moved, and it was a stark reminder that I had other priorities to focus on.
Who wants to date the girl from a messed-up family anyway? I curled up on the couch, content to let him have the bed, nearly missing the breathy whisper of “Bailey,” as he drifted in and out of sleep. Tender emotion tugged at my heart, and I pulled my blanket up to my chin.
What if I was worth him breaking his rules? Maybe I wasn’t enough for my parents, but what if I was enough for him?
And what if, for once, I selfishly let myself have something that was only meant to make me happy?