An Unexpected Love Story (Love Story Book Two) (14 page)

I looked down at my drink, suddenly feeling like I wanted to cry. “Yeah,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I was. I know it’s stupid, I know it was only a few days, but…I fell for him.”

“I could tell.” He gave me a rueful smile. “I’ve known you a long time, Brooke. And I’ve never seen you look at a guy the way you looked at him.”

I tried to swallow over the huge lump in my throat. “Yeah, well. Look where that got me. It took me nearly twenty-seven years to actually feel something for a guy, and he ends up completely unavailable.”

“Unrequited love sucks, doesn’t it?” My eyes shot to his face. He was smiling, but I wasn’t entirely sure he was joking. My heart clenched for him. We were quiet for a moment, enjoying our drinks while the dining room slowly filled up around us. “Can I tell you something?” he finally asked.

“Of course.”

“I don’t know much about this John guy. But if he was actually lucky enough to deserve you, he’d be a fool to let you go. I mean it. There aren’t other girls like you, Brooke Murray. You’re top of the line—and I hope you know that.”

“Thanks, Paul.” I was embarrassed to find tears filling my eyes—I never cried. But somehow Paul’s words had been exactly what I needed to hear right then. He didn’t make a big deal about it, just patted my hand and went over to dry some glasses, leaving me alone with my drink.

Chapter Fifteen

I didn’t run into John again until the following morning. I was beginning to wonder if he planned to hide out in his room for the length of his stay when I saw him come downstairs with Lainey and head into the dining room. I was working at the reception desk at the time, and I couldn’t help but stare as he passed by, his daughter’s hand held tightly in his own.

Five minutes later he was back again, his eyes scanning the lobby as he stood in the doorway. He caught sight of me standing at reception and made his way across the room to me. “I was hoping you’d be here,” he said. “Lainey is in the dining room, I thought we could talk for a minute.”

“You can’t talk to me in front of her?” I asked. I knew that I sounded snappy, but I couldn’t help it. I had stayed at the inn much later than usual the night before, expecting him to come down and find me at some point. When he never did, I finally went home, feeling bitter and completely exhausted by the events of the day.

John ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to confuse her, Brooke. She’s been through a lot the last few months.”

“Sorry,” I said, looking down at my hands. I could at least act like an adult. “So, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he said, leaning over a bit to try to see my down-turned face. “I know I gave you a pretty big surprise yesterday. I feel really bad about it.”

I looked up at him and shrugged. “I can’t say it wasn’t a shock. But I know we didn’t have…that we weren’t serious. It was a fling. You don’t owe me anything.”

His face seemed to tighten at my words. “I should have called you as soon as I decided to take the job,” he said softly. “When I came back up at the beginning of the week I stopped by, I figured I could tell you then, but you weren’t here.”

I held up my hands. “Seriously, John. You don’t have to explain. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” he said, reaching across the counter to grab my hand. “I know I screwed up. I hate knowing what you must be thinking of me right now.”

Something about the expression on his face made me soften. He seemed genuinely upset, like he really was worried that I might be thinking badly of him. I managed a smile. “We’re okay, John. I promise.”

He smiled back—a breathtaking, relieved smile that made my stomach feel fluttery. Without thinking, I squeezed his hand tighter in my own. I wanted to tell him how great it was to see him, how happy I was that he was here. Before I could say any of those things, Lainey appeared at his side.

“Dad?”

John tore his hand away from mine, an almost panicked expression on his face. “Hey, Lainey-bird. I thought you were figuring out what to order?”

“I did already,” she said, eyeing me with a look that could only be described as suspicious. “You’ve been taking forever. And now I have to go and I don’t even know where the bathroom is.”

“Sorry, honey,” he said, shooting me a nervous glance. “Um, you remember the nice lady who works at the hotel, right? I was just talking to her about our bill. She can tell you where to find the bathroom.”

“It’s right through there,” I said, pointing to a hall on the other side of the lobby. I tried hard to keep the sting out of my voice. I got that John wasn’t comfortable introducing his former fling to his daughter, but did he have to act quite so ashamed of me?

After Lainey left, John turned back to me. “Sorry about that.”

“You know,” I said, trying to keep my voice from betraying my hurt. “If you’re so embarrassed of what happened between us, maybe this isn’t the best hotel for you guys to stay in. I can recommend another nice place if you think you’ll be more comfortable.”

John looked stricken. “No, Brooke. I’m not ashamed of us, I promise. I just…Lainey’s never seen me with a woman before. She’s had so much to deal with this year, I don’t want her to be confused, you know?”

I nodded. “Of course I understand that,” I said. “But if you’re uncomfortable here, I won’t be offended. Just say the word.”

“I’m not,” he said, reaching for my hand, which I deftly moved below the counter. As much as I may have yearned for the contact, I knew better than to open myself up to the inevitable rejection I would get when his daughter came out of the bathroom. “Brooke,” he said, leaning down again so he could look me right in the eye. “I really want to be here, okay? I may not be able to be as open as I’d like right now, but I would much rather be where I get to see you. Is that okay with you?”

I knew I should run as fast as I could in the other direction. That I should tell him no, it wasn’t okay, and encourage him to find another hotel. I obviously felt more for him than he did for me, and that imbalance was a recipe for certain heartache. I needed to put the brakes on this thing, and fast, before I ended up hurt again.

Instead I found myself smiling at him. “Of course, John,” I said, “Of course it’s okay with me.”

Chapter Sixteen

John had only been back at the inn for four days when I ended up back in his bed.

I had promised myself I wouldn’t get carried away with him again, and I was determined to stick to that—even after I ran into him in the bar on his third night as he got a drink to bring back up to his room. His mother had gotten over her stomach bug and had promptly offered to take Lainey again so he could look for houses over the weekend.

“It’s real quiet up there without her,” he told me as we both leaned up against the bar, drinks in hand. “I swear to God, that kid can talk. If she’s awake, she’s talking my ear off. I thought it’d be nice to get some peace and quiet, but I actually miss all her chatter.”

“You’re crazy about her,” I said.

“Yeah, pretty much. Always have been, ever since she was a baby.”

The thought of John and a baby was far too appealing—and getting all gooey over a guy with an infant was so unlike me—so I quickly changed the subject. “How’s the house hunt going?”

“Okay,” he said. “It’s hard when you don’t know the area, you know? The agent keeps showing me houses that are perfectly nice, but I don’t know if the neighborhood is good. Are there kids for Lainey to play with? Is it close to school? It’s a huge guessing game.”

Don’t do it, Brooke
, I ordered myself.
Don’t you dare offer to go with him.

“If it would help, I could go with you tomorrow, if you wanted,” I heard myself say. Damn it. So much for listening to my own instructions.

“Really?” John asked, his face brightening. “God, Brooke, that would be awesome. I would feel so much better if I had a local’s perspective.” I cursed my lack of will power. Why did I lose control of myself when he was around?

“Of course,” I said, forcing a smile. “I would be happy to come along.”

The next morning I dressed in faded jeans and a sweatshirt and pulled my hair up, intentionally doing my best not to look cute. I was hoping that by dressing down I could limit my expectations of the outing.
This is not a date
, I told myself sternly as I filled my thermos with coffee and set off for the lobby, where I was to meet John.
This is just a friend helping another friend. No biggie.

John was waiting for me on one of the couches, idly flicking through the morning paper. Apparently, he was going for the casual look in the clothes department as well. Unfortunately, John looked ridiculously attractive in a pair of worn, faded jeans and a black Northface fleece. As my heart started its familiar John-is-in-the-vicinity dance, I wondered bleakly if he would ever look less than perfect to me.

“Good morning,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound as nervous as I felt. John looked up at me and smiled, and I felt my stomach clench.
Get a hold of yourself, Brooke
. “How did you sleep?”

“Good,” John said, standing up. I noticed his eyes flicked down over my outfit. “You look great, Brooke.”

Color immediately rushed to my cheeks. I was sure he was just being polite, but he sounded so sincere when he complimented me. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. “Thanks,” I muttered. “So, you ready to get going?”

“Yeah,” John said, grabbing his keys from the end table. “The agent was gonna meet us at a house on Elm.”

“Elm is right in town.” We walked out onto the front porch. I was surprised to see John’s sleek Lexus replaced with a Ford SUV. “New car?”

“Yeah,” John said, opening my door. “I figured I should have something a little bigger, for Lainey.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You think a nine-year-old girl takes up that much more room?”

John laughed. “I may have gotten a little carried away,” he said, jumping into the driver side. “But this seemed like more of a dad’s car.”

“It will definitely be better for driving up here in the winter,” I agreed. “Your Lexus would have been slipping and sliding on these roads.”

I gave John directions to Elm Street. The first house was a smaller ranch, framed by pine trees and set back from the road. “Hmm,” John said, as we got out of the car. “This looks a little shabby.”

“Yeah,” I said, looking up and down the street. “I think you’re gonna find that in a lot of rentals, unfortunately. If I recall correctly, one of Paul’s friends used to rent this place. I’m pretty sure they were selling weed in the basement at the time.”

John laughed. “Oh, excellent. Just the kind of place you want to raise a child.”

The real estate agent was waiting for us on the porch. “Hey, Meredith,” I called out as we walked up the front walk. “How’s it going?”

“Brooke, hi!” she called out. “How’s your dad doing?”

“You know each other?” John asked quietly.

I laughed. “John, it’s a small town and I’ve lived in it my whole life. There are few people here that I don’t know.”

John shook Meredith’s hand before she turned to me. “I didn’t know I’d be seeing you today, sweetie,” she said, hugging me.

“John’s a guest at the inn,” I told her. “We got to be friends the last time he was in town, so I thought I’d help out with his house hunt.”

“That’s nice, dear,” she said, giving me a look that was far too knowing for my liking. I wondered if she had heard gossip about us already. I was certain that everyone at the inn would know what I was up to today by the time we got back.

Meredith unlocked the front door and we filed into the foyer. The smell of cigarette smoke hit me the second I stepped foot inside. “Oh, dear,” Meredith said, looking at John. “That’s not good, is it?”

“No,” John replied, covering his nose. “It’s not.”

“I don’t know how you’d ever get that smell out,” I said. My eyes were starting to water. “It’s really bad.”

John didn’t even want to see the rest of the house—not that I blamed him. Meredith gave us the address of the next place and we set off, the fresh air outside a welcome relief even after only a minute or two inside.

“I wonder how much you would have to smoke to make something smell like that,” John said, putting his car into gear.

“Yeah, it was pretty damn strong,” I agreed. “It actually made it hard to get a sense of the cat pee undertones.”

John laughed. “God, Brooke. What am I going to do if they’re all that bad?”

“They won’t be,” I assured him. “You’ll find something.”

The next two houses were an improvement. We saw a colonial and another ranch, both of them in fairly good condition, but both situated a bit of a drive from town. “I know it might not be as close to town and her school as you want, but this is a pretty good area,” I told John. “It’s popular with families, so Lainey should be able to meet some kids.”

It wasn’t until the fourth house that John was satisfied. “This is it,” he said, as soon as we parked in front of the rambling, two-story farmhouse. The house, located right downtown and only steps from the bay, was painted a very light shade of green, with darker green trim. There was a large, wrap-around porch, huge bay windows, and several ancient oak trees scattered across the lawn. “This is perfect.”