greeted her with one of his faint smiles that did not lighten his dark eyes, which were focused intensely on her face. “How’s your day going?” he asked.
“It’s been pretty weird so far,” she replied candidly. “Yours?”
“I’ve been talking with your dad and your uncle about some new security measures for the resort. They’ve asked me to do a full analysis and make some suggestions.”
Hannah nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. I hope you’re charging them your standard consultation rates.”
He merely gave her a look.
She sighed. “Andrew, you don’t owe my family any favors. It’s the other way around actually.”
“We’re not talking about money right now, though you and I need to make some arrangements soon.”
She looked around quickly to make sure no one had overheard, but while she heard voices from the diner and the store, the reception area was deserted for now. “Andrew—”
“Well, hello, there.” Mimi bustled up with a bright smile at finding Andrew talking with Hannah. “What are you two chatting about?”
Andrew turned easily to greet Hannah’s grandmother. “I was just about to have lunch in the grill. Thought I’d stop in to say hello to Hannah first.”
“Hannah can join you for lunch,” Mimi said, beaming. “I just came to relieve her at the desk for a while. I’ve already eaten. I think I saw some of the other family in the diner, so you two run along and join them.”
“I was going to have lunch a little later, Mimi,” Hannah protested weakly.
“You need a break, sweetheart. No need to rush back, I’ll be fine here if you young folks want to take a walk through the resort after lunch. There’s a nice breeze down by the water today.”
So either her mom hadn’t yet spoken to Mimi about her matchmaking scheme for Hannah, or the talk hadn’t been successful. Hannah sighed, but knew there was no use arguing with Mimi now, especially in front of Andrew. She stood and smoothed the loose pink summer top she wore with thin khaki slacks. “Okay, fine. I’ll take my lunch break now.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Mimi took her place behind the desk, pulling a thick paperback out of her bag to occupy her until she was needed. Hannah knew her grandmother would be quite content to spend the rest of the day sitting in that comfortable chair with her book, especially if she believed her granddaughter was being courted by a respectable man in the meantime. She didn’t even want to think of the pressure Mimi—and probably the rest of the family—would put on them once they learned Andrew was her baby’s father.
“Listen, maybe we could cut out of here and eat lunch somewhere else?” Andrew asked in a low voice as soon as they were out of her grandmother’s sight and hearing. “We really need to—”
“Oh, hi, guys.” Shelby slid in between them, looping her hands beneath their arms. “Heading in for lunch? So am I. I’ve been working on the books all morning without a break and now I’m starving. Aaron’s supposed to meet me in the grill. Why don’t you two join us?”
Andrew gave Hannah a look over her cousin’s curly blond head, and she might have been amused under any other circumstances. It was rare to see Andrew looking totally flummoxed, but she thought that word was a good description for the expression in his narrowed eyes. He was probably beginning to wonder if they would ever have a chance to talk in private. She supposed she should be working harder to make arrangements for that discussion, rather than putting it off. But to be fair, he’d shown up only the day before. There hadn’t been a lot of time for her to come to terms with all of this yet.
“Sure,” Andrew said to Shelby, his tone completely bland. “We’d love to join you, wouldn’t we, Hannah?”
She gave him a weak smile. “Why not?”
* * *
Andrew had not been this frustrated in a long time. He sat in his room Wednesday night at almost ten, uninterested in
“It’s been pretty weird so far,” she replied candidly. “Yours?”
“I’ve been talking with your dad and your uncle about some new security measures for the resort. They’ve asked me to do a full analysis and make some suggestions.”
Hannah nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. I hope you’re charging them your standard consultation rates.”
He merely gave her a look.
She sighed. “Andrew, you don’t owe my family any favors. It’s the other way around actually.”
“We’re not talking about money right now, though you and I need to make some arrangements soon.”
She looked around quickly to make sure no one had overheard, but while she heard voices from the diner and the store, the reception area was deserted for now. “Andrew—”
“Well, hello, there.” Mimi bustled up with a bright smile at finding Andrew talking with Hannah. “What are you two chatting about?”
Andrew turned easily to greet Hannah’s grandmother. “I was just about to have lunch in the grill. Thought I’d stop in to say hello to Hannah first.”
“Hannah can join you for lunch,” Mimi said, beaming. “I just came to relieve her at the desk for a while. I’ve already eaten. I think I saw some of the other family in the diner, so you two run along and join them.”
“I was going to have lunch a little later, Mimi,” Hannah protested weakly.
“You need a break, sweetheart. No need to rush back, I’ll be fine here if you young folks want to take a walk through the resort after lunch. There’s a nice breeze down by the water today.”
So either her mom hadn’t yet spoken to Mimi about her matchmaking scheme for Hannah, or the talk hadn’t been successful. Hannah sighed, but knew there was no use arguing with Mimi now, especially in front of Andrew. She stood and smoothed the loose pink summer top she wore with thin khaki slacks. “Okay, fine. I’ll take my lunch break now.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Mimi took her place behind the desk, pulling a thick paperback out of her bag to occupy her until she was needed. Hannah knew her grandmother would be quite content to spend the rest of the day sitting in that comfortable chair with her book, especially if she believed her granddaughter was being courted by a respectable man in the meantime. She didn’t even want to think of the pressure Mimi—and probably the rest of the family—would put on them once they learned Andrew was her baby’s father.
“Listen, maybe we could cut out of here and eat lunch somewhere else?” Andrew asked in a low voice as soon as they were out of her grandmother’s sight and hearing. “We really need to—”
“Oh, hi, guys.” Shelby slid in between them, looping her hands beneath their arms. “Heading in for lunch? So am I. I’ve been working on the books all morning without a break and now I’m starving. Aaron’s supposed to meet me in the grill. Why don’t you two join us?”
Andrew gave Hannah a look over her cousin’s curly blond head, and she might have been amused under any other circumstances. It was rare to see Andrew looking totally flummoxed, but she thought that word was a good description for the expression in his narrowed eyes. He was probably beginning to wonder if they would ever have a chance to talk in private. She supposed she should be working harder to make arrangements for that discussion, rather than putting it off. But to be fair, he’d shown up only the day before. There hadn’t been a lot of time for her to come to terms with all of this yet.
“Sure,” Andrew said to Shelby, his tone completely bland. “We’d love to join you, wouldn’t we, Hannah?”
She gave him a weak smile. “Why not?”
* * *
Andrew had not been this frustrated in a long time. He sat in his room Wednesday night at almost ten, uninterested in
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