“No. My parents opened the Sullivan Café and Irish-themed retail store when we were little. Once I had Kevin and I wanted the flexibility to be accessible to my son, they offered me the job of managing both the café and store.”
“Given how organized your sightseeing schedule is and how much you clearly love spreadsheets, I suspect that wasn’t the only reason they offered it to you. They must have known you’d do a great job.”
“I worked in the back office throughout high school, so it was a good fit for all of us. We have great vendors, and our customers are fantastic, our staff is wonderful, and it’s been really exciting helping to open up locations throughout Maine.”
“But?”
She was surprised he’d heard the part she left out. No one else ever seemed to, not even the people she was closest to. “But I guess because I fell into the job due to my circumstances, there’s always been a little part of me that’s wondered what my life might have been like if I’d gone to college. I really do love my work,” she said, wanting him to know, “it’s just that I sometimes secretly find myself longing for a tiny bit more adventure.”
While she spoke, his phone was buzzing like crazy. It had been doing that all day long inside his pocket.
“Do you need to answer any of those calls? It sounds like someone really wants to get hold of you.”
“Everyone and everything else can wait. Today is about spending time with you.”
His words made her heart flutter. As did the heat in his eyes. Throughout the day, she’d constantly thought about his kiss outside the hotel and longed for another one.
What, she suddenly found herself wondering, would he think if she kissed him this time?
Before she could act on her crazy impulse, her phone rang again. Unlike Nash, she couldn’t ignore it. What if something had happened to Kevin?
Fortunately, it was only Brandon. “Hi, is the crowd gone outside the hotel?”
“They are. But I haven’t been able to reach Nash. Do you have any idea where he is?”
“I do. He’s right here with me.”
“He is?” Her brother sounded more than a little incredulous at the idea that Nash would have wanted to spend the day with her.
“Yes, he is.” Suddenly fed up with the fact that Brandon seemed to think so little of her desirability, even though she knew Nash was a million miles out of her league, she couldn’t resist adding, “And we’re having a fantastic time together.”
Her brother growled in response. “Put him on,” he demanded.
She rolled her eyes, even though Brandon couldn’t see it. “I’m not going to hand the phone to him if you’re going to be totally ridiculous and go ballistic.” She wanted to remind her brother how he’d said earlier that he liked Nash, but she couldn’t think of a way to tactfully say it in front of Nash. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt his feelings. Especially now that she’d had a window into his difficult childhood. It broke her heart thinking of him as, for all intents and purposes, a motherless child.
“Fine, I’ll keep it together,” Brandon reluctantly agreed. “Now will you put me on with him?”
She held her phone out to Nash. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, it’s Brandon. He says he needs to talk with you.”
Nash took the phone, and she couldn’t read his expression as he listened to what her brother had to say. Finally, he said, “Okay. I’ll keep an eye out for a call from you later.” He ended the call and handed the phone back to her.
She narrowed her eyes. “He said something rude to you, didn’t he?”
“He wanted to let me know that there don’t seem to be any available rooms in Vienna due to a major cultural festival taking place this weekend. He said he’s still working on finding me one, but for the time being, my things are staying in your apartment.”
But Ashley had been around enough men by this point in her life to know when they were leaving something out. “What else did he say? I know Brandon, so I’m positive there was more.”
Nash grimaced slightly. “He also reminded me that if I don’t keep my hands off you, he’ll tear me to pieces.”
“I knew it! If it’s not Brandon trying to keep me locked up in an ivory tower with a chastity belt on, it’s my father, or my other brothers.”
“I’m sure it’s just because they care about you.”
“That excuse wears thin after hearing it so many times over the years. And this is the perfect example of Brandon not thinking straight. If he wasn’t so intent on thinking he needs to protect me, he’d realize that the smartest thing is for you to stay with me, rather than trying to pull strings to find you another place. My rental apartment has two bedrooms, since that was the only option still available when I was booking the trip. I don’t need all that space for myself.”