“You did? Oh, my gosh. Well…that’s a weird coincidence.” Her eyes dropped down to her hands, which were now twisted in her lap.

I nodded.

“And…where do you live n-now?” she asked as those ice-blue eyes looked up at me.

My gaze drifted down to her soft pink lips, and more than anything I wanted to forget the stupid promise I’d made to myself to never let another woman into my heart. I wanted to pull her to me and tell her how fucking happy I was that she was here. That I hadn’t lost her, because I had been so damn miserable at the idea of never seeing her again. But I didn’t say any of that.

“I live here, Anna. In Boerne. My office is one block away. My father’s ranch is just outside of town. My brother lives fifteen minutes from here. My house isn’t that far either. Maybe ten minutes away.”

Annalise went still, her eyes growing as wide as saucers. “You’re joking, right?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m dead serious. I’ve lived in Boerne my entire life.”

She looked out the window at the front door of the hotel and then back to me. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she closed her eyes, shook her head, and then fixed me with a sharp gaze.

“You live in Boerne, Texas. Boerne. The same place I’m going to be working and living?”

“Yes.”

She burst out laughing before she dropped her head back against the seat of the rental car. “What in the hell? What are the odds of this happening?”

“Fate, I guess,” I said with a chuckle.

She snapped her head up and stared at me. “Fate?” she whispered, then seemed to drift away before shaking her head. “I, um…I can’t process this right now. I need to get in there. Mrs. Montclair is waiting for me.”

“Of course.”

I got out of the car and opened the trunk to take out her luggage. After shutting it, I reached for her hand and held it. “We’ll talk soon, okay?”

Annalise swallowed hard and then took a step away from me. Almost as if she needed the distance. She blinked rapidly. “Yes, of course. I guess you know where to find me.”

“Or you could give me your number.”

She shook her head. “No, because if I give you my number and you don’t call, I don’t think I could… I just think… I need to go.”

Reaching for her stuff, she turned and headed into The Montclair Hotel. It struck me as odd that this was the second time today she had turned and walked away from me, both of us uncertain about where our future was going.

Except now I knew where to find her…and this conversation was far from over.

Annalise

MY NERVES WERE shot. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was walking into a new job, new career, new life—or because Roger had just laid a giant bomb on me only moments ago.

He lives here.

Boerne.

Roger lives in Boerne, Texas.

As I opened the door to the lobby of The Montclair, I couldn’t help but laugh at the cruel irony fate had dealt me. The entire flight down to San Antonio, I had resolved to forget about Roger Carter. I mean, I knew I would truly never forget him, but I could bury him away in a special place…because the last few days with him truly had been special. My own little fairy tale that I’d been able to live in for just a little while.

And now? Now the man of my dreams, who clearly wasn’t interested in anything but a fling, was living only minutes away from me.

“Oh, God, this isn’t happening,” I whispered, stepping into the small lobby of the new hotel I was now general manager of. It was adorable, and the pictures I had seen of it did not do it justice. The hardwood floors were original, and instantly gave that romantic, charming feeling the hotel was going for. To my right was a sitting area with a large rock fireplace. Dark wood board and batten covered half the walls and gave it that historical look. On the opposite-end sitting area sat a French door that I knew led into the library. Behind the sofa sat a large antique table with all the brochures for the area laid out in a neat arrangement.

I glanced to my left and smiled. Another fireplace that mirrored the one on the right, but this one boasted a large vase filled with fresh flowers. A large desk and two chairs sat on this side of the lobby, along with another set of French doors that led to the restaurant.

Directly in front of me was a hallway that led to the front desk that sat on the left side, and two antique chairs sat on the right up against the staircase that led to the second floor.

Tags: Kelly Elliott Southern Bride Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net