We sit in the quiet and stare out at the water. What a week it’s been.
Chapter 7
Brynn
What on Earth am I doing? I haven’t been on a date in years. I had a few bad first dates, after Jasper and I broke up, and I gave up on dating, and threw myself into working at The Inn.
Now that the bridge is back open, Kade went home to Hollywood. He got some major movie roles and left a note saying goodbye. I will say, I’m a bit pissed off. He and Lin had transitioned from a fake relationship to a real relationship, and it was obvious to me and them how much they liked each other.
I know they had sex, because Lin told me. Not only did they have sex, but it was also amazing sex. Lucky bitch. But now that he’s gone, it’s like she needs a distraction, so she set me up on a date. I’d have refused, if she wasn’t so damn heartbroken.
His name is Daniel, and he’s Joe and Martha’s son. They own the pharmacy downtown, and Daniel is in school to be a pharmacist, like his dad and take over the family business.
That’s how it happens here in Seaview; the next generation takes over a successful family business. Lin and I took over The Inns, Jasper his dad’s restaurants, Daniel the Pharmacy, and Ned the newspaper from his dad. While Nate became a cop, like his father, and he will probably run for sheriff, when his dad retires.
It’s the cycle of small-towns with successful businesses. Daniel doesn’t seem like a bad guy. He’s a local, so that makes things easy, and he’ll have a successful job, once out of school, but that’s the problem. He’s still has a year left in school. Normally, that would mean he’s a year older than me. But apparently, he’s super smart and did summer courses and is graduating early.
Both the town and my best friend are so desperate for me to date, they are now pairing me with guys younger than me by two years. If this keeps up, the boys are going to graduate high school, and the town will start throwing them my way.
Maybe, Lin had the right idea of a fake relationship to get people off my back.
I take a deep breath and step out of the bathroom to show my outfit to Lin, who is sitting on my bed. When she looks up, she jumps up and rushes over to me.
“Oh, Brynn, you look beautiful! It’s just the perfect amount of casual and dressy.” She says.
I’m in darn near skintight jeans paired with a dark purple silk top and heels. I kept my hair down, but I put some beach waves in it. Though, I didn’t want to try too hard, I did want him to know I put some effort into our date.
Just then, my phone in my room rings. The phone is attached to The Inn, so I know it’s one of my staff, and I pray there’s nothing wrong, because I could use a night away.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Your date is here to pick you up,” Rich says, and I can hear the smirk in his voice.
Rich is my front desk manager and Ken’s boyfriend, so I know as soon as I leave this will be the talk of the night. Rich is also on my side and doesn’t believe in pushing people to date, so he’s been my go-to, when I want to complain about this.
“Thank you.” I hang up and turn to Lin.
Her eyes are still sad, no matter how much of a smile she tries to force for my sake.
“How about you hang out here, and after my date, I will raid the kitchen for dessert and some wine, and I’ll tell you every detail, as we eat ourselves into a sugar coma?” I ask.
Then, I get a genuine smile. The first one I have seen, since Kade left.
“That sounds perfect!” She says.
With one last look in the mirror, I head out of my room and towards the lobby, running into Jasper, before I get there. He blocks my way in the staff hallway by the kitchen, and eyes me up and down.
“Where are you going all dolled up like that?” He asks.
He’s been here for a few weeks now, and I’d say we tolerate each other. We tend to keep our distance, and I stay out of the kitchen, as much as possible. It works, but I still haven’t held a single interview, because he finds something wrong with each one. I’m running out of applicants, and I’m about to go behind his back and hire someone.
But I push that irritation aside and smile.
“I have a date,” I say.
Rage crosses his face, but before I can say anything, he gets his emotions back under control.
“Will you have two slices of that chocolate cake left? I promised Lin a girl’s night, when I get back.” I tell him.