Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“Kate!”
“I’m just saying!” She narrowed her eyes. “How long was this board of his?”
I felt my cheeks heat as I bit my bottom lip. “I’m not answering that.”
“That means it’s a long, long board.” She smirked. “If you don’t marry this man, I will.”
I stood and shook my head as a slight chuckle left my lips. “I’m done talking to you. I’ll see you later.”
“I hope you run into some Special K on your walk home!” she hollered.
As she shouted that, an elderly woman named Joan overheard, and she said, “I could really go for some Special K.”
“I bet you could, Joan,” Kate agreed. “I bet you could.”
The next few days were a comedy of errors while I tried to avoid Aiden. Whenever he’d show up at the inn, I’d duck and dive out of his view. Sometimes we’d make eye contact, he’d smile, and I’d quickly shut my eyes like a paranoid freak. He didn’t show any annoyance, though. I needed time to process the situation. I wanted to make sure I was in the right frame of mind to be for Aiden what he needed me to be. I didn’t want to stumble into a conversation about us without a clear mind.
I did everything in my power to stay out of his way, but when Mr. Lee came up to me and told me that Aiden requested me to take him some towels, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
“I feel like you’re lying to me again,” I told him.
“No, really. I need you to take him some towels.”
“Can’t Henry do it? I know he loves working with Aiden,” I urged.
“He’s busy with another task I gave him. Besides, Aiden requested you.” Mr. Lee handed me a stack of towels. “So if you could deliver these, I’d be happy.”
Freaking A, Mr. Lee.
Can’t you tell I’m in the middle of a quarter-life crisis when it comes to seeing Hollywood’s dreamboat?
I smiled and took the towels from my boss. With a stomach packed full of annoyance and nerves, I headed to Aiden’s room. Before I could knock, I noticed the fangirls who’d been staying at the inn for a little too long hanging out near his room with their ears pressed to the wood door.
How were they even affording to stay for so long? I’d be broke.
“Marna, Violet, what are you doing?” I asked.
They looked over, giggling when they saw me. “We think Aiden’s having sex.”
The knot in my stomach tightened as those words left their mouths.
“He’s groaning and moaning.” Marna giggled, covering her mouth.
Was Aiden in there hooking up with another woman? After hooking up with me? I felt like vomiting. Yet I tried my best to keep my composure as I stood straight. “Ladies, if you continue disturbing our other guests, we will have you removed from the inn.”
“What? No! It’s fine. We were just leaving,” Violet explained. “It’s just funny, is all. The girl must have your name, too. He keeps saying, ‘Hailee, Hailee, ohhh Hailee.’” She laughed like her friend had been chuckling nonstop. The two girls walked off in a fit of laughter as I stood there feeling ill.
Was he really screwing someone with my name?
Was it some weird Hailee kink?
Psh. Whatever. I bet she spelled her name like Haley. Or Halee. Or Hailey. Or—
Why did I care how a woman spelled her name? That had nothing to do with anything. But realistically, if she was spelling her name like Halee, that meant she was trouble, because why?! Anyway. It was none of my business. None of what Aiden Walters did was my business.
Still, I somehow found myself walking over to his door and placing my ear against it to listen in. Oh my gosh, I deserved to be fired for this. I was losing my mind. Still, I listened in, and I heard… nothing. There was no sound. No moaning and groaning. Especially no other woman’s voice coming through.
“Hey, Hailee, what are you doing?” Henry asked, interrupting my snooping.
“What? Nothing!” I gasped, dropping the towels. I scrambled to pick them up, and Henry walked over to help me.
“Let me give you a hand,” he offered.
“Shhh!” I shushed him, hoping not to draw attention to Aiden inside that room. Luck wasn’t on my side, though, as the door opened, and I found a shirtless Aiden standing in front of me wearing gray sweatpants. As I kneeled, my eyes made perfect contact with his crotch, and for some unknown reason, I kept my gaze aimed right there. Eyes on the prize. I hated how my body became a traitor at that very moment because the thought of the night before on the stairs came flooding back to me as I stared at Aiden’s crotch. Thoughts of him lifting me in his arms and going to pound town. I’d never had a man lift me before, and for some reason, that was an odd turn-on for me.