But she wasn’t about to let hormones sway her actions or opinions. She was determined to treat him with cool professionalism. Efficient, effective, cool professionalism. That was the only way to survive their time together.
The staff knew that the two of them used to date and probably all knew that the relationship ended when she caught Lucas with his ex-girlfriend. Back when it happened, Riley told Sara and Jody, the front desk clerks, about it. They were the closest employees to Riley’s age, and she considered them friends.
But even knowing what Lucas had done, everyone still unfailingly liked him.
It was that Clark charm.
JoAnn constantly supplied him with pastries from the kitchen. Rusty, the other chef, made him things that weren’t on the menu, and Kathy, the waitress/dishwasher, painted rocks for him to use as decorative paperweights.
Sara and Jody always delivered guest updates to him with marked enthusiasm. Glen, the indoor maintenance man, asked him for inside football information, and even Oscar, who worked outside and never spoke to anyone to the point that they all wondered if he was a fugitive, waved at Lucas whenever he saw him.
Lucas had not only taken her inn, he’d taken her people too.
The worst part of it was that none of the other employees seemed to understand why she had a hard time working with her ex.
“You’re so tense when he’s around,” Sara told Riley after his second week of work.
“I think you mean to say, ‘coolly professional,” Riley said. She was at the front desk, updating the mailing list.
Sarah had the kind of polished composure that made her seem older than her early twenties. Her brown hair was alwaysneatly styled and her posture confident. “No, you’re definitely tense,” Sara said. “Tense and distracted. It makes concentrating on work hard when you two are anywhere near each other because I’m always wondering what you’ll say next and what the subtext means.” Sara wanted to be a therapist someday, so she took psychology classes. She liked to analyze people.
“We don’t have subtext,” Riley said.
Mariah, from housekeeping, came up to the front desk to drop a few things off. “Oh, you have something, girlfriend. And you got it bad.”
“What I have,” Riley reiterated, “is cool professionalism. And, sometimes lately, shortened patience for the rest of humanity.”
Mariah sent Sara a meaningful look. “Yeah, she’s got that bad too. If you have any supply requisitions forms you need filled, don’t be late getting them to her.”
“Noted,” Sara said.
Which was a bit unfair. Riley hadn’t criticized Mariah for turning in the form late, she’d just pointed out that they were due on the first of each month. “We have to stay on top of orders,” Riley said. “We’re almost out of those little bottles of lotion.”
Mariah had long acrylic nails despite her work in housekeeping. She used them to flick away Riley’s words. “No one actually uses those. We’re fine.”
Sara steepled her fingers together in a therapist pose and sent Riley a patient look. “Sometimes letting go of the past takes effort, but it’s worth it in the long run.”
Riley didn’t know how to respond. She wanted to say that shehadlet go of the past, that it was long gone, but that clearly wasn’t the case. “I can still do my job just fine, even if I am occasionally tense and distracted.”
Mariah harumphed. “Maybe you can, but the rest of us are getting tired of it. And he’s as bad as you are when you’re around. Totally distracted.” She dipped her chin and gave Riley a knowing look. “Either let it go or go for it. Choose an option.” She sent a sideways grin to Sara. “I know which one I’d take. The man is hot.”
Riley wasn’t about to stick around for more advice. “I’ll finish the mailing list later. I’ve got to track down the rest of the supply requisition forms because no one turns them in on time otherwise.”
So that’s what work was like.
And then there was the Christmas party. On the night of the twenty-second, the dining room of The Riverside Inn was cordoned off and transformed for the employee party. Twinkling white lights framed the windows. A garland wrapped around the fireplace mantel, dotted with red bows and pinecones, while a small, decorated tree stood in the corner, its ornaments glinting under the dimmed chandelier. The long wooden table, usually reserved for breakfast service, was now covered in a red tablecloth, lined with trays of appetizers and a slow cooker filled with mulled cider.
Riley stood in the back of the room with Jody, sipping a glass of cider she didn’t really want. Jody was tall and blond, the sort of person who not only always knew the latest styles but also enjoyed wearing them. Riley might have lived in her gym clothes if she didn’t have a job that required otherwise.
This party was the first time that the summer staff, most of whom were college kids home for the holidays, had met Lucas. A trio of girls surrounded him, doing their utmost to capture his attention.
Man, this was what the summer was going to be like. College fan-girls finding excuses to speak to the manager.
Jody leaned in beside Riley, nudging her playfully. “You’re staring.”
“I am not,” Riley muttered, though she absolutely was. Lucas looked frustratingly at ease in his charcoal-gray button-down, sleeves rolled up just enough to remind her how familiar those forearms once were.
Jody raised an eyebrow. “You sure? Because it looks like you’re debating whether to glare at him or flirt with him.”