Thea…and you’re very welcome.” She smiled slightly, then glanced over at Ben. “We’re still on the appetizers. No rush. I’ll see you two downstairs.”
Thea closed the door behind her but Ben stayed, Carey noticed. “Don’t you need to go down and see your family? I won’t be very long,” she told him.
“I can wait. I’m afraid if I leave you up here, you might be tempted to hide out all day.”
His suspicions were correct. The way he’d read her mind made her smile.
“Is that a law around here? No one can be alone on Christmas?”
“It might be,” he teased her back. “You don’t want to end up in the lockup after all. Not when you’ve just landed in such a cushy spot.”
“You’re right. That wouldn’t be very smart.” She opened her bag, took out some clothes and put them in a drawer. “Your mother is very nice. Very…hospitable.”
“She’s a natural at making people feel welcome. Maybe that’s what keeps this place in business after all.”
“Is there some problem?”
Ben shrugged. He picked up a stuffed dog, then waved it at Lindsay, who was lying on the bed. “The inn hasn’t been doing that well since my father died. She’s had to let a lot of the help go. It’s hard for her. I try to help, with repairs and the outdoor work when I can and my sister works here, too. She does all the food service. But it’s still a lot of responsibility for one person. Sometimes she talks about selling it. But I’d hate to see that happen,” he said honestly.
Carey didn’t know what to say. She’d heard there were always complications and tensions when a family ran a business together. She guessed Ben’s family was not immune, though he seemed very easygoing.
It didn’t seem the time to talk about these private matters. Carey didn’t want to seem as if she was prying, either. Lindsay soon got bored with the stuffed toy and Ben picked her up, talking softly to her while she patted his head with her hands.
Carey liked the way he handled the baby. His strong but gentle touch touched her heart. That was just the way she’d imagined a good stepfather would treat her little girl. If she ever found a good stepfather for Lindsay…which right now seemed highly unlikely.
Carey found a lipstick and swiped on a fresh coat, then fluffed up her hair with her fingers and put on a pair of silver hoop earrings she’d found in her makeup bag.
She definitely wasn’t dressed for a party. This morning, she’d pulled on a blue velour hooded top with a cream-colored camisole underneath, jeans and boots. She wondered if she should at least change to a dressy blouse and put on some jewelry.
Ben stood near the door, watching her. “Don’t worry, Carey. You look…perfect.”
She glanced at him, then looked away. “No, I don’t, but thanks,” she said, smiling at him.
Perfect? She knew it was just a word. Something anyone might say. He didn’t really mean anything by it. Still, the tone of his voice and the way he looked at her made her feel something positively electric between them, like a bolt of heat lightning. “Let’s go. I don’t want to keep your family waiting for us.” She scooped up her bag, suddenly eager to join the party downstairs.
Hanging around a hotel room with this man was not a great idea. Lindsay was not much of a chaperone.
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