The house itself was actually more of a petite beach cottage. It looked to be about the size of my parents’ garage back home, but it had such charm to it, with small little touches like the white shutters that adorned the two front windows, and the sea glass that was formed into a circle mosaic near the French doors.
“It was actually my great aunt’s place,” he explained as he pushed open the doors and ushered me inside. “She passed away last year, and my mom hadn’t decided what to do with it yet. I was kind of looking for something, but my ex hated the beach and thought the place was a shithole.”
“Seriously? She hated the beach?” I asked as I followed him around the tiny space. No, it wasn’t tiny, more like cozy. How could anyone not like this house? Yes, it was outdated with the wood paneling that covered almost every inch of the walls and the puke green shag carpeting, but it had potential.
“I know, right?” he answered from what I was assuming the bedroom before he stepped back out, throwing a pair of athletic shorts and an oversized t-shirt at me. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved my apartment, but it reminds me of Kara way too much, so I had to get out of there.” His eyebrows knitted together at the mention of his ex, and I could see the pain that was still there from the memories they shared together. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. I knew it wasn’t easy.
“Anyway,” he said, shaking his head quickly and giving me a wide smile, showing off those white teeth that contrasted perfectly against his tan skin. “The bathroom is down that hall. Why don’t you get changed, and then I have someone you need to meet.”
“Alright, sounds good.” I hurried down the hall to change, even though I had no clue who I would be meeting. It wasn’t like anyone could be hiding in here. I would have already spotted them.
I tried to avoid the mirror when I got in there, but I couldn’t help it, I needed to assess the damage. My makeup was just about all washed off, and my hair had turned into a crimpy mess. I ran my fingers through it to make it look somewhat presentable and stripped out of my clothes, throwing them into a wet pile.
I tied the shirt into a knot near my hip and rolled the shorts at the waist, but they were still so big that I had to hold onto the elastic. As I went back out into the living room, I could see Nick sitting cross-legged on the floor with a gorgeous black lab lying next to him, looking like he was in heaven as Nick scratched behind his ears.
“And who is this handsome guy?” I asked as I dropped down to the floor, and was instantly attacked with dog kisses. “Well, hi to you, too.” I giggled, flopping backwards.
“This is Gunther, and I’m pretty sure he’s in love with you,” Nick answered, throwing a squeaky toy to the opposite side of the room, effectively ending all of the attention I had been getting. “Sorry about that, he loves meeting new people.”
“Not a problem, I’ve always loved animals. I’ve missed being able to have one, being out on the road for so long. I tried getting a cat once, thinking that would travel better and keep me company, but the guys didn’t let me keep it for very long.”
He made a face, and jumped to his feet, reaching down to help me up. “I’m strictly a dog guy. I wouldn’t be able to handle cats either, but I guess I could understand. I’m sure you were by yourself a lot.”
“Yeah, well,” I answered shakily. “Let’s not talk about that right now. Don’t you need to get back to work? I don’t want you to get into trouble or anything because—”
“Don’t worry about it,” he offered quickly. “I rarely miss work, and I’m taking over soon, so Leo gives me basically any free time I need right now. So, how did you like the resort?”
“I loved it, it would definitely be the kind of place I’d want to stay on vacation. Very ritzy, but it still manages to have that small town charm.”
“Good, ‘cause if you still want the position, you start Monday.”
“Oh, no.” I shook my head sharply as I followed him out the open patio doors, Gunther trailing behind. “I’m not going to let you feel sorry for me, Nick. I don’t really need a job that badly right now. I’m sure I’ll find something, or maybe I’ll go back to school. Either way, I’ll figure out another option.”
He stopped abruptly, and turned around, grabbing both of my shoulders to stop me from following him to…wherever we were going. “Stop. I’m not hiring you because I feel sorry for you, because I don’t. I think you would probably kick my ass if I did. I’m hiring you because I think you would be good for the position, and I need you.”
“You need me?” I teased with a smirk, my eyebrows shooting up quickly.
“I need you,” he repeated, biting back a smile.
“Well, I guess if you really, really need me so much, then I’ll do it.”
“Awesome, you’ll have fun, I promise. Plus, I’m a pretty cool boss, so you have that going for you.” He grabbed onto my hand, and started his walk again, Gunther following closely behind us.