Drunk on Love(56)

Unlikely.

“Mom, if the doctor said that you should rest . . .”

His mom sighed.

“I know, I know. If only I had Samantha still, but she moved to Los Angeles. She was so detail oriented.”

Pete frowned at her.

“What if you call Samantha? See if she could come back up here, fill in for you for the next month or so?”

His mom brightened up.

“Oh, that’s an idea. And I bet she could live with her sister.”

And then it hit him. The solution to both of their problems.

“I have a better idea,” Luke said. “Mom, what if I took over for you at the inn for the next month? I already know how stuff works there—well, most stuff—and you trust me to take care of things. Would that keep you at home, make you rest?”

Her whole face relaxed, and then she shook her head.

“Of course that would be wonderful, but you can’t do that. You’re working for Noble—I’m sure they need you, too.”

He tried to keep his face neutral.

“I’m sure the Nobles will understand. I’ll talk to them. What do you think?”

He could see the relief in her face.

“If you’re sure, then . . . yes, that would be perfect. You’ll check in, let me know how everything is going, right?”

He nodded at his mom as Pete clapped him on the back.

“Thanks, Luke.” He lowered his voice. “She never would have agreed to take the time off otherwise.”

“I heard that,” his mother said. “But Luke, promise you’ll tell me if the Nobles need you?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you.”

Thirty minutes later, he walked into Margot’s office. How would she feel about what he was going to tell her? Had he just made a bet that he was going to lose?

Margot and Elliot were standing in there, laughing together. If he hadn’t desperately wanted to see Margot alone, he’d be glad to see that, after everything Margot had told him last weekend.

“Oh good, I’m glad I found you both here together,” he said. What else could he say?

Margot turned and smiled at him, and then her smile dimmed, maybe because Elliot was there next to her, maybe because of the way Luke was looking at them; he didn’t know.

“Hi, Luke,” she said.

“Hi, Luke,” Elliot said. “Come on in. What’s up?”

Luke took a deep breath.

“I’m really sorry to do this to you two,” he said. “But I have to resign.”

He looked at Margot and saw a brief flash of something in her eyes. He didn’t know if it was shock or sorrow or anger or happiness. God, he wanted to know. He turned to Elliot so he wouldn’t betray himself.

“I wouldn’t do this for any other reason,” he continued. “But I have to help my mom out; she got in a car accident last night—she’s fine, but she has a broken wrist and some sprained ribs, and she can’t work for the next month or so. Her front-desk staff at the inn is pretty new, so I said I’d help her out, but I’m really sorry to—”

Elliot cut in.

“Of course you have to help your mom,” he said.

“Yes,” Margot said. “Of course you have to help your mom.”

She said it casually, with a smile on her face, but it wasn’t that friendly smile she’d given him when he’d walked in the door. It was her boss-to-employee smile.

“We’ll miss you around here, but the rest of us can pick up the slack in the tasting room,” she said.

“If we get desperate, I can help out,” Elliot said.

Luke and Margot both burst out laughing.

“No offense, Elliot,” Margot said, “but that’s a terrible idea.”

“Do you see what I have to put up with here?” Elliot asked Luke.

Luke grinned.

“The thing is . . . she’s right.”

Elliot sighed. “Yes, of course she is.”

Margot turned to Elliot, a look of sheer glee on her face that almost made Luke laugh out loud again.

“Did he really just say that?” she said out loud.

Elliot either didn’t hear that or heard it and ignored it. He walked over to Luke, his hand out, and Luke shook it.

“Don’t be a stranger, okay?” Elliot said.

Margot nodded at him, but didn’t come over to shake his hand.

“It’s been a pleasure having you at Noble,” she said. She said it in such a formal way, like she’d say it to anyone.

Luke nodded at both of them.

“It’s been a pleasure being here. I’ve really learned a lot from this place.” He turned to the door and winced. “I have to go tell Taylor now, don’t I? She’s going to kill me.”

Margot and Elliot both laughed as Luke walked out toward the tasting room.

Later that evening, after a long day at the inn, getting up to speed on everything and fielding what felt like dozens of phone calls from his mom, he got in the car to drive home. And he could think about only one thing.

Margot wasn’t his boss anymore.

Was she thinking about that? Would she care about this as much as he did?

He had no idea. But he had to find out.