Without a Hitch(57)

“I know this is shallow, but Jesus, Till. He might be the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my entire freaking life. Ride this thing out with him. Live for today, not some version of tomorrow you’ve had since you were ten,” Eli says. Her sympathetic expression nearly guts me.

Their faces grow large as they bring the shared screen in for a closer inspection.

An unnamed emotion curls in my gut as four faces plead with me.

“Titty,” Mable says, “there are no guarantees in this life. My Johnny and I were supposed to be living out our golden years in Fort Lauderdale right now, but life had other plans for him. We had twenty-two great years, and it tore me into a million pieces when he passed, but I wouldn’t trade that time with him for anything. I only regret that I held out on him for so long.” She smirks, and my stomach rolls with worry. I really don’t think I can handle a sex story from Mable right now. “He asked me out for two years before I finally caved. That’s two years I missed out on his god-awful dirty jokes. Two years I missed out on his love. You’re not guaranteed a future, but you do have today.

Start livin’ for today and build a future on the happiness that brings.”

“That was…” Eli pauses, confusion clouding her gaze. “That was remarkably normal and good advice, Mable.”

Mable flashes her a wink. These two have such a strange camaraderie that they pass off with snark and humor. Everyone is quiet for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Take a chance, Tilly. What’s the worst that can happen?” Delaney asks.

I slowly lift my gaze, fear gripping my soul. “He could break my heart.”





C HAPTE R 20

LOCHLAN

I t took every ounce of self-restraint I possess not to text Tilly incessantly last night, reminding her just how her body responds to me. Instead, I spent the evening going through her phone like a proper stalker.

I stopped myself just short of reading through all her text messages, but the sheer number that has come through in the past twelve hours tells me everything I’d already guessed about Tilly Camden.

People love her, and more importantly, they depend on her.

What I wasn’t expecting to find was the blog. The damn blog that has haunted my life for the past several months. Love in the Lobby. She is the author, and now I’m even more confused about why she’s avoided my hotels. A quick check of the guest log confirms she’s stayed at my properties plenty of times. Perhaps it’s the connection to Colton?

Give her the benefit of doubt, Banny. That’s what my father would do, because the deeper I dove into her phone last night, her vision became clear. She isn’t out to ruin anyone. If anything, she’s trying to make everyone around her better, from the ground up.

The knowledge that it’s not Christine behind the growing social blog also eases a tension I hadn’t realized was eating me alive. Though I must remain vigilant where she’s concerned, especially as the cogs are put into motion that will ruin her.

I also got a glimpse into Tilly’s business plan, and it couldn’t be more obvious. She’s everything Christine will never be because Tilly is honest and good and finds the love in every situation.

Her ideas for The I Do Crew are original and forward-thinking, if not unconventional in a fairytale-like way that makes my skin crawl. I now have enough ammunition to force Tilly’s hand into helping me. I just can’t get my brain to decide on the best course of action because I’ve never thought about feelings before. But that’s what she is forcing me to do. I can’t be an asshole and blackmail her into helping me, even if everything in me would do it in a heartbeat to anyone else. The fact that I care about her opinion fucks with every other thought in my head.

I glance at my watch—7:30. Time is moving at a snail’s pace. Why the fuck didn’t I tell her to meet me at seven? Dropping into the desk chair, I call Angie from the hotel phone.

“Good morning, sunshine.” Her sass is extra irritating today.

“Angie, do not put that woman on my plane today. I’ll kick her off. Just hire her and be done with it. I’ll meet her when I’m back in New York.”

“Hire her? Just like that? I really think you should meet with her, Lochlan. She’s already in Boston waiting to take off with you.”

My head falls to the back of the chair, and I stare at the ceiling. I’m exhausted, but my body is still a live wire of anticipation because Tilly is near. She shouldn’t have this much power over me.

“Lochlan?” Angie forces me to focus.

“Do you like her?”

“I do, very much.” Exasperation fills the air between us.

“Then hire her. You’ve never suggested hiring one of them before, so if you believe she is up to the task and not looking for anything but a job, then train her while I’m away.”

“What’s going on, Lochlan?” Bloody hell. She knows me too well. “Does this have anything to do with your wedding friend?” My gaze rockets to Tilly’s phone on the table in front of me. Nova!

“When did Nova get there?”

“This morning.” Angie hums. “She said you might be taking a few days off. Is that true?”

“No. I’m going to California as planned.”

“Is Abby going with you?” Nova shouts into the phone. One of the problems with living in the hotel where I also house my main office is that Nova lives right next door to both.