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“I know,” I breathe, tipping my face up to him. He bends down, kissing me tenderly, stroking my hair from my cheek. “I’m just…remembering what it’s like to have fun.”

He grins, and now it’s my turn to come completely undone.

CHAPTER18

Eli

TRACK:Alexa Cappelli, “Could’ve Just Left Me Alone”

The next few days I’m hard pressed to focus on my own work given what Reese and I did down in her office. But there is, apparently, a world outside of Reese.

It’s my sister who brings me back to reality, with this insane idea to bump up the renovation schedule. She wants to tie the completion of the east wing renovation to midway throughChef’s Apprentice’s air date, to capitalize on all the publicity this show is bringing us.

But the moment she suggests it, I bristle.

“It hasn’t even aired yet, but already guest numbers are way up,” Cass says. “We’ll be able to handle twice as many once the east wing reopens.”

“Cass, you’re telling me this like I’m not the person who analyzes the guest reports.”

“I know,” she says, sounding irritated. “But I don’t understand why you aren’t as excited as I am about this.”

But pushing things up would mean more work for all of us. A ton more. Normally, I wouldn’t care. In fact, keeping busy is what I’ve been doing for the past two years straight. But my guaranteed time with Reese is dwindling, and I don’t want to spend it hustling here in the office.

I want to spend it all with her.

Because all I can think about is Reese Franco. The way she looked with her lips wrapped around my cock. I have to clench my jaw to get that image out of my head. But not just that. It’s the way she looks all the time. Like when she’s talking to the film crew, her eyes never leaving theirs, like they’re the most important people in the world, even though I know the show has been beyond stressful for her. The way she wants people to see us together, to make this whole thing more believable. The way she looks when she’s singing.

Hell, the way she wrinkles her nose when Rufus does his business, but scratches him under the chin after she bags it up. I smile dopily.

But I can’t tell my sister there’s a real possibility Reese and I won’t be together once this show ends. So instead I mumble something about how she’s always telling me not to rush into things.

Cass is looking at me like I came to work without pants on. I glance down just in case, relieved to see I did.

But seriously, whatiswrong with me? I’m fantasizing about Reese cleaning up dog shit.

I sigh, sitting up straight and resting my forearms on my desk.The renovation.Focus.

“Eli, if you’re worried about how it’ll all play out,” Cass says, mistaking my silence for concern, “don’t be.”

As she goes on about her plan, I find my mind drifting again. A lot of it is Reese, but somehow, arguing about this renovation with Cass, I realize maybebecauseof Reese, my days at the hotel are numbered. I make enough money with my side business that I don’t even need to be working here anymore. I signed on as CFO at the hotel because it’s what Mom wanted, and we all wanted to fulfill her wishes once she passed. But the place is in excellent hands with Cass at the helm, and she deserves someone with more enthusiasm.

“Listen,” Cass says, looking exasperated. “I’m going to arrange an emergency meeting with Sarah tomorrow. We can hear straight from her what it’ll take to make this work.”

“Fine,” I say, waving her off.

I should be excited about this revelation about work. Except pouring all my energy into my property business feels about as exciting as buckling down here. I’m good at it, but it’s not my life’s desire either.

I unlock my computer screen again, but instead of turning back to work, my eyes stray to a photo on the desk of all of us Nora took this summer, at Cap’s birthday party. All my siblings are there, plus my dad, Blake, and Seamus. Nora sent us all several takes of this family photo, but the one I chose to frame was one where I’m holding my nephew upside down as he laughs hysterically.

That’s what I want to quit this job for. I look at Dad, smiling happily for the first time since Mom died. He lived to raise all of us. That’s what I want too.

That recurring thought normally makes me depressed, but for the first time in a long time, something warm floats up in my chest thinking of me as a dad.

Something dangerously close to hope.

Luckily, my dangerously hopeful thoughts are interrupted by a text.

I glance at my phone and frown. It’s Nancy, the director. She must have got my number off the contact list Kelly gave everyone when filming started.