Page 8 of Babies for the Christmas Grump

But…

What the hell?

It can’t be.

Her.

The woman.

My one-night stand.

Here?

She steps into the room, eyes scanning the space before locking onto me. Time seems to slow as she halts in the doorway, clearly caught off guard seeing me here.

Her eyes widen in shock, but she quickly masks it with a tight smile. It’s too late, though. The recognition is instant.

I know her. She knows me.

And just like that, the atmosphere shifts. Tension crackles, powerful and suffocating, the space between us charged.

The woman from last night. She stands frozen for a moment, uncertainty written all over her.

Her face is flushed, her hair slightly messy, as if she didn’t sleep all that well. Same as me. She’s wearing a bright blazernow, the crisp fabric looking totally different from the woman I saw last night, but the way she looks at me now is new.

It’s all business, all calm professionalism—nothing like the playful, carefree chemistry that simmered between us before.

But underneath the surface, I can feel it—that pull.

Nolan, ever oblivious, glances up, his face shifting to confusion. “Uh, do you two know each other?”

She stands there for a second too long, her eyes flicking between me and Nolan, trying to compose herself.

I don’t even know her name.

Shit.

“I… I’m the new owner of the hotel,” she says, the words leaving her mouth in a sharp, almost biting tone. She takes a step into the room, as if daring me to meet her gaze. “Sunny Quinn.”

Sunny Quinn.

It hits me like a punch to the gut. The name floats through my mind, but it doesn’t make things any easier. This is her. She’s the owner.

Evie’s niece.

Shit.

A wave of discomfort washes over me, tightening my chest, but I force myself to stay calm. I shouldn’t be feeling this. I’m the CFO. I’m in control here.

But that thought is nothing more than a flimsy barrier, and I can feel it cracking beneath the pressure of the tension between us.

My throat goes dry as I stand up, moving instinctively, as if my body knows what it’s supposed to do. But the words are slow to come, heavy on my tongue.

“Sunny,” I finally say, nodding once, coldly. “I’m Ryder Hale. CFO.”

I can’t help it. My eyes slide over her.Damn it, Ryder, focus.

How do I handle this?