Page 42 of Infatuated

Holden pops his head out from the house when the coast is clear, and I narrow my eyes in his direction.

“You boys have a lot of explaining to do. Holden, you’re going to be mucking stalls for averylong time,” Dad announces.

“Yes, Mr. Ellis.” Holden casts his eyes to his feet as if he were a two-year-old kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

There are a few guests that were close enough to hear some of what was going on, so Mom took off to take care of them and do some damage control. The three of us head inside the house and to the back office so no one else can hear.

“What the fuck, Holden?” I dig at him.

“Hey!” Dad shouts. “Don’t use that language. Holden, tell me what happened?”

He looks at the ceiling and sighs, then looks at my dad. “She said she wanted to make this trip memorable. She had her sights on Tristan, but when he gave her the brush off for Lana, she came to me. I just wanted to show her a good time, and she’s old enough to make up her own mind. I figured we wouldn’t hurt anyone, and I was careful.”

He nods and stays silent for a minute, and I can see his mind working over what Holden said. “I never thought I’d have to say this. New rule here. No sleeping with the guests.” He looks back and forth between us, waiting for us to respond.

My face falls. I know I shouldn’t sleep with Lana. It’s unprofessional, but damn if that girl doesn’t make me feel things for her. I have a week left, and this throws a wrench in my plans. We’re going to have to be more careful than ever now.

“Got it,” I murmur.

“Holden.” He looks at my dad, waiting. “I love you like a son, but if you ever mess up like that again, I have no problems firing your ass. What’s done is done. We can’t take it back, just move forward.”

Holden apologizes again, and we walk out to join Mom and some of the other guests. I’m hoping Lana has come back, but I don’t see any of the Robinsons yet. This is the last night for most of the guests, and by tomorrow afternoon, no one but the few of us will have any idea this happened.

I get a new notification on my phone—a friend request on Facebook from Lana Robinson. Her phone must be working for the time being. I happily accept and send her a message.

Me:You okay?

Lana:Sorry about my dad and Mr. Morrell.

Me:You have nothing to be sorry for. Holden knows better. It’s going to be fine.

Lana:My dad doesn’t want me to be alone with you anymore.

Shit. This is going to make things a lot harder for us. At least, before, we had Molly as a cover, but I’m sure Holden won’t be a good cover now.

Me:We’ll figure it out. I don’t want to ruffle any more feathers. Are you coming to the house for the last night gathering?

I wait patiently as I see the three dots, waiting for her reply. After two minutes, it doesn’t come.Maybe she decided not to risk it.That’s a good thing. I don’t need more trouble to be stirred up for us. I’ve looked into Mr. Robinson and Mr. Morrell, and both of them have the potential to shut us down if anyone out east cares. Both have a lot of money and friends in high places.

She still hasn’t responded, so I help Mom as she puts plates of food out. I see the Morrell family from the corner of my eye as they pull their suitcases behind them. Holden comes out of the house and sees Molly. Her eyes are red and puffy as she looks at him.

When Mr. Morrell glares at him, he slinks back into the house. I hear Molly’s cries pick up in volume, and Mom rushes over to them. They talk quietly for a few minutes, and when the cab arrives, they pick up their bags and leave without saying another word.

Holden pushes open the door and watches as Molly rides away without him. He looks hurt by not being able to say goodbye. I’ve known him for a long time. He may be a player, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. She’s hurt, and he’s the one who caused it. That’s going to be on his mind for a long time.

I clasp my hand on his shoulder and give a little squeeze. “Sorry, man.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got to get to work.” He kicks a rock as he walks to the barn—alone. He’s going to need some time to sort things out.

“Hey, Holden,” I call after him. “Did you get her number or anything?”

He smirks. “Yup. It’s not over. We’ll still have some fun.”

Just like Holden.

I run to the office to find the list of newcomers for tomorrow. We need to find someone around Lana’s age to use as a scapegoat.Isn’t that what got Molly in trouble?Gah! I hate when I start thinking rationally. Still, maybe if we can find someone to come with us on different activities, that would be enough.

I flip through the list of twenty people. There is a nineteen-year-old boy that will be here and his fifteen-year-old sister. A little younger than Lana, but that’s not bad. The rest of the families have younger kids or are childless. Looks like The Carringtons are my only option.