Page 11 of Moonshine and Magnolias (Just Add Peaches #1)

“Impressive aim,” he said. “Two points for the home team.”

“A strike, actually.” She mimed swinging a bat on her way back to the desk. The awkwardness of being in Grandma’s seat had lessened when she had an activity to do, but she still tensed as she eased herself onto its smooth surface.

Rob picked up his chair and scooted it beside her. “I can’t see you over the back of the desk,” he said by way of explanation.

Maybe she had preferred being separated by a thick, wooden barrier. She handed him the first form. “Permission to do a background check.”

“You a baseball fan?” He scanned the paper and she gave silent approval of him reading before he signed.

“Brandi and I played softball in college.” She couldn’t stop the glimmer of pride in her voice. “All American three years in a row.”

“Nice.”

“Thank you. Go Dawgs.” She gave a small woof with a fist pump, then handed him the second form. “Acknowledgement that proprietary information will be kept secret, and you’re not a spy from a rival hotel.”

He gave her a blank stare. “That actually happens?”

“I think it was more a problem when bed and breakfasts and inns were all the rage a few decades ago. Apparently one of my relatives was seduced by a developer who only wanted her for her knowledge. We haven’t run across that problem in many years.

” She gave him the third form. “A statement saying any items found on the grounds or information you uncover belongs to Fountenoy Hall, and information may not be released until it’s been vetted for accuracy. ”

His eyes darted to the side and he took a roll of antacids out of his pocket. “I can’t sign this. My main purpose of being here is research, but with some conjecture and theory on my part that I’ll relay to my client. But I do promise to treat any information I uncover with the utmost respect.”

She took a minute to think that over. “Fair enough.” Wendy took the form and made some modifications, then slid it back over. “If you do find anything scandalous about previous generations of Claytons, I would like to know.”

“Of course.”

“It’s very important that you do the tour the way Grandma has it set up.” She pointed her pen at him. “Follow it exactly. She’s been doing this for years and everything is established and perfectly timed.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He gave her a salute.

“If you need help, you can ask me. Or my cousin, since she roped you in to this.” Her foot tapped against the rug. If Brandi had promised him compensation to perform the tours, Wendy needed to know. If it was beyond the Hall’s budget, he might decline to help them at all.

Something wary flashed behind his eyes and his muscles tensed. He reached across the desk and lay his hand on hers. Warmth from his skin seeped into hers. “We shouldn’t have come in here. Let’s go back to the library.”

She tamped down her desire to draw comfort from his touch and gave his hand a pointed stare until he removed it. She was the one who brought them to the office, not him. And being with him had helped, until the personal contact messed it all up. “Did you and Ms. Clayton discuss compensation?”

He leaned back in his chair and away from her. “Payment? For doing something I want to do?”

“Payment for work done in the name of Fountenoy Hall.”

He shook his head. “I don’t need anything.”

She raised an eyebrow at him in a look that had her Steward employees scrambling to tell her the truth. “Nothing?”

“Are you kidding? Getting an inside look at a former plantation that’s been able to change with the times?

Discovering which of the windows are still the original glass and what walls are the original stone?

Seeking out the remnants of your still?” He stood up and ran his hands down the thighs of his jeans, and she stared at the movement a fraction too long.

“In fact, I’m eager to get started. If it weren’t pitch black out there, maybe I would. ”

What more could he possibly learn from her former plantation? “Surely you’ve already studied this time frame.”

He stepped through the path of cardboard boxes as he walked to the window.

“Spoken like a true believer in keeping the past in the past. So often I’m forced to study pictures of what places used to look like, before they were torn down or destroyed by wars or natural disasters, when the family scattered and no one knows who they were or where they are now. ” He pulled back the cloth curtain.

Just as she was starting to regain control of herself, she got sucked in by the passion in his voice.

She left the safety of the desk and joined him at the window.

Even though it was darker than midnight, her mind knew the scenery.

Like the peach trees that had given Fountenoy Hall something to hold onto in the tough times.

Like the five-hundred year-old live oak bordering the orchard that had called to Fenwick Clayton and told him this was the place to lay down his roots.

Like the heartbeat of her ancestors building a life, a home.

He brought it to the present. “Fountenoy Hall is still alive, with its direct descendants telling its stories. It’s fascinating.”

Especially when seen anew through his eyes.

It was beautiful, and she’d forgotten what it had meant to her.

She wasn’t sure if she valued or despised the revelation.

“How about we give you your room at no cost while you’re preparing?

If you stick around after the tours are done, I can go back to charging you.

I can’t let you do all that work and not have any benefit.

” She’d have to redo the anticipated revenue report for the month, but that was a small price to pay for him taking time away from his own work.

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Back to business, right?”

She stiffened. “It’s always about business.”

He gave her a smile, though it didn’t crinkle his hazel eyes. “You have a deal. Though your aunt’s cooking alone is worth it.”

Brandi shuffled into the office and leaned against the doorjamb, tapping on her phone. She seemed much more comfortable in her tight jeans and white t-shirt than she would have been in the Fountenoy Hall skirt and polo uniform.

“I got your text. What do you need now?” She lifted her head and shifted her posture to jut out her hip, shaking her blonde mane. “Well, hello, Dr. Rob. What are you doing here?”

Wendy glanced at him to see his reaction to Brandi, secure in the knowledge that he’d act like most men and fall over himself to earn a smile from her. He, however, stayed next to Wendy. “Hey, Brandi.”

It was probably only a matter of time before he stopped giving Wendy the heat of his stare and turned it on her cousin. “He needed to sign employment forms.”

“By the window? ”

Wendy retraced her path through the office. “They’re on the desk.”

“Okay.”

“Dr. Upshaw, I think we have everything we need from you.” Wendy traveled around the boxes and lay her hand on the open door, hoping he’d take the hint. “Thanks for being such a good sport about this.”

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but instead nodded and made his way to the exit. “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Dr. Rob,” Brandi sang out to his retreating back.

Wendy shut the door behind him and gave herself a moment before facing her cousin.

Brandi had taken the chair he had recently vacated, one long leg flung over the arm.

Wendy pressed her lips together at her careless treatment of the antique furniture.

Her electric blue toenails reflected the light as her foot bounced up and down.

“So why am I here if he already signed the forms?” Brandi asked. “I was getting ready to go out.” Her jeans molded to all the curves she’d show off at the bar or while playing pool or wherever she thought she was going. It was her turn to be on call, and the paperwork would keep her busy.

“Did you have to lie down to get those zipped?” Wendy asked.

“Almost. There was a lot of jumping involved. You can borrow them anytime you want. Like the next time you’re cozied up playing doctor.”

Wendy ignored the statement and held out the signed pages. “You have to run a background check. And next time know the rules and regulations about hiring someone before you do it, okay? Talk to me if you need to. We could have been in a bad situation.”

Brandi narrowed her eyes, hiding the green. “You don’t approve of me offering a historical job to someone who eats, breathes, and lives history to give a historical tour to a bunch of kids learning about history at a historical location?”

“Of course I do. He’s got the best resume of anyone Fountenoy Hall has hired this year.”

“Then what’s the problem? You have all the forms right there. ”

“There’s still work to be done. Employing someone isn’t as easy as saying poof, you’re hired.” Wendy took a deep breath to regain some patience. “I’m not trying to be bossy, Brandi, but this is part of doing all things equally.”

“You’re the one with all the experience.”

“I didn’t get it by sloughing my responsibilities onto someone else.” Wendy tapped the edges of forms on the desk so they were aligned and held them out to her cousin. “It’s a lot of work. It’s always going to be a lot of work. If you’re not all in, I need to know now.”

She held her breath and waited. Maybe her cousin would quit first. Surely being tied down to this job would make it hard for her to flit around from man to man, having them take care of her instead of being independent. She had learned too much from her mother.

Brandi eyes glowed with a fierce determination, and snatched the papers. “Fine. I’m in.”

The business phone shrilled out a ring. Wendy reached for it before deliberately sitting back down. Brandi was on call. That meant she answered it.

It rang a second time.

And a third.

Brandi glanced up from the papers. “Aren’t you going to get that?”

“Nope.” Wendy shook her head. “Your turn. All in, remember?”

Brandi scowled before picking up the receiver. “Thank you for calling the Inn at Fountenoy Hall.”

“This is Brandi Clayton,” Wendy whispered. Her cousin repeated the words.

“How may I help you this evening?”

Brandi narrowed her eyes but recited the greeting. She listened for a moment, pressing the receiver into her ear. “Two rooms? Tonight?” She opened a drawer and took out the reservation book. Alarm came into her eyes and she mouthed for help.

Teaching her cousin how to run the Hall would not be done at the expense of customer service.

Wendy reached for the book and flipped to today’s date.

This place needed software to enter reservation information instead of this archaic method of paper and pencils, for God’s sake, spiral bound like a teacher’s old-fashioned gradebook.

The night was clear, with no check ins for tomorrow, and Wendy gave her cousin a thumbs up and placed the book in front of her to write down the caller’s information. Brandi finished the conversation and leaned back in the chair. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

“You did well. Friendly and professional.”

Her cousin smiled, giving Wendy a glimpse of why men found her so appealing.

“The Upshaws are in Twelve Oaks,” Wendy said. “We can put our new guests in Peachtree and Bonnie Blue. Did they want connecting rooms? ”

“I think so. He was hard to understand. Had an accent like Sebastien’s.”

Wendy’s head jerked up at the mention of Sebastien’s name.

He and Wendy had clicked right off the bat when they met as freshmen, becoming the brother she had never had.

Which was good, since the man had been part of the masses that had fallen in love with her cousin, but Brandi never seemed to notice.

“ Was it Sebastien?”

“I don’t think so.” Brandi shrugged. “Sounded older.”

Wendy turned around the book to see what Brandi had written, but the entry was blank. “I guess we’ll find out when they get here.”

Brandi stood in her painted-on jeans and reached for Rob’s papers. “You’ve taken all the fun out of me. I’m going to work on these upstairs and then go to bed.”

“Hold on there.” Wendy rose with her. “Two rooms need to be readied for guests.”

“Now?” Brandi checked the time. “It’s almost ten. Isn’t there something in our welcome guide that says we’re unavailable after ten unless it’s an emergency?”

The faster her cousin learned what to do, the faster Wendy could get back to the life she put on hold without the aching feeling of deserting her family.

If she’d been on schedule, she’d be finishing up with any Steward Hotel emails and then diving back in to Fountenoy Hall’s extra income.

This… thing with Dr. Upshaw had set her back.

And she wasn’t nearly annoyed as she should have been. “So should we leave a note out for our guests? So sorry, but you called too late. Linens are in the closet. Help yourself.”

Brandi stuck out her tongue. “Fine. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Ms. Not-On-Call.” She took two steps out of the office before turning around, hand on her hips. Amusement flickered in her eyes. “You owe me.”

“Yeah? How’s that?”

“Who saved your no-hitter in the championship playoffs?”

Wendy knit her eyebrows. “Gee, it was over five years ago. I don’t remember.”

Brandi laughed.

“Come on.” Wendy guided her cousin to the laundry room. She could double check Brandi’s work under the guise of helping. “We can split the job this one night.”