The kid had fallen for Ellie, which didn’t surprise Nate. As he knew from personal experience, she was easy to fall for. It was not giving in to his feelings for her that was hard. Almost as hard as acknowledging he had them.
“I doubt we’ll be able to keep the news from her for long, buddy. The delivery guy was setting the TV up for Joe when I left him.”
Nate and Hunter had finished the entertainment room a couple of hours ago. They’d worked through the night. Ellie had done the same. But it wasn’t Joe’s TV that was stressing Ellie out. It was her mother’s impending arrival today.
“Yeah? Is it okay if I go have a look?”
It wasn’t the TV Ryder wanted to check out. It was the gaming console Joe had ordered to go with it.
“Did you finish painting the Bridget Jones room for Ellie?”
“Yeah. It looks pretty cool. Ellie said I did a great job. She’s putting the last coat on the iron bed frame and then that room is done. Except for the door. She said it won’t take her as long to paint as the other ones did though.”
Ellie had used the book covers for inspiration. He’d known she was talented, but what she’d done with the doors had blown him away.
“Okay, sounds like you deserve a break.” Nate gave the kid’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’ve been a big help, Ryder. I’m proud of you. So is your mom.”
Gina had been thrilled with the changes she’d noticed in her nightly phone calls with Ryder. He was no longer the angry teenager she’d foisted on Nate. According to Gina, Ryder was beginning to sound like the happy-go-lucky son he’d been before he’d lost his father.
Ryder shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I like helping out with the rooms. Come on, Toby.” He patted his leg, and the Irish setter obediently left his place outside the Bridget Jones door. Ryder was the dog’s favorite human, but Ellie was a close second. Nate wasn’t even in the running. “Maybe just tell Ellie I’m working on ideas for our room,” Ryder added.
“Wait a minute. I thought Ellie was only doing the six rooms for the tour.” She had enough on her plate without taking on any more.
“When Ellie’s grandmother and the Sisterhood stopped by yesterday, they sort of vetoed the Count of Monte Cristo room.”
“Are you kidding me? That was my favorite room.”
Ryder grinned. “Ellie’s too. But they said nobody voted for it in their poll. So they suggested, more like ordered, really, that she change it to the top pick—Simon Basset and Daphne Bridgerton’s room. The series is playing on Netflix, and everyone in Highland Falls is hooked on it.”
“So our suite is The Count of Monte Cristo?”
“Nope. Ellie let me choose, and I picked Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games. She said I can help design the rooms. But we won’t start until Monday.”
“When you’re designing the rooms, buddy, just remember which one of us goes in which. I get the Peeta room.”
“Ellie says you’re more like Gale. But Katniss picked Peeta, so you can’t be Gale.” Ryder grinned. “If it makes you feel better, Ellie says she would have picked Gale over Peeta.”
Nate groaned. Just what he needed, Ryder joining the matchmakers of Highland Falls. “Go and check out the gaming console, kid,” Nate said, and walked to the Bridget Jones room.
Ellie was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the freshly painted turquoise bed frame, eating a chocolate bar, and not a small one.
“Room looks great,” he said, leaning against the door frame. Three of the walls were painted pale yellow, and the one behind the bed was a blue gray.
“Don’t bother,” he added when she tried to hide the mostly eaten chocolate bar under her leg. “The chocolate at the corner of your mouth and on your fingers would have given you away.”
She licked the tips of her fingers clean, then dabbed at her lips. “That was my last one. I need to go to the store and buy a family pack. Maybe two packs. I won’t survive the weekend without them.”
“I have a better idea. Come on.” He walked over and held out his hand.
“Where are we going?”
“For a run. It’s the best way to deal with stress. Better than giving yourself a sugar rush. Besides, you need some fresh air. We both do.”
“You might be able to run with very little sleep, but I can’t. Actually, I don’t particularly like to run on a good day.” She wiped her fingers on her leggings before placing her hand in his. “But some fresh air sounds good. How about a walk instead of a run?”
“Let’s compromise. We’ll jog instead of running.”
“I have a feeling what you think of as jogging is what I think of as running.” She glanced up at him. “Are you stressed too?”
She had no idea. Living under the same roof with Ellie while keeping her at arm’s length was about as stressful as not eating when you were starving. “Not like you, no. Just frustrated with the case. The task force hasn’t made any headway.” He checked in three times a day. “And I’m still waiting to hear back about your brother-in-law. Hopefully I’ll have something by the time your mother and sister arrive.”
“If Bri even comes at all. I called her this morning, and she says something came up but that she’d try, with an emphasis on try, to come tomorrow afternoon. I managed to push my mother off until then, except I made the mistake of using the renovations as an excuse. She threw a fit. In her mind, the inn is being torn down so all I’ve done is waste a lot of time, energy, and money for nothing.”
Instead of taking her in his arms like he wanted to, he said, “Go put your sneakers on. We’ll talk while we jog.”
“I’ll be lucky if I can breathe, let alone talk.” She looked down at her long-sleeved purple T-shirt. “I’m seriously out of shape, Nate.”
Not from what he could see. The woman had a body that would tempt a saint, and he was no saint. The only thing that had saved him from doing something stupid, like act on that temptation, was working almost day and night on the renos. “You might be surprised. Ryder didn’t think he was in shape either.” He’d been taking the kid with him on his early-morning runs.
“He’s fifteen!” She unwrapped the last of her chocolate bar and glanced at him. “Don’t judge. I need a sugar boost if I’m going to survive our jog. I’ll meet you outside.”
Twenty minutes later, he’d almost given up on her when she joined him on the road. “Did you find another chocolate bar in your room?” he teased.
“Ha. I wish. I heard shouting and cheering coming from the entertainment room and discovered Grandpa, Ryder, and the judge sitting on the floor playing a video game. They were so into shooting each other on the screen, they didn’t even realize I was there.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“I might have had an inkling.” He touched her arm. “Come on, we’ll jog off your stress. And focus on the positive. Video games are supposed to be good for seniors.”
“Not from what I saw. Grandpa was yelling at the screen and at Jonathan. His blood pressure is probably through the roof. Which is where mine went when he told me that he’d ordered a leather sectional off Facebook Marketplace.”