once again at the edge of her lips.
“ Here’s the thing,” he said, leaning closer to her, creating an air of intimacy between them. “This place, it’s a great place. With great people. There’s history here. Did you know that George Washington actually slept here?”
“ How do you know he’s not still sleeping here?” she muttered, and took another drink.
“ Well…” Jake chuckled, hoping she was kidding. “Because he’s dead. But I find the dead to be a really depressing topic. Hey, let’s talk money.”
“ Or, hey, let’s not.”
“ We don’t make much here.”
She raised a brow at him. “ That’s your hard sell?”
“ Esther liked to pay her people well, and that ate into the profit margin a bit. But you see, this place is about more than profits.”
“ More than profits?”
“ More than profits. It’s about history. And legacy. And the Goodhouse name, which may not mean much to you because you don’t carry it, but it’s still in your blood.”
He waited, not speaking again until she smiled, which, he was glad to note, didn ’t take too long.
Hell. This might just work.
“Flynn, it’s a great place. And we do a decent business. Esther got along just fine. So can you. Why don’t you just give it a try? Stay for, say, a year. Run the place. If it doesn’t work, you can always sell then.”
She bolted upright. “A year? Are you kidding? I’m not staying the night.”
Wow. He really sucked at this.
She looked at him for a long moment, then shrugged and downed the rest of the drink.
“It’s been a long day,” she said, sliding the glass to him to refill. “I should be sleeping right now, but I can’t because, as it turns out, I’ve got a roommate.”
Jake felt a bristle at the idea, but covered with a laugh. “Well. That was quick.”
She blinked. “What?” Her eyes widened, and then she smacked at his arm. “Oh, God. No. Who could I possibly have seduced between now and when you dropped me off this afternoon?”
“ I’d believe it,” Jake said. Flynn met his eye.
“ You say that like it’s a compliment.”
“ It was.”
Flynn opened her mouth, then closed it, then waved her hand in the air. “Okay. Whatever. Anyway. I was talking about Esther. Esther’s my roommate.”
“ Mmmmm, don’t think so,” he said, smiling lightly. “We may not be up on all the latest things here in Shiny, but we have hopped on the bury-the-dead bandwagon.”
“ I don’t mean her body. A body I can deal with. I’m talking about her”—she waved her hands around in the air, as if trying to conjure the word— “ spirit. ” She downed another gulp of her drink, then shook her head. “I think she moved the cows.”
Jake gently pulled the glass from Flynn ’s fingers. “Maybe we’re done with this.”
She whipped her eyes up to his and then narrowed them dangerously. Jake drew back in a self-protective instinct.
“Look,” she said, her voice low and serious, “let’s get a few things straight here. I’m not some ditzy, spoiled Daddy’s girl who can’t think for herself or put in a hard day’s work. And I’m not crazy, either. I dreamed about Aunt Esther, and okay, fine, maybe she didn’t move the cows, but it creeped me out, and that’s a completely sane response. Now, I’m here to do a job, and I’m gonna do it, and that’s that. So don’t charm me, don’t condescend to me, and if you value your hand—”
In a flash, she snatched her glass back; Jake was impressed that she did it without spilling a drop.
“—do not ever take my drink away again, okay?” Their eyes connected, and Jake felt everything go still. Flynn Daly was just plain odd. Alternately combative and congenial, pretty and prickly. She had this weird effect of shifting gravity when she walked in a room, making him feel perpetually off balance in her presence, and there was something about her that occasionally snuck up and dope-slapped him in the back of the head.
He liked
“ Here’s the thing,” he said, leaning closer to her, creating an air of intimacy between them. “This place, it’s a great place. With great people. There’s history here. Did you know that George Washington actually slept here?”
“ How do you know he’s not still sleeping here?” she muttered, and took another drink.
“ Well…” Jake chuckled, hoping she was kidding. “Because he’s dead. But I find the dead to be a really depressing topic. Hey, let’s talk money.”
“ Or, hey, let’s not.”
“ We don’t make much here.”
She raised a brow at him. “ That’s your hard sell?”
“ Esther liked to pay her people well, and that ate into the profit margin a bit. But you see, this place is about more than profits.”
“ More than profits?”
“ More than profits. It’s about history. And legacy. And the Goodhouse name, which may not mean much to you because you don’t carry it, but it’s still in your blood.”
He waited, not speaking again until she smiled, which, he was glad to note, didn ’t take too long.
Hell. This might just work.
“Flynn, it’s a great place. And we do a decent business. Esther got along just fine. So can you. Why don’t you just give it a try? Stay for, say, a year. Run the place. If it doesn’t work, you can always sell then.”
She bolted upright. “A year? Are you kidding? I’m not staying the night.”
Wow. He really sucked at this.
She looked at him for a long moment, then shrugged and downed the rest of the drink.
“It’s been a long day,” she said, sliding the glass to him to refill. “I should be sleeping right now, but I can’t because, as it turns out, I’ve got a roommate.”
Jake felt a bristle at the idea, but covered with a laugh. “Well. That was quick.”
She blinked. “What?” Her eyes widened, and then she smacked at his arm. “Oh, God. No. Who could I possibly have seduced between now and when you dropped me off this afternoon?”
“ I’d believe it,” Jake said. Flynn met his eye.
“ You say that like it’s a compliment.”
“ It was.”
Flynn opened her mouth, then closed it, then waved her hand in the air. “Okay. Whatever. Anyway. I was talking about Esther. Esther’s my roommate.”
“ Mmmmm, don’t think so,” he said, smiling lightly. “We may not be up on all the latest things here in Shiny, but we have hopped on the bury-the-dead bandwagon.”
“ I don’t mean her body. A body I can deal with. I’m talking about her”—she waved her hands around in the air, as if trying to conjure the word— “ spirit. ” She downed another gulp of her drink, then shook her head. “I think she moved the cows.”
Jake gently pulled the glass from Flynn ’s fingers. “Maybe we’re done with this.”
She whipped her eyes up to his and then narrowed them dangerously. Jake drew back in a self-protective instinct.
“Look,” she said, her voice low and serious, “let’s get a few things straight here. I’m not some ditzy, spoiled Daddy’s girl who can’t think for herself or put in a hard day’s work. And I’m not crazy, either. I dreamed about Aunt Esther, and okay, fine, maybe she didn’t move the cows, but it creeped me out, and that’s a completely sane response. Now, I’m here to do a job, and I’m gonna do it, and that’s that. So don’t charm me, don’t condescend to me, and if you value your hand—”
In a flash, she snatched her glass back; Jake was impressed that she did it without spilling a drop.
“—do not ever take my drink away again, okay?” Their eyes connected, and Jake felt everything go still. Flynn Daly was just plain odd. Alternately combative and congenial, pretty and prickly. She had this weird effect of shifting gravity when she walked in a room, making him feel perpetually off balance in her presence, and there was something about her that occasionally snuck up and dope-slapped him in the back of the head.
He liked
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