Inn & Out (A Romantic Comedy) (Five More Wishes Book 2) by Elise Sax

Bert live in the guest house and keep a strict schedule. To top it off, there’s only one television in the main house. When I stumble on Gone With the Wind on the classic movie channel, Thor joins me on the broken couch, just as Rhett is telling Scarlett about how she’s never been kissed properly.
    “How about you?” Thor asks me.
    “Excuse me?”
    “Have you ever been kissed properly?” His arm is resting on the couch behind my head, and he leans in. He’s terribly handsome and strength emanates from his body. When his attention is focused on me, I get completely overwhelmed. There’s so much I want to say, starting with, “Are you offering?” but the overwhelmed feeling throws me. If I can’t keep my wits about me, how can I know if Thor will mess up my life if I let him in?
    “I have to shave my legs,” I blurt out and leap off the couch.
    But I don’t shave my legs all week. Foolishly, I think that the stubble is a good barrier between me and Thor’s penis, kind of like Wonder Woman’s bracelets stopping bullets. I spend most of my time setting up a bank account and the rest of the business, which I’m now calling Hide Tide Events. So far, I haven’t gotten any more bookings, but I’ve got a good dozen lookie-loos who’ve passed by to get the skinny on the kindergarten riot. After a week of landscaping, Thor turns his attention to painting the outside of the inn, which normally would help me in my determination not to be alone with him, but I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time spying on him as he paints the house shirtless and spattered with paint.
    Meanwhile, the inside of the house is starting to take shape. Miraculously, Jean finishes the downstairs wood floors and begins to redo her famous banister. Bert is still recovering, but he’s graduated from his wheelchair to a walker, and Jean moves the couch for him to where she’s working, so he can lounge around while he tells her that she’s doing everything wrong.
    It’s nearing lunch time, and Thor has moved into the kitchen, so I go to the living room and hover in the corner as Bert and Jean work.
    “Are you kidding?” Bert complains. “Big Valley has nothing on Bonanza.”
    “I’m just saying that Barbara Stanwyck was smarter than Ben Cartwright.”
    “Woman, you’ve never said anything dumber in your whole… What are you doing here?” He demands, noticing me for the first time.
    “She’s avoiding Thor,” Jean explains.
    “No, I’m not,” I say. “I wanted to watch you work. I admire your craftsmanship.”
    “I think Beryl is afraid to pork Thor,” Jean tells Bert.
    “I can’t keep up with the soap opera,” he complains. “He should just marry you and get it over with.”
    “Who’s getting married?” Thor asks, walking into the room. I jump in surprise.
    “Nobody!” I yell.
    “Okay. Okay. No need to get upset about it. Soup’s on, everybody.”
    Jean puts her hammer down and wipes her hands on her overalls. “Nope. We’re going out for pizza.”
    “What?” Thor asks. “But I’ve got pot roast ready for you.”
    “Sorry, boy,” Bert says. “We got to eat with the mother-in-law.”
    My mouth drops. “Your mother’s alive?” Then, I realize the bigger issue at hand. “You’re leaving us alone for lunch?”
    ***
    The pot roast is delicious, but I’m having a hard time swallowing. The tension is thick, and the kitchen table where we’re sitting is surrounded by a cloud of hormones. “So, you and Jordyn,” I say, cutting through the hormones. “Did you have an affair with her? She’s married, you know.”
    He laughs. “We were high school sweethearts. At least we were during our senior year, but Jordyn’s aspirations included a Jaguar and a live-in cleaning lady, and my aspirations were military service.”
    “Oh.” He’s shut me down. So far, I can’t find any bum characteristics in Thor Stockman, former navy SEAL and current innkeeper. “So, war. That had to be tough,” I