“Don’t run with your mouth full,” Tony called out with a laugh.
Out of habit, she slowed down. Nearly all the staff treated her like she was their daughter. They’d fussed, praised, and lectured her all the way from elementary school to high school.
Some people wouldn’t like the extra sets of parents or even understand, but this place and the people who worked and lived here during the high season were a second home to her. Generations of families stayed, just like hers.
Well, her mother hadn’t, but she’d let some man sweep her off her feet and carry her away. Hannah was determined not to let that happen to her. It was why she’d chosen to work full time and attend a local college part time, while selectively dating guys who never intended to leave the Outer Banks.
Except that left her with very few choices, and it had been ages since she’d last had a date. Last had the touch of a man… she smiled wryly, if she could call Fischer a man. He was like an overgrown boy most of the time, living up to his name.
Fischer loved to fish more than anything else in this world. He knew more about surf reports and what was running than he did times for dates or her favorite flower.
She finished her sandwich and started on her chips, taking sips of water along the way.
But they had parted on amicable terms a couple of years back, and she hadn’t had the time to find someone new. While there were opportunities at the resort to date, she knew to never mix business with pleasure. So, she didn’t mess around with staff or guests.
Throwing away her trash, she eased into the conference room where staff meetings were usually held and sat down in the first high-backed chair. Looking around, she was surprised to see that she was the only one there. Sure, she was normally on time, but she had never been early in her life. There was always something that had to be finished first.
She checked the ship’s wheel clock and confirmed that she was, in fact, on time. With a frown, she glanced around the room again and started to rise.
“Ms. Miller.” The voice came from the other end of the table.
“Yes?”
The chair spun slowly around, revealing a devastatingly handsome man with dark eyes. Recognition tugged at her brain, but she could quite place him. Rudely, she stared at him. At his sensual mouth, the way he sat so confidently in his chair and radiated sexual charm.
His gaze was intent. Assessing. He made her hyper-aware of how she looked. How a loose strand of hair sliding across her cheek made her shiver. How her uniform felt suddenly tight across her breasts.
Hannah blinked. She wasn’t the type to fall for men like him, and certainly not over some guy in a suit. No matter how well it fit him, no matter how well it was cut to show his lean body to perfection.
And dear Lord in Heaven, she had to stop.
“Can I help you?” she finally asked.
His mouth quirked, a dimple appearing briefly, but it was enough for everything to click. “I certainly hope so.”
“Drew!” She shot to her feet and shoved her chair back, so happy to see her old friend that she didn’t notice he stayed seated as she threw herself at him and hugged his broad shoulders. “Oh, my word. I can’t believe you’re actually here. It’s been so long. I missed you.”
His large hands rested on her back, and she could feel the heat of his palms all the way down to her skin. He felt different than he had at nineteen. He was all filled out now. All man. With a little sigh, she inhaled his masculine scent and fought against sitting in his lap.
That would be totally inappropriate.
Who cared? This was Drew!
He seemed to care because his hands fell away, and he cleared his throat a couple of times before she finally got the hint and let go of him.
“Sorry. Old habit for an old friend,” she said with an embarrassed smile as she straightened to her full height. Still only five feet two inches, but it was what it was. “What brings you here?”
He glanced up at her, peering through heavily lashed forest-green eyes. She inwardly sighed dreamily. Some thing never changed, and her reaction to him certainly hadn’t.
“Business meeting,” he said in a low drawl that had her heart pounding against her chest. His gaze roamed her face, her clothes… her body. A warm flush covered her neck, spreading upward. “You look… well.”
For some reason, his tone made her take a step back, or maybe it was because she felt completely goofy for the huge helping of affection she’d just given him. “So do you.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. How’s Connor? London? Your parents? Still living in Charlotte?”
“Everyone is great. My mother, however, succumbed to breast cancer three years ago.”