Free Snowbound with the Boss by Maureen Child Page B

the kitchen.”
    â€œYou’re right.” Nodding, he glanced back up the stairs before reluctantly admitting, “I wouldn’t have thought of that. But if the kitchen staff is busy, then having housekeeping coming and going will make everyone’s job harder than it has to be.”
    She made a few more notations, then wound the tape back into its shell. With it tucked away, she inspected the block walls and said, “A little insulation down here would make it more livable.”
    â€œAnother good idea,” he said. “Do it.”
    â€œThat was easy.” She looked at him. “And since you’re being so reasonable, what do you think about moving the laundry facilities to the old owner’s suite? It’s on the other side of the hotel, opposite the great room, and there’s plenty of space for water and electrical hookup, plus worktables for the folding or ironing or whatever is needed.”
    Sean pulled the layout of the hotel into his mind and could see it just as she’d described it. “Yeah, that’d work. Be easier for everyone. But then we’ve got an empty basement and don’t really need the insulation, do we?”
    â€œOf course we do,” she argued neatly. “Insulating down here will help keep the floors above warmer, cutting down on heating bills. And you could set this up as a tool room for the maintenance crew you’ll need to hire.”
    He walked down the rest of the steps, stopped beside her and laughed shortly. “And they won’t get in the way upstairs in the kitchen.”
    â€œNope,” she told him before walking across the room to slap one hand against the wall. “Because we’ll cut out a double door right here, with a ramp, so maintenance can get heavy tools and machinery in and out with no problem. Gives them easy access to what they need, and you know you’ll need riding mowers and at least a couple of snowblowers, as well. They can be stored down here. There’s plenty of space for everything you could ever need.”
    He could see it once she’d painted the picture, and Sean was only a little annoyed that he hadn’t seen it before. But why would he? He’d never used a snowblower in his life and since he lived in a condo at the beach, he really didn’t need a lawn mower, either, did he?
    Unaccustomed to having to work out solutions for anything other than how to market their next video game, he was stumbling around in the dark here. And all in all, he thought he was doing a pretty damn good job of it.
    â€œOkay, it’s a good plan.”
    She just looked at him for a long moment, then cocked her head and asked, “Why are you being so agreeable all of a sudden? We spent the first week you were in Wyoming arguing about everything.”
    She had a point there, too. But from the first, she’d gotten under his skin. Sean hadn’t wanted to admit it was desire chewing at his insides, so instead he’d told himself her attitude was aggravating. Maybe she’d had some great ideas all along and he’d just been too distracted by what she did to him to hear her out. And that knowledge was lowering for a man who had always prided himself on his ability to focus.
    â€œThings change,” he finally said.
    â€œI guess that’s true enough.” She came toward him, but instead of stopping alongside him, she walked past and took the stairs back up to the main floor.
    â€œWhat’re you doing now?”
    She stopped in the threshold and was backlit by the kitchen light. Her face in shadows, he felt her smile more than he could see it. “As long as you’re in such a good mood,” she said, “I figured we could start tearing down one of the walls to check the wiring.”
    He choked out a laugh. “Seriously?”
    â€œOkay, not the whole wall, but we should be able to at least rip away enough drywall to take a peek.”
    â€œAnd you