Free The Christmas Inn by Stella Maclean Page B

as nutty as that sounds, it might work at least until
you tell the truth.”
    “Then do it. You go along with the idea of being the manager’s
assistant. That will make your mystery-guest job easier, and you can be out of
there by the latest the day after tomorrow.”
    “Have you forgotten that I came here partly to rethink my
life?”
    “Okay, then what about this? You get your survey questions done
ASAP. And once Christmas is over, I’ll buy you a ticket to any vacation spot you
choose.”
    She had to hand it to her brother; he had a gift when it came
to persuasion.
    “Listen, Marnie. I’m really sorry about all this, and I’ll fix
it, I promise.”
    Her brother had all the answers. And if she went home now, her
mother would want her to be Mrs. Claus.
    “I want to go to Hawaii the first week of January. And I want a
second ticket so I can take someone with me.”
    “Are you hiding something, Marnie?”
    “No, I’m not hiding anything. I just don’t want to go to Hawaii
by myself.” She had no idea who she’d invite, but she figured Scott didn’t have
to know that.
    “Agreed. Now I’ve got to go to bed, get my handsome rest,” he
said.
    “Sleep will not make you handsome. A few spa treatments,
maybe.”
    “Don’t have time for such pampering, but I do need to get some
rest with the holiday season in full swing here. Talk later,” he said.
    “When you have my tickets ready,” she reminded him.
    “Don’t worry, Marnie. I realize that you’re off to a bad start,
but things will get better.”
    “And you know that because…?”
    “Because you’re my baby sister and I love you.”
    “You have a strange way of showing it,” she said, before
snapping her phone shut, ignoring the warm feelings his words provoked.
Regardless of how angry Scott could make her, she still wanted his approval. It
had always been that way between them, mostly because he’d been the one brother
of the four who had always been there for her.
    She gazed around the room, at the mess she’d made of her
clothes in her rush to find her black dress. In her haste, she’d forgotten she’d
packed a black lace bra and panties and the hot-pink bustier, just in case she
met someone.
    That was before she discovered that the only available male at
the inn wanted her to disappear. She couldn’t tell him she wasn’t married, and
she certainly couldn’t tell him about the questionnaires she was working on. If
he discovered that she was spying on his inn, it would be the end of
everything.
    That left her with one option. She would enjoy tonight’s dinner
while she prepared her explanation to Luke. She would tell him what her brother
did, and what he’d asked her to do. That she couldn’t lie to him regardless of
what perks her brother offered. If Luke was still interested in her after that,
then they might have a chance. If not, it was better for her to learn that now
before her heart got involved.
    She was about to put the bustier back into her suitcase when
someone tapped on the door. It had to be room service with her dinner. “I’ll be
right there,” she called out, tucking the bustier behind her back and opening
the door.
    Before her stood Luke dressed in a dark suit and a tie that
matched the green of his eyes. “I decided to deliver your dinner myself.”

CHAPTER FOUR
    “T HANK YOU SO MUCH , I really appreciate this,” she
said, dropping the bustier on the floor behind her, and kicking it behind the
door with her foot as she reached for the cart.
    He pushed the serving table into the tiny room, wedging it
between the bed and the door to the bathroom.
    “Do you mind if I stay a minute so we can talk?” Luke
asked.
    “Talk? S-sure,” she said, reluctantly closing the door and
praying he wouldn’t notice the bustier among the rest of the clothing strewn
across the floor. “Sorry for the mess.”
    He chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” Then
his face took on a more serious expression. “Scott