Last Chance Motel 1 (Last Chance Romance Series) by Abigail Keam Page A

linens needed extra time to dry that day. The last thing Eva wanted was to put damp sheets on the new beds. They would come back tomorrow and finish the job.
    Mike, Jenny and Mary arranged the living and dining furniture inside all the units. Exhausted, Mary took Jenny home around three while Mike stayed to work into the night.
    Dennis finished early and helped Eva set up the bathrooms with towels, rugs, toiletries, and toilet paper.
    Eva doubled-check and then rechecked to make sure the bathrooms were sparkling clean.
    And for the last task of the afternoon, Mike, Eva, and Dennis stocked all the units with new microwaves, dishware, utensils, paper goods, and coffee.
    Finally Dennis called it a day and went back to Bungalow Two complaining of a headache.
    Eva begged off also and went to her unit for a little siesta in the late afternoon.
    Taking advantage of the lull, Mike flopped into a hammock and promptly fell asleep to the sound of the blue water lapping against the beach.

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    W hen Mike awoke, he was startled to find Eva’s iguana sitting on his chest and flickering his long tongue at him. “Get off me,” chastised Mike, pushing the large lizard to the ground.
    The lizard gave Mike a baleful stare before zigzagging into the bushes.
    Mike looked around. It was night. Wondering how long he had been asleep, he heard noise coming from the laundry building. Pushing back his hair and straightening his shirt, he strode into the cramped building to find Eva folding sheets.
    “How long was I conked out?” asked Mike.
    “For about four hours.”
    “Four hours!”
    “I just woke up myself,” said Eva. “I think we were all very tired.”
    “Where’s Dennis?”
    “He’s still asleep. He probably got too hot. He’s not used to the heat. I’m going to let him sleep.”
    Mike rubbed his stomach. “I’m famished. Let’s get something to eat.”
    “I want to finish these linens for tomorrow.”
    Mike gently took the sheets from Eva’s hands and pulled her out of the laundry room. “Laundry can wait until tomorrow. Let’s not get obsessive. We’ll have a nice dinner, some wine, and general conversation. Then I’ll bring you back for some much needed rest. We can begin this crazy process first thing tomorrow.”
    Eva grinned. “That sounds like a plan. I’ll get my purse.”
    “No need. My treat. And you don’t need to change. One thing about Key Largo . . . it’s very casual.”
    Eva was grateful that Mike was taking charge. She was tired. Very tired of making every decision on her own. That could be exhausting.
    It didn’t take long before they were at Aussie Jack’s place and sat outside. Mike selected lobster stuffed with crabmeat, baked potato, and grilled asparagus for the both of them. Eva ordered an iced tea while Mike got a beer.
    They talked of general things like childhood and college. Much of the dinner they didn’t speak at all but were comfortable with the silence between them. They seemed intuitive of each other’s needs. Before Eva could ask for the salt, Mike automatically moved it toward her. When Mike wanted the check, Eva caught the waitress’ eye and signaled to her.
    They didn’t notice that Aussie Jack was watching them.
    And Aussie Jack had come to a conclusion. The two had fallen in love but didn’t recognize it. Yet.

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    E va could barely stay in her seat by the pool, watching Mike escort the building inspector into each unit for the final inspection. She knew better than to interfere and if a question came up, Mike could handle the inspector.
    But still Eva’s stomach hurt.
    If the inspector didn’t approve the renovation, then Eva couldn’t open on schedule and she already had booked guests.
    They came out of Bungalow Three and went over Four. As they passed by, Mike winked but she did not take it as a good sign that the inspector looked grumpy and swung his arms with impatience.
    Not able to withstand the suspense, Eva went back into the office and made herself a cup