Page 13 of Fifty-Fifty

A few seconds later, Beau answers the door. She’s wearing a little red apron around her waist, and her hair is a disheveled mess, piled on top of her head with tendrils framing her face.

I try to contain the laughter from slipping out of my mouth as I take her in.

“You okay, there?”

She rolls her eyes. “Why, hello to you, too. I made a casserole for dinner. Oh, and there’s no need to knock. You can come on in. That’s what the rest of the customers do, anyway.” Beau rushes out of the entryway and through an open family room decorated with nature pictures before disappearing around a corner.

Hesitantly, I follow her with my duffle bag in tow, and I can’t help the concern that swells in my lower gut at the thought of her being here alone with strangers.

“You don’t ever lock your front door?” I call to her.

“Only at night,” she returns. “If I locked it all the time, I’d never get anythin’ done.”

I bite my tongue from arguing, even though it kills me to think of the possibilities that could unfold with her and Mac being here alone with the wrong customer.

The granite counter is a disaster of salad ingredients, but the rest of the kitchen looks like it’s been recently cleaned. The floors are practically still shining from being mopped. It’s a decent sized layout with a small table tucked in the corner with two chairs surrounding it.

After scanning the area, my gaze lands on Mac, who’s sitting on the counter with her back to me. My heavy boots scraping across the floor are enough to grab her attention.

As soon as she sees me, she grins and I can’t help but return it with one of my own.

“Hey, Mac. Remember me?”

I haven’t been around many kids, but if they’re all like Mac, then I should definitely change that. She’s hilarious.

She doesn’t answer me, just continues to smile, watching my every move.

Slowly, I take a few more steps into the kitchen until I’m standing on the opposite side of the counter.

“Have ya eaten yet? I know you were at the coffee shop and all…” Beau’s voice trails off as she bends at the waist to retrieve the casserole from the oven. It smells like heaven, making my mouth water.

I shift from foot to foot as I debate whether I should lie. “No, but I can go and grab something. Once you guys are done with dinner, I can come back.”

Beau laughs dryly before setting the hot dish onto the counter to cool.

“Noah. This is a bed and breakfast. I also like to offer dinner to the tenants when they’re home. And since you’re plannin’ on stayin’ the night, that would technically make you one, too. Would ya like to eat dinner with us?”

Mac takes the opportunity to offer me the cucumber she was munching on by lifting it in my direction. It’s covered in slobber with a few half-chewed pieces sliding down the side and onto her hand.

“Cuh-cuh-ber,” she says in her cute little voice that reminds me of Boo from Monsters, Inc.

Clearing my throat, I reply, “Yeah. Cucumber. Looks yummy.”

“Eat,” Mac states. Her tone is bossy as hell, just like her mom. The sound makes me laugh out loud.

“Eat,” she repeats, looking at me like I’m an idiot for not complying.

Her reaction makes me laugh even harder, slapping my hand against the cold countertops to keep me steady as I lose my shit over the sassy two-year-old in front of me.

“Man, she’s bossy,” I say through bouts of laughter.

Beau rolls her eyes. “I know. I have no idea where she gets it from.”

I snort before adding, “I think I have an idea.”

Beau ignores me by grabbing a few plates from the cupboard and setting them on the small table in the corner.

“Mac and I usually eat in here to give the customers some privacy, but since you’re part owner and all, I figure you can stay with us. Unless,” she waves her hand in the direction of the family room, “you would like to eat in there. I mean… I guess I shoulda asked. Do you wanna be treated like a tenant or an owner? Because those are two very different things.” Her brows furrow as she states her question, like she can’t decide what to do with me, either.

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