Page 153 of Chosen Beta

Meanwhile, I’ll be back to leaving the answering machine on and checking the calls once or twice a day. The thought of that makes me groan.

“You okay?” Pete asks as he holds the medical wing door open for me.

“I’m down a receptionist,” I remind him. “And my workload is crazy. It’s not ideal.”

“We’ll find someone to help out,” he tells me. “Don’t worry about it.”

Coming from anyone else, that would sound like a brush off.

Because it’s Pete, I can’t help but wonder who I’m going to end up with behind that desk.

Any warm body has got to be better than nothing.

I lead him along the corridor and up the stairs.

It’s dark upstairs, but it’s not pitch black.

Someone might have opened the blinds on the window at the end of the hallway.

“I should probably clean up for dinner,” I tell Pete.

“If you’re going to your room, I’m coming with you,” he warns me.

It’s a condition I can live with. I was already willing to let him see my room last night.

There’s no reason to say no to having him accompany me now.

Especially not after everything we did in my office this morning.

We start down the corridor, keeping to the left.

I bring my keys out, but when we get there, the door is already open.

Pete puts his arm around me and pulls me back.

I stare at him in shock.

Someone unlocked my door.

What the hell?

Pete slowly mouths, “Stay here.”

He doesn’t look away from my face until I nod in agreement.

I wrap my arms around my body, and I move a little closer to the wall with the window.

Pete pushes the door open slowly. It doesn’t make a sound.

“Who are you, and what are you doing in here?” he barks loudly as he steps into the unlit room.

The girlish shriek that starts before he finishes his question makes me jump, and shiver.

“I’m just doing the laundry!” A familiar voice protests. “I forgot to come back for it this morning.”

“Nice try,” Pete says. “This isn’t your room.”

I step into the room behind him, shining the light from my phone forward. I see Marianne standing by the side of the dresser, laundry bag in her hands.

---