Page 15 of Reaching Little Robyn

He could see that and nodded. “Sorry about not bringing home the win.”

“That’s okay. It’s hard to get that one unless you pull off your boots and wiggle your toes.”

“Wish I’d thought of that instead of snorting and strutting around with my imaginary purse over my arm.”

Hayleigh’s attempt to hide her giggle didn’t work. Winston was still rather awestruck that these Littles felt completely at ease to simply be themselves. It had to be freeing to live life without having to fit into the molds society tried to squeezepeople into. With that, he realized that was exactly what he’d been attempting to do with a woman he’d interacted with for the whole of five minutes.

“Thanks, I needed that,” he said when she finally stopped giggling and wiped her eyes which had begun leaking with the effort of suppressing her enjoyment of his poor acting abilities. “Don’t tell Sadie, but I wasn’t interested in playing games tonight. Not if Robyn wasn’t playing as well. But I’m glad I did. It made me realize that I’ve been trying to make her into someone she obviously doesn’t want to be. I have no right to do that. She has every right to choose what she wants to do and who she wants to do it with. When you see her again, could you offer my apologies?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary, and I really wasn’t laughing at you,” Hayleigh said. “I mean, I was, but not because of your performance. Even though no one had a clue what you were attempting, it really was fun to watch.”

“Then what caused you to practically bust your gut laughing?”

“Um, I was just feeling silly.”

“Little girl, I might not have a Little of my own, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spot a fib when I hear one.”

Hayleigh had the grace to blush but then shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean. Oh, sorry, I’ve gotta go!”

Despite the urgency of her statement, when she got off the couch, she didn’t race across the lobby. She sauntered as if she hadn’t a care in the world. When she turned and gave him a little wave, he suddenly had a suspicion that the game hadn’t quite ended. All he had to do was figure out the right clue.

Winston spent the rest of the evening talking with several other Bigs as well as chatting with a few more Littles. Every single one was gracious and he enjoyed speaking with them, buttry as he might, he didn’t feel anything more than pleasure at spending a few moments getting to know one another.

Proud that he’d stayed for a couple of hours, Winston began to make his way toward the door to take his leave when Derek caught up with him.

“Before you go, I wanted to let you know I’ve made that reservation for you. That is if you’re still interested in checking into the B&B.”

“I am,” Winston assured him. “Do you know if there is a specific cut off time for check-in? I’ll need to meet with the construction crew in the morning.”

“The grand opening ceremony starts at 10 o’clock, so any time after that will work. The room is yours so you can show up whenever it’s convenient for you.”

“That works, and I appreciate you intervening on my behalf. Oh, and thank Sadie for me. I had fun.”

“I will.” Derek grinned. “She can make the roughest days run smoothly. Then again, she can also make the smoothest day feel like a hurricane married a tornado and had a tsunami.”

Winston laughed, easily imagining the Little doing exactly that. “I believe it. You found a treasure in that one. Good night and thanks again.” Winston turned to reach for the doorknob again. He had the door pulled open when he realized he had no clue where the B&B was located. Shaking his head, he turned back. “By the way, got an address for me?”

“An address?” Derek patted his pockets. “I’m afraid I forgot to write it down. I’d go ask Erika but I think she and Jared left a few minutes ago. But you can’t miss it. Turn right out of the gates and then left at the first road. That takes you to the Ridge. The B&B is the big yellow Victorian house on the crest of the first hill off to the right. Just look for the balloons.”

Remembering the grand opening, Winston nodded. “Yellow and balloons. If I get lost, I’ll give you a call.”

Derek lifted a hand. “I’ve got faith you’ll get the job done. Have a good night.”

Winston nodded and finally managed to step through the door. As he pulled out onto the main road, he thought about driving by the place but since it was dark and he really did have to get up early to meet the contractor, he only gave the road a look as he passed it by.

CHAPTER 8

Robyn

Since owning a B&B meant she’d be cooking breakfast for her guests, Robyn had gradually adjusted her sleeping schedule over the past month. It hadn’t been easy as she’d always been somewhat of a night owl. Still, she was sound asleep when a ringing dragged her out of dreamland. With her eyes closed, she lifted her hand to flap it over the surface of her nightstand until it connected with her phone.

“Hello?”

“Please don’t tell me you are sick,” Hayleigh said.

“Nope, I was just in bed.”

“Bed? Oh! Good for you, girl! I’ll call you back later… never mind, I’ll just see you tomorrow and you can give me all the details.”

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