Page 11 of Snowbound

And for all I really care, they can be. I’m not here to protect his feelings. Even if I have just gained a new respect for him, I’m here because I have nowhere else to be. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be here at all.

“So, you’re absolutely sure?” I ask tentatively. “There’s no way I can be back on the road tonight? Or even tomorrow would be okay.”

“You invented magic?” he asks. I shake my head, confused about what seems to be a very sudden change in subject. Seeing my look of confusion, he sighs. “Put it this way. Even if I had the parts, it would take pure magic for me to get them all installed and tested in time for you to hit the road again tonight, tomorrow, or even the day after. You’re here for a few days. You’ll have to deal with it.”

“But…” I start, not wanting to argue exactly, but not quite able to believe what I’m hearing. “But my meeting…”

“You’ll have to call it off, won’t you?” he grounds out. I don’t think he’s trying to be nasty, but he’s acting like I’m personally causing him an enormous problem.

Sure, I might not be his best client ever. But I’m giving him business, aren’t I? I’m going to be paying his bills.

I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m starting to sound like one of them again, one of my awful clients. This is what happens when I don’t talk to normal people for too long.

I start to become one of the people I despise.

“All right,” I say, forcing myself to be calm. “So, I’m stuck here for a while. “What am I going to do?”

Gabe shrugs. I can tell he has a comment brewing in his mind, but he doesn’t voice it. I can guess what it would be without him having to say a thing. You’ll just have to cope, won’t you?

“Do you know anywhere where I could stay?”

He gestures around. “This is the best you’re going to get around here. I think there’s a motel about fifteen minutes away, but?—”

“But no car,” I finish the sentence for him. “Great.”

But at least there is something. This place was called an inn for a reason, I guess. And I didn’t see a “no vacancies” sign anywhere, so if I’m really lucky, I could be sleeping in a bed tonight after all.

I wave Benjamin down, and he comes over to us with a cheeky look of curiosity. “You know,” he says. “This is the longest I’ve seen Gabe outside his shop in years.” Gabe glowers at that comment, and Benjamin adds, “It’s good. We’ve missed you.” Then he turns to me and says, “Don’t let his grumpy act fool you. He’s a sweetheart, really.”

Gabe takes a sharp breath, and I’m almost surprised not to hear him growling at the comment. I bite my lip to stop myself from giggling.

“Do you have any vacancies?” asks Gabe sharply, clearly indicating that this conversation is changing channels. “She needs somewhere to stay. Please tell me you have a room.”

The look Benjamin gives him next crushes all the hope that I had been building up inside me. Benjamin turns to me and gives me the saddest smile I’ve ever seen anyone give another person. “I’m sorry, darlin’,” he says. “But we don’t.”

CHAPTER7

GABE

“What do you mean, you don’t?”

“I mean,” says Benjamin, slowly raising his eyebrows as if to say,are you completely stupid or just deaf?“We don’t have any rooms. I think there must have been some sort of festival in the city because this week we’ve had an absolute rush of people wanting to stay. I’ve never seen anything like it. As you know, we only have a few rooms, and only one or two of them are usually ever occupied at once. To have someone in all five is a miracle. Really, it’s great business.”

“But it’s not great for us,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “Look, she’s been through a lot. You’re telling me that you don’t have anything. Not a single room for her. Not so much as a fold-out bed.” Her eyes are boring holes into me, and I clench my jaw, refusing to look. I’m not a white knight for her. I’m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart.

I’m doing it to do her a favor and get her out of my hair.

Benjamin shakes his head regretfully. “Believe me, the idea of turning good business away… it doesn’t fill me with joy either. But a full room is a full room. We don’t so much as have a manger for you to stay in.”

It’s a weak joke, and when he turns back to Carly, she has that pathetic, tearful look in her eyes again. I suppose it’s understandable, given the circumstances. She shouldn’t show so much weakness by crying, but I suppose a pity point might make Benjamin feel sorry for her.

Not that Benjamin needs to be swayed by a pretty girl crying. He’s got a soft enough heart that he’d do anything for anyone. I suppose that’s technically a nice quality. I suppose I technically shouldn’t call her a girl either. She can’t be that much younger than me.

But when her cheeks flush against her pale skin like this and her wide, watery blue eyes draw you in, it’s hard to think of her as anything except a woman. I might not like other people very much, but I’m not an idiot, and I certainly know how to appreciate a fine beauty when she’s in front of me.

“Let me talk to Maude,” says Benjamin. “I’ll see what we can do.”

“Thanks,” I mutter.

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