Page 3 of After Hours
Ialways handled the Halcyon Inn delivery first because they trusted me to bring the right linens and put them away neatly on my own. Some clients stood over me like I would go wild and throw their towels on the floor or do dirty things to their tablecloths if not supervised every second. Others just liked the sense of control they got over ‘the help’ and directed me to put specific things on specific shelves, which were always the same as the week before. Of course, some places didn’t have staff on hand to deal with a delivery at four AM either.
Carter gave me a keycard to the back door just a few weeks after we met, and I would do nothing to betray his trust. Not that I would shirk my linen delivery duties regardless. Maybe it wassilly to be so loyal to a menial job at the local laundry, but they treated me well and paid me enough to live the life I wanted.
That morning, however, my stellar reputation might take a blow if I didn’t get the load there pronto. Whoever drove the truck before me failed to mention the smoke billowing from the engine compartment. By the time the loading dock crew switched the orders to another vehicle, I was an hour late for all my runs. I knew the Halcyon folks wouldn’t care, but many of the other customers would waste even more of my time bitching about the delay.
Now the replacement truck slumped on a flat tire about twelve feet before the turn onto the inn property. After a colorful but quiet bout of cursing, I called my boss, Henry, back at Beacon Commercial Laundry, and explained what happened. I could change a tire on my Subie if I had to, but a box truck was something else.
I loaded up the cart with the delivery of towels, sheets, and whatnot and jogged down the lane. It clattered over unseen pebbles and threatened to tip over a time or two. The cart wasn’t built for outdoor travel. Henry contacted the roadside assistance crew, but I wasn’t waiting around for the sun to come up. The Halcyon Inn needed their linens.
I checked my watch and picked up the pace. Not many folks on vacation would wake up before five o’clock, but if anyone had an early morning need for an extra towel, I wanted them to have it. The path to the employee parking lot and back door wound through some evergreen bushes, and I slipped through, slid the keycard in, and rolled inside.
A rustle and a thump came out of the darkness beyond the door. It eased open to reveal Finn O’Donnell, the inn’s co-owner. Although scarier looking, Finn was just as friendly as his partner, Carter. I also saw him more frequently, since he baked all the breakfast pastries and often got up before dawn.
I shot him a smile. “Morning, Finn. Sorry for the lateness. The truck had a flat.”
He waved one huge hand dismissively. “No worries. Glad I caught you, though. Carter wanted me to tell you…” He turned to pull a folded towel off a high shelf. “This one has a frayed edge. It’s clean, but he said to let you know if I saw you.”
“Oh shit. Damn. Sorry!” I really shouldn’t curse in front of customers, but after everything that happened, my filter had worn thin.
“I’ll get rid of that and bring back an extra later on today if that’s okay?” Henry drilled it into every member of the Beacon team that nothing would stand in the way of taking care of our customers. If the Halcyon Inn needed an extra towel, I would have to drive out to give it to them.
Yeah, it was a good job, but that type of enthusiasm seemed a bit excessive. I didn’t want to interrupt my already shaky daytime sleep schedule to drive a single towel anywhere.
Finn smiled and shook his head. “We have enough. Just wanted to point it out.” He turned and headed back toward the kitchen. “Gotta get baking. See you.”
I slung the damaged towel over my shoulder while I stocked the rest of the clean linens on the shelves. I loaded the dirties, turned off the light, locked the door, dragged the cart back through the parking lot, and hoped the flat tire people got there soon. Lost in my own thoughts and the serene quiet of the early morning hours, the sudden splash and shout triggered an adrenaline response almost before my brain registered the noise. It felt a lot like what happened when a climbing partner slipped from a tricky handhold.
Without thought, I let go of the cart handle and jogged around the bushes toward the lake. A quick scan of the shoreline showed nothing out of the ordinary, but the darkness, rocks, and underbrush near the trees could hide almost anything.
“Is someone there?” My feet slid on the wet grass as I slowed down near the edge of the lawn. “Hello?” Another splash sounded, and I turned toward the noise in time to see a slim figure rise out of the lake. I hurried over and stretched out my hand. “Here, take hold. I’ll help you out.”
The sun wouldn’t rise for another two hours, and the pines to the west hid the moon. A small but strong hand slipped into mine, and I pulled as he scrambled over the rocks. The person stumbled forward and thumped against my chest, getting my uniform shirt completely soaked in the process.
“Oh no,” he mumbled as he stepped back. “I’m so sorry I got you wet.” It took him a moment to let go of my hand. He looked down with a grimace and tried to ring out the bottom of his long-sleeve T-shirt, exposing a pale strip of skin. “Thank you. The rocks are slippery.”
Soaking wet, the man didn’t look much more than one-thirty. He was a couple inches shorter than me, too, trim and lovely and… I shook my head. “Yeah. Are you okay? I mean, are you hurt?” Are you old enough to have caught my interest without being a total creep? That certainly wasn’t something I could ask him.
He stopped ringing out his shirt and tried to swipe water out of his dark hair instead. “I’m not hurt.” A shiver tore through him, and he wrapped his arms around his body.
I didn’t know if it was a brilliant idea or some kind of internalized torture, but I remembered the towel with the frayed edge and whipped it off my shoulder. Instead of simply handing it to him like a normal person would, I leaned forward to rub his curls and pat his neck and shoulders with it. It took me far too long to realize he was staring at me with eyes wide.
“Oh, shit! I’m so sorry.” I tucked my hands under my arms and shook my head. I couldn’t go around patting strange young men. “You should really get out of those wet clothes.” Themoment the words left my mouth, I groaned and slapped my hands over my face. “Great! Now I sound like the start of a cheesy porno. And now I’m talking about porn with a stranger. Fuck, I sure hope you’re legal.”
An unexpected sound infiltrated my massive weight of shame, and I dropped my hand to see the man I dragged out of the lake laughing at me. “Relax,” he said. “I’m not a kid, and you’re fine. Thanks for the um… help.”
I chuckled and offered him an apologetic smile. “I better get back to work.” Perhaps it was time for a hasty retreat. Before I could get far, he reached out and bumped my arm.
The cutie with the wet curls held the towel out to me. “Your towel. I just wanted to take a walk, and the rocks were slippery. My name’s Oscar, by the way.”
How could I not smile back at that sweet face? I found myself wishing the sun would come up early so I could see what color his wide eyes were and determine the exact shade of pink on his lips. “I’m Zane. Glad to be of service.”
He shivered again and pointed off in the direction of the woods. “I better get cleaned up. See you around.” He hurried off into the shadows under the pine trees.
The inn’s property extended pretty far in that direction, and I knew they had rental cabins back there. Seemed the early morning cutie was a guest and probably belonged to someone who could afford the place. The Halcyon Inn wasn’t a motor lodge out on the highway. I’d checked out their website from sheer curiosity. I certainly couldn’t afford a vacation there.
I shook my head again before turning to hurry and fetch the cart and take the long walk back to the truck. Halfway there, my phone buzzed with a message from roadside assistance. They’d be there in ten minutes, and I could get on with my day.
***
