Page 3 of Suddenly Single
“You’re right, I’m being totally unreasonable.”
He hadn’t said that.
“I’ll just park on your bench for the night.I don’t suppose you have a blanket I could borrow? Or maybe a pillow or something? If you don’t have a pillow, that’s okay.I’ll just use my bag.It’s soft,” she said. “Except for the bottom, maybe, where I have my laptop and cords.But I can—”
“Miss, I’ll give you a room,” he said.
She gasped. She lifted her head. “Youwill? Ohmigod, thank youso much.”
“But for the night, aye? No more than two.”
“Right, a week at the very most. I really appreciate it.” She carelessly let her bag and yoga mat fall off her shoulder to the floor with a sudden laugh. “There for a minute, I thought it was me and that bench.”
He took a registration card from the box. “I’ll need a bank card.”
“Sure. I happen to have one right here.” She leaned down and rummaged around in her bag, then stood up with her wallet and opened it.The little embroidered pink thing held more cards than a bloody bank.She eyed a few, settled on one, and handed it to him.
He handed her the registration card and a pen, took her bank card and ran it through the machine.
“You’re a lifesaver, Mr. Mackenzie,” she said as she filled out the card.“You know, I loved this place the moment I saw it.”
“It was dark when you first saw it,” he reminded her.He looked at the bank card:Jennifer Turner.He began to enter information into the ancient computer system he would be happy to abandon when he returned to Scotland.He handed her the card.She did have nice legs. He’d always been attracted to nice legs.And eyes.Aye, he appreciated lovely blue eyes like hers.And breasts—well, obviously, he liked those a lot.And bums.And hair, and—
“I can’t believe more people don’t live on this side of the lake,” she said. The woman was clearly much at ease chatting with only herself.“I’d buy a house here if I could.I’d have a little cottage with window boxes full of flowers by the lake.Cottages always look so tranquil, but you don’t see them much anymore. Everything has to be ginormous, have you noticed that? What’s wrong with small and cozy, I ask you?”
Good God.Surely she’d take a breath before long.He turned around to a board and lifted a key from one of the pegs.
“But you know how it is, you find a place and you really dig it.I have to say, I’m getting a great vibe from this inn.You must have, too, at some point, right? I mean, is that why you’re here?”
He handed her the key.“Room 215.Turn right at the end of the hall.” He pointed.
“Great! Thank you.” Jennifer Turner picked up her bags.She started in the direction he’d indicated, then paused and glanced back at him. “Is it too late to place an order with room service?”
“Roomservice?” he echoed incredulously.She could not possibly think he’d open the dining room for her, too.
Jennifer winced.“Do you think I could get something to eat? Maybe a sandwich? I’mstarving.I’ve only had a bag of chips today.”
“The dining room is closed,” he said impassively as he glanced at his watch.Actually, a sandwich sounded quite good.Perhaps he’d make one for himself once she stopped talking, if that was even possible, and went on to her room.
“Ah. Okay.” She pressed a hand to her abdomen.“I’ll just…eat my shoe or something.I don’t know why I didn’t think to pick up an energy bar in case of an emergency.My friend Brooke always has one in her purse.She’s arunner,” she said, making quote marks in the air and rolling her eyes.“Which means she won’t go near a good burger. I don’t know what the point of running is if you can’t eat what you want.Give me yoga any day.”
Her stomach suddenly let out a wail of hunger.She blushed. “Sorry about that.”
Damn it all to bloody hell.Edan sighed. “Aye, then. I’ll make you a sandwich.”
She made a soft cry of delight.“Wouldyou? And maybe some chips?”
Who was this creature who had appeared out of the night to torment him? “Anything else?”
She shrugged.She fidgeted with the strap of her yoga mat.“If you had a cake or a cookie, that would be great. Sugar is my go-to for stress eating.”
Well. Edan grudgingly had to respect a fellow stress-eater.“Kitchen is just through those doors,” he said, pointing in the opposite direction of her room.“Come at half past the hour.”
“Thank you!” She picked up her bag and yoga mat and started in the direction of her room. “We’re not dressing for dinner, are we?” She laughed at his expression and said, “Kidding!” and then disappeared.
Right.Well this was going to be an interesting pair of days from the look of things.
But a ham sandwich and crisps sounded like the perfect thing to soak up the whisky hangover that had melted over Edan’s brain.And frankly, he, too, wondered if there was any cake.
