Page 24 of Scoop Me Up
“Well, Miles Rogers is the only real estate agent in Maplewood, so he’s your guy.” How would I survive this crush if the hot dad stayed in Maplewood?
“Miles Rogers? Huh. I used to know a guy with the same name.”
I chuckled. “He moved here from Burlington, actually, so it might be the same one.”
“I’ll definitely give him a call then. Can you share his number?”
We took a few moments to exchange numbers and get Miles’s contact info in Gabe’s phone. When we were done, I realized something was different about Gabe. “Where’s Ellie?”
His smile wavered. “Jennifer and her boyfriend broke up and she came home early, so I’m free to explore by myself today while she catches up with Ellie.”
“Lucky you.”
Gabe let out a short little laugh. “Something like that.” A moment passed. “I’m actually heading to the inn to see if I can get a room for the rest of the summer. Now that Jennifer’s back, there’s no need for me to house sit anymore.”
I spotted Cooper heading toward us then, a bag of baked goods in his hand. “Did I hear something about the inn?”
“Gabe’s heading there to get a room. Apparently Jennifer’s back in town,” I said.
He shifted from foot to foot. “Yeah. I didn’t want Ellie to get the wrong impression, all of us under the same roof at night again.”
“You could stay with Sam,” Cooper said quickly. “He has an extra bedroom.”
Chapter 10
Gabe
Sam snapped their gaze in Cooper’s direction. “Coop,” they said, sounding like a warning. “He doesn’t want to stay with me.” A second later, they cleared their throat. “I mean, youarewelcome though, if you need a place.”
“That’s okay,” I said, waving away the offer, my heart racing at the idea of sharing close quarters with Sam. “I’m just going to get a room at the inn. It’ll be fine.”
“You sure? The guest bed is really comfy,” Cooper prodded.
I grinned and shook my head, hoping to look casual, even though my chest heated at the thought. “I’m good, really. I appreciate the offer though.”
A few minutes later, we said our goodbyes and I headed toward the inn, trying to shake the off-kilter feeling I’d gotten when Cooper suggested I stay with Sam. I couldn’t quite figure out the reason my breath had caught in my throat when he’d said it, why my body had heated the way it did, but I shook it off as I walked. We were just friends, after all. There was no reason I should react to Sam that way. None at all.
Eventually I passed Red’s and turned south, quickly making my way down the block, along the street, until I stood in front of the Red Clover Inn.
“Fingers crossed,” I murmured to myself before walking up the five steps to arrive at the inn’s front door.
I pulled the door open and stepped into the lobby. The room had a warm feeling to it, unrelated to the air conditioning pumping into the space. There were rugs covering the wood floors, with couches and chairs in cream and blue dotted around the space. It felt like home.
Turning to the right, I spotted a woman staffing the guest services desk. She smiled brightly at me. “Welcome. I’m Jo. How can I help you?”
I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. “I was hoping you all had a room available.”
“How many nights will you be staying with us?”
I pulled out my phone and glanced at the calendar. “About six weeks.”
Jo’s eyebrows shot up. “Checking in immediately?”
“If possible.”
She frowned and tapped something into her computer before looking back up at me. “I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible.”
My stomach sank. “It’s not?”
