Page 96 of Crossroads Magic
I crossed the road and stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the inn, and moved down it toward the front door.
On the other side of the road, Broch stood with his arms crossed. He lifted his hand as I glanced at him.
I turned and waved back.
Then he shook his head and walked away.
I pushed open the door to the inn and stepped inside.
Hirom and Frida were sitting on the stairs. Frida looked like she had been crying.
I stopped in front of them. “You’ll both be fine,” I assured them. “You were there when I talked to everyone else. No one has to cook for everyone, anymore. Everyone will pay a monthly fee and be free to use the kitchen as they need to. The inn can keep going.”
Frida nodded, but she didn’t look reassured.
“It’s just…there’s always been someone like you here,” Hirom said. “Long as I can remember.”
I had a feeling that he could remember quite a long way back, too. I put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s what the town was counting on. That custom. Now it must change.”
“I get that,” Hirom said. “I just don’t like it.”
I don’t like it either. The voice whispered in the back of my brain. I ignored it, and leaned in around the dining room arch and picked up my bags and backpack that I’d left there earlier. I also slid my arm through Ghaliya’s pack.
Neither of them had moved from the stairs.
“It was good to meet you, Frida,” I told her. “And you, too, Hirom. I will always remember your whisky.”
He grimaced. “I slipped a bottle into your pack.” Then he got up. “Can’t stand this…” he muttered and stalked across the hall and into the bar.
Frida gave me a tremulous smile, her eyes shiny with tears, and went upstairs.
I went out the front door once more, even though it would be quicker to use the side exit in the bar. I moved around the inn to the parking lot on the west side.
Olivia’s big baby-blue Continental was there, with the engine running, and steamy exhaust rising up from the wide exhaust pipe. Olivia stood by the car, waiting. She spotted me and got in and closed the door. I didn’t blame her, because it was cold.
The trunk lid popped, so I dumped all the bags into it and closed it once more, then looked around.
Benedict was sitting on the steps up to the side door.
My heart gave a great leap. I tried to ignore the fizz in my veins. I turned away from him and drew in a deep breath and bellowed, “Ghaliya!” into the frosty air.
Fifteen seconds later, I called again.
“Coming!” Ghaliya called from the other side of the road. She crossed over, and into the parking lot, where I stood.
“Where were you?” I demanded.
“Rebooting the router,” Ghaliya said. “Someone has to do it… Do wereallyhave to go, Mom?”
I sighed. “I explained why, last night. I really don’t have the energy to go through it again. Please, just get in the car.”
“But no one knows how to run the network!”
“They’ll figure it out,” I said tiredly, aware that Benedict was close enough to hear every word we were saying.
Ghaliya made a fist with her hands. “I don’t want to go.” Somewhere in the last few days she had removed the nose ring. I only noticed it now. Her blue hair laid flat, instead of in spikes.
“Ghaliya…”
