Page 2 of Turning the Page with My Grumpy Boss

There wasn’t. But therewassomething called “Patty’s Boarding House.”That’s kind of like a bed and breakfast, right?Tessa wasn’t really sure, but it seemed like her only option right now. She pulled into the small parking lot and turned the car off. This was it—the start of her new chapter. Taking a deep breath, she exited the car on wobbly legs. She was never one for long drives. That was a big reason she had moved to such a small state. Everything was so closely crammed together that it didn’t necessitate long-distance drives.

Tessa stopped to take in the building. It was a cute building, definitely turn of the century, with a lamppost out front lighting up the wooden sign in the lawn. The gingham curtains in the windows were quaint and a little kitschy, giving the place a very homey feel. It seemed like the perfect place to call it a night.

Tessa grabbed a box of her belongings, wrangled Merry and Pippin out of the car—Merry protesting vehemently against his carrier—and walked toward the establishment. Bells jingled over the door as she entered, and an older woman with obviously dyed red hair and eyeliner, laid on a bit too thick, looked up from her computer at the front desk.

“Hi, sweetie. What can I do for you?”

Tessa put down Merry’s carrier near the front desk and gave the woman a bright, albeit tired, smile. “Hi, I was hoping for a place to stay for a while.”Or until my savings dry up, thought Tessa bitterly. Her smile wavered slightly.

The woman took her hands away from the keyboard and took Tessa in. Her gaze swept from the box under Tessa’s arm to her two loyal pets and finally up to Tessa’s face. Her features suddenly softened as though she were putting the pieces together, much to Tessa’s dismay. She didn’t want to find pity here, as well.

“Yes, of course!” The woman exclaimed, her face cracking into a smile that made Tessa think this woman gave top-tier hugs. “I’m Patty, and this is my place. It hasn’t been exactly booming lately, so you’ll have your pick of the rooms. Might I suggest the Blue Room? The sheets are Egyptian cotton, and it has a nice view of the park.”

Tessa returned the smile and nodded. “That sounds wonderful.” She combed through her curly blonde hair, catching a snag. Ugh, she probably looked horrid. What a first impression. “What’s the rate per night?”

Patty once again gave her that knowing look before looking in her system. “Ah, well. Since we’re kind of running low on visitors these days—you got here before the Harvest Festival—our rooms are currently discounted, so let’s call it $40 a week.”

That seemed abysmally low, and Tessa was convinced Patty was, in fact, taking pity on her. Regardless, it took just a thought of her meager savings for Tessa to swallow her pride. “That sounds great.”

“Of course, sweetie. Now, let me just get some information from you, and you should be all set.” The woman returned her attention to the computer, clicking through several pages until she got where she needed. “Here we go. Okay, now, a good phone number?”

Patty happily chatted as she got Tessa checked in. Apparently, the Harvest Festival was a big deal around here, even bringing tourists from the greater Massachusetts area. The town took it seriously. Furthermore, the diner opened at 6 a.m. and closed at midnight every night. If she wanted to get a haircut, it was best to go see Claire Oliver. And the mayor was a blowhard, though Patty was pretty sure she was related to him somehow. All the information came at rapid fire, and Tessa’s head was spinning, trying to keep it all straight.

Finally, after all the t’s were crossed and the i’s dotted, Patty led Tessa to the Blue Room. It was decorated as she had expected, cutesy and quaint. The bed was a queen, and Tessa fought to hold back a groan of relief. It looked absolutely heavenly, and suddenly, she was entirely too aware of her own exhaustion.

“I’ll just let you get settled,” Patty said as she patted Pippin’s head. With another smile, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

“Well, guys. Say hello to your new digs for… well, I don’t know, but it’ll be fun, right?” Tessa wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

The room was just as beautiful as Patty had promised. The light blue duvet looked heavenly, and there was a vanity table complete with a stool and a large soft recliner situated next to a small bookshelf. Tessa perused the paperback spines for a moment. Nothing she would be interested in, but it was still a lovely touch.

Merry responded by growling low in her throat, demanding to be let loose from his carrier. Tessa sighed and released him.

It took her just two trips to bring up the rest of her stuff, and finally, she was able to sink into the soft bed. It was as heavenly as she had anticipated. Rolling over and staring at the clock on the bedside table, she saw that it read 10:03 p.m. She was usually up until past midnight, reading. But tonight, she’d be lucky to last another chapter.

Exhaustion was seeping into her bones. Apparently, making a move in the middle of the night was a tiring business. As she gazed at the ceiling, she considered what she had done. Of all the hare-brained schemes she had come up with, this really topped the list.

Pippin climbed into the bed and nuzzled her shoulder with his head. Tessa shifted to accommodate his frame on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. Even with Patty’s generosity, her money would not last forever. She needed a new job, and she needed it yesterday.

“But that’s tomorrow’s problem, right, boy?” Tessa asked Pippin, scratching under his chin. “Tonight is for a good night’s sleep.”

The crickets outside were the soundtrack to which Tessa fell asleep. Curled beside her trusty dog, with Merry at her feet, she slept the best she had in a week.

Chapter two

Iftherewasonething Daniel could count on, it was how he could get lost in the pages of a good book. Turning another page, Daniel relished the story that was unfolding. It was a high fantasy novel with a whimsical atmosphere.

Ever since he was a child, this bookstore and these books had been a safe haven for him. He hardly remembered the first trip with his mother when he was just a toddler. The shelves had felt like they contained a special kind of magic, promising endless possibilities. Even now, he sometimes felt like the books whispered to him, urging him to crack open the spine and fall into a good story.

“I’ll be in the back office if you need me, dear. I’m going to see about next week’s shipment.”

Daniel looked up and smiled warmly at Martha, Turn the Page Booksellers’ elderly owner. Her blue-white hair was meticulously styled, and the floral blouse she wore looked as though it had been ironed recently. She was carrying a few weathered paperbacks, and Daniel doubted her only goal in stealing away to the back office was checking on shipments.

“Sure thing, Martha. I’ll hold down the fort up here. It’s been kind of a slow day, so I don’t expect there to be too much need for reinforcements.” He waved her away as he returned to his book. The wizard was about to uncover the location of the hidden Book of Prophecies. Daniel very much suspected a plot twist. His brow furrowed as he blocked out the world and focused on the words on the page.

That is, until there was a crash at the front door. He lifted his gaze to the entrance and witnessed a young woman with wild, curly blonde hair and the bluest eyes he had ever seen wrestling with an Australian Shepherd who was clearly not happy about being left outside of the bookshop. Daniel could hear her talking to the dog through the door, all coos and pleas. He rolled his eyes and returned to his book. Some crazy tourists, no doubt, staying in their town to avoid the cost of the bigger cities.

He tried to return to his book, but the commotion continued. When he looked up again, it seemed that the woman had decided it was best to just bring the dog with her. The door swung open, and there she was. This beautiful, chaotic woman with a glowing smile and chaos following in her wake.

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