Page 6 of Meant To Be

“Fair enough. I like to know where I’m going and what I’m doing. I’ve heard of this inn before. It’s famous for its year-round Christmas spirit, and it’s been in the same family for generations.”

In short order, we arrived at the inn. It was as cute as advertised. Merry Falls Lodge was nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the winding border between North Carolina and Tennessee. It was a historic landmark, built in the 1800’s.

The inn had a lovely front porch running the width of the entire building. It had a mere sixteen rooms, which was why snagging these tickets had been such a scoop. The on-site restaurant had raving reviews and promised tons of atmosphere.

Dylan’s eyes arced about the space as we waited in the lobby to check in. “This is very holiday-y.”

I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out. I wasn’t, by nature, prone to frequent bouts of giggling. Even though they were wearing off substantially, three margaritas and the experience of getting dumped at the airport and running into my sort-of-crush brother’s best friend resulted in occasional bouts of giggling.

“It’s Merry Falls Inn. Christmas is totally their thing.”

And, oh, was it ever. Although there were a lot of Christmas decorations, they were tasteful. There were wreaths and holiday lights everywhere. There was even spiked eggnog and spiced apple cider in the lobby. The entire inn was designed to get people in the spirit of the holidays.

The woman at the reception desk smiled at us. She gave off a motherly vibe.

“Well, hello! Y’all make a cute couple.” Her eyes crinkled with her warm smile. “I’m Lucy Gibbins and welcome to my family’s inn. If you need anything at all, just chase me down and let me know.”

While I debated whether to correct Lucy on her assumption that we were a couple, Dylan chatted casually with her. She checked us in, and I was beyond relieved I hadn’t listed Kent’s name on this reservation. I didn’t need to explain that I’d been dumped at the airport to Lucy and that Dylan was now my plus-one. I hoped that would stay my secret with Dylan, although I knew Wade would eventually find out.

Our room was on the upper floor. We passed by an archway that led into the pub where the band would perform. It was a cozy restaurant and bar with a stage at the far end. There were round tables scattered throughout the space and booths lining the walls. People relaxed while having dinner.

Although Dylan and I had wisely eaten lunch today, I was already hungry. My nerves were stretched thin between the flight, my margaritas, and the drive, not to mention the airport-dumping event. Stress tended to have opposing reactions for me. It either robbed me entirely of my appetite, or I craved food as a way to settle the jangle of my nerves.

The carpeting running the length of the hallway muted our footsteps. A moment later, we stopped at the door to our room. Maybe it was just my day, or perhaps it was just because I was beyond discombobulated with all the day had offered so far, but there was one detail I hadn’t considered.

We stepped into the room. I distantly heard the thump of my backpack as it landed on the glossy hardwood floor.

“There’s only one bed,” I pointed out the very obvious.

Chapter Five

DYLAN

“It’s a very nice bed,” I said after several beats of silence stretched between Piper and me.

I considered myself skilled at thinking ahead. With my job and life in general, I often had to plan and consider various contingencies, such as bad weather and the vagaries of wildfires. Yet this very obvious problem had not occurred to me.

I wanted to chalk it up to being tired from travel and having my thoughts otherwise occupied. Yet I knew exactly why I hadn’t thought of it. Piper’s mere presence had utterly distracted me. She was a living, breathing distraction. In hindsight, I didn’t know what I was thinking when I told her I wanted to see this band. I did want to see the band—they were one of my favorites—but I knew part of it was a chance to spend one-on-one time with Piper.

She’d always been delectably cute and tempting and firmly off-limits in my mind. Wade was one of my best friends. When she was in a room, I mentally put up a wall of static. I didn’t let myself think about how adorable she was.

Now, we had a single room together and only one bed.

My gaze whisked around the room quickly. No couch for me to crash on. This was a historical inn, not a hotel where they had a little suite with a sitting area and a pull-out couch. Nope. It was just us and this nice bed. It wasn’t even a king-sized bed. It was a queen. There were lots of pillows and a big, fluffy white down quilt with the pillowcases a combo of red and green. The holiday spirit extended to the bedding. I was surprised holiday music wasn’t softly playing in the room for us.

“There’s only one bed,” Piper repeated, noting the incredibly obvious.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide. “I’ll go see if there’s another room or maybe some kind of…” Her words trailed off as she glanced around wildly.

There was really nowhere extra to put anything. Since this was an older place, while the rooms were big enough for the bed, there wasn’t much beyond that. There was just enough space on either side of the bed for the two narrow tables flanking it. A dresser sat immediately opposite the foot of the bed against the wall.

Before I could formulate a reply, she spun around and left the room. I didn’t think there was another room available. According to the website, this holiday event was sold out. From my quick online perusal, this inn had events like this on the regular, drawing popular bands.

With a shrug, I eyed the bed one last time before walking into the bathroom. It was a nice bathroom with a clawfoot tub and a rainfall shower situated above it. I reminded myself Piper was my best friend’s sister. I could keep my hands to myself. When I stepped back out into the main room, I eyed the hardwood floor. It wasn’t inviting.

Piper reappeared, her cheeks flushed as she closed the door behind her. “There are no other rooms available. Lucy asked if we had had an argument. Can you believe that?”

I bit the insides of my cheeks to keep from laughing. “She thinks we’re a couple. Unless you want to explain, it’s probably better if we just let her assume.”

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