Those piercing blue eyes turned kind. There was a whisper of a smile on his face as he stood up. He went behind the large C-shaped reception desk and began scribbling something on a sheet of paper. He returned to her, holding out a Post-it note. On it was an address and the name of a hotel: the Lantern Lake Inn.
"This is a local B&B. It will be more affordable, and closer than some of the others. It is a little farther out of town but that is what makes it cheaper."
"Thank you. For everything." The words were quiet as they left her mouth, but Gail meant them. He was being much nicer to her now than he had earlier, and he was taking care of poor Murph. "Can I see him before I leave?" She didn't want to leave him. They hadn't spent a night apart since she’d adopted him. He went where she went, and she didn't want to leave him alone in a strange clinic without saying goodbye.
The attractive man in front of her, who Gail was embarrassed to say she still hadn't learned the name of, moved aside while motioning for her to follow him down the hallway he had come from.
"By all means say good night. I sedated him though, not heavily, just enough to ease his mind since he was so panicked and in so much pain. I've done what I can at this point; we have to wait it out. I'm fairly certain he only sniffed in a little bit of the poison."
He continued as they walked down the hall and he motioned for her to enter the last door on the left, which turned out to be the door to a large back room where Murphy lay on an examination table. His tail thumped ever so slightly when he saw her, which broke her heart.
“This is good; it means he is not in serious danger. I’d still like to observe him overnight and when it clears the system, we can make sure it hasn't done any permanent damage. Also, I’m putting him on an IV just to be safe.”
As soon as the doctor finished talking, Gail headed straight to Murphy, squatting down so they could be at eye level. His tail gave one more thump and he inched forward on the examination table only about the inch that was afforded to him but still clearly scooting toward her. Gail felt her eyes water as she forced herself to pull back. She put her hands in the scruff on either side of his neck around his face and gave Murphy a gentle kiss on his head between his eyes.
"You be good for the doctor, Murph. I promise I will be here tomorrow morning to see if I can't jailbreak you. Don't get too upset that I'm not here." Part of Gail thought it was silly that she was so distraught over leaving her dog, but that didn’t dampen the feelings inside her. She bent, caressing her faithful furry companion for another minute or two before she stood up and went to stand next to the doctor.
"Thank you for treating him. I don't know what I would do without him. I'll be here first thing?" She watched him inquisitively.
"We open at nine. Our hours are nine to seven, seven days a week. I would recommend heading over closer to then. Dr. Struthers tends to get here early so if you're feeling especially antsy you could probably try ten or fifteen till but any earlier than that, you won’t see anyone." She was surprised they opened that late. But she supposed in a small town like this they probably made more house calls than anything else and for those, hours didn't come into play. Quietly she thanked him one more time then walked out, as tears pricked her eyes for leaving Murphy. It was all she could do to tell herself he would probably be fine, and he would see her tomorrow.
The vet had been right. The Lantern Lake Inn was about a five-minute drive from the clinic. It was an adorable B & B that looked like an oversized cabin. From the looks of it, it couldn't have had much more than a dozen rooms. All Gail wanted to do was get up into her room and let her sister know she and Murphy would not be there tonight. The last thing she wanted was her very pregnant sister worrying about her.
As she entered, gym bag in hand, Gail scanned a tall desk that she couldn't see the back of, where computer or paperwork would be. Behind it were a bunch of little boxes that were either to hold mail or keys, she wasn't sure. To her left was a large but cozy open living room with a fireplace that had to be five feet tall and made of grand stonework―she wasn't sure whether it was real or a façade. She could see a family with three kids playing a board game at one of the tables in there. To her right looked to be the breakfast room. Six circular tables were set throughout the space and a sidebar that would probably hold any food or coffee in the morning.
The colors were done in a warm buttery yellow and wood browns, giving a very homey and pleasant vibe. It was not the sterile atmosphere she'd expect from a hotel.
In a few clipped steps, Gail made her way to the desk and noticed a small bell and a note, flat on the counter saying to ring it if no one was behind the desk. Fearing the bell would disturb anyone on the first floor, Gail hesitated and scanned one more time for anyone that looked like an employee. She gently put her hand to the bell and felt her face flush as the background noise the family had been making dulled.
A second later, an older female voice came from down the hallway between the desk and the front sitting space. Gail could see a decent sized staircase farther back when she peeked around to see who the voice belonged to.
Walking toward her was a woman in her fifties. She was plump with gray-streaked black hair cut very short around her face. She was wearing jeans and a button up shirt.
"How can I help you?" came the woman's voice as she turned the corner and slipped behind the desk.
“I was sent here by the vet." Before Gail could say anything else, the woman held up her hand and interrupted her.
"Got it; Robert actually called me about you. He's holding your dog overnight and you need a place to crash. We'll get you taken care of." The woman turned and reached her hand into one of the small boxes.
Now that she was close enough, Gail could see about half of them had keys in them and a few had various envelopes and objects.
"Follow me, dear," the older woman said, as she turned, now holding the key with an oval key chain attached with what appeared to be a logo for the hotel. She motioned for Gail to follow her down the hallway she had come from.
"I don't mean to be rude…" Gail hesitated before finishing her sentence. She was already following the woman deeper into the hotel. "But what is your nightly rate?"
The woman stopped and turned slightly so she could look over her shoulder and smiled gently at Gail. “Don’t you worry about that, dear. Our rush tends to be on weekends in the winter. Plus, Robert explained your circumstances so we’re giving you the friends and family discount. You don't need to worry about paying us on top of that vet bill." She patted Gail on the arm and her smile firmed. "We are at sixty-nine dollars a night. Check out is noon and check-in is three. Since it’s six, you're perfectly fine. Does that work for you?"
Gail let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Sixty-nine was doable. She could do that for one night. She appreciated it and even though she wanted to argue that it wasn't necessary, she was grateful for the gesture and said nothing. Money was tight now and she had to get used to that.
When Gail didn't respond, the woman nodded, turned around, and continued down the hallway. They passed what looked to be a small library nook. It was the size of two bedrooms and the walls were lined with dark wood bookshelves filled with various titles. It looked like a dream to Gail, as she adored reading, but she wasn't sure she had the attention span at the moment. Farther down the hall she could see a kitchen and an office just beyond the staircase. As they started up, the woman spoke again.
"I'm so sorry, where are my manners. My name is Dottie, short for Dorothea, but I was never fond of that name so I go by Dot or Dottie; you can call me either. You'll be in room seven tonight." This was all said over her shoulder while they went up the stairs.
This woman was walking up the stairs without looking, which made Gail nervous. It wasn’t that Gail was clumsy; she just would've been anxious not watching the stairs as she walked. Maybe it came from years of working here but still Gail fought the urge to tell her to pay attention to the steps.
Once ups
tairs, she could see her original assessment from outside was right. There were six rooms on the third floor, three on each side of the staircase and then what looked like a small business or office nook at the back with the computer and a printer, Gail assumed, was available for guest use. They turned to the right and Dottie opened the first door they came to so Gail could walk in first. As she did, Dottie pivoted slightly and stood in the doorway continuing to speak.
"Breakfast is served between seven and nine; we get a slightly later start around here because frankly our cook doesn't want to work any earlier than that and he's an ornery bugger, so I don't push it. If you need anything, I live up on the fourth floor in an apartment so I'm always on site should something happen, and my number is on the little pamphlet of paperwork on the desk over there. Downstairs we have a library that is locked up as soon as I leave at six-thirty, so if you want to get a book or a game or something like that, I would recommend you do that within the next half-hour. The computers on each floor require you to enter your room number and a password. The password for everyone is Lanternlakeinn. It's all one word, my nephew came up with it, he thinks he's funny. If you need anything let me know. I'll be downstairs in the office for another half hour. If you need a place to eat, there is a flyer on the table. Personally, I recommend Betsy's; it's a cute little diner further into downtown. But it's completely up to you. Do you need anything before I head back downstairs?" There was a look of sympathy in the older woman's eyes as she spoke. Gail appreciated her not asking how her dog was doing. But for all she knew the vet, who apparently had called ahead, had already told the older woman.
Shaking her head, Gail set her duffel bag down on the queen-sized bed. "No, I'm okay. Thank you so much for all your help and hospitality. I really appreciate it."
The older woman's eyes softened slightly. "Don't you worry about it, dear. We’ve all got to stick together in this life. Doing favors and helping each other out is the best part of being human. You have a good night." Dottie took the key out of the door, lifted it to show Gail what she was doing, and set it down on the chair about a foot from the door then closed it behind her.
Once alone, Gail took in the silence. Not hearing Murphy sniffing around, having him nudge her to be petted, or hearing his soft snores was eerie. Absolute silence was new. Apparently, the city of Lantern Lake was small enough to lack white noise outside and being up on the third floor meant she couldn't hear the family giggling and playing down on the first.
She scanned the room, it only took a moment. There was a queen-sized bed, a TV that was probably six or seven years old, a small desk with what looked to be a relatively comfortable, cushioned, wooden chair, a closet with a folding door, and a bathroom; its door was right next to the door to the room. If you opened the bathroom door all the way the knobs might touch. Overall, it was clean and nicer than she would expect at that price point, at least for the Seattle area. Knowing she was staying somewhere clean and comfortable made her breathe easier. Gail let out a sound that was something between a sigh and a sob, plopping herself down on the bed and yanking her cell phone out of her back pocket. She had to call her little sister and she needed to do it now. She had told her sister she would be at her house between six and seven, traffic willing. Her little sister chastised her about leaving so late because she had rush-hour to contend with. She might not be expecting her yet, but she certainly would soon.
Her sister picked up after two rings. "Gail, please tell me you're not calling me while driving. I know that car of yours does not have Bluetooth." Gail had always been the more absent-minded one and her sister more practical. Most of the time, it got on Gail's nerves.
"I've had a setback. When we stopped at a rest stop, Murphy ingested some rat poison."
There was a gasp from the other end of the phone.
"I stopped in a city called Lantern Lake, because it had the nearest veterinarian and the vet wants to keep him overnight so I'm staying in a hotel; I don't want to drive to Seattle and back in the morning. The clinic opens at nine and I'm going to be talking to the senior vet about how much it is going to cost and what else needs to be done."
"Oh, Gail," her sister cooed into the phone her voice full of sympathy. "I am so sorry. Do you need us to drive out there and be with you? At least I can. School is out for the next two weeks, so I am a stay-at-home person. Carrey has to work, but I can definitely be there."
Gail was shaking her head even before her sister finished speaking. "No, I appreciate it, but I'll be okay. First, I don't want a pregnant lady driving in traffic for over an hour. And second, I'm hoping it'll be a one-day thing, so we won't have to worry beyond tomorrow. I'll keep you updated if that changes; I hope it doesn't." Gail paused and forced those thoughts from her head. She did not need to think about all the terrible things that could happen to Murphy. "I just need something to keep myself occupied for the next few hours, so I'm not stuck thinking the worst."
Her sister snorted and said patronizingly, "Are you serious? You're in Lantern Lake.”
"And?"
She could practically hear her sister rolling her eyes. "This is why I was telling you that you need to get out more. Lantern Lake has three big attractions. One, it's got a beautiful lake that is fantastic to visit in the summer and the three small cities that surround it. Two, they have a Founder's Day festival where people around town dress up like it's the Wild West and it's like a giant historical tour. You get to see some of the old buildings that you wouldn't see regularly. They have shows and events―it's this whole week-long thing during the first week in August. It's actually really cool. Carrey and I have been twice. And lastly, they take after Leavenworth in that they do Christmas over the top. All three cities decorate their downtowns in different ways. Lantern Lake has a bunch of Christmas lights up, so it looks like a combination between gingerbread houses, since their downtown looks heavily like a bunch of log cabins, and a sort of fairy atmosphere. Each town is decorated differently. Since you’re in Lantern Lake you could probably walk downtown, I think, I don't know what hotel you're in or how far away it is. Also, they decorate the lake for Christmas. They put a bunch of fairy lights out and it's absolutely magical. It starts December first and goes until January. It becomes a whole scene. There are photos with Santa on the weekends. It's insane. But they only have everything going Fridays and Saturdays so the vendors might not be out, but you can at least walk the lake. The walk around the lake, if you walk the whole thing, takes, I think an hour and a half? I've never walked the whole thing, so I don't know. Being Sunday, and not a holiday there won’t be that much going on, but Lantern Lake is definitely a city where you can find something."
"I don't know, sis. I'm not sure I feel like being around people. I might just stay in. My hotel has a library book check-out. But I have two books with me in my bag I might dive into. I'm not even sure I want to look for food."
Her sister sighed. "Being a homebody isn’t always what it's cracked up to be. You're in Lantern Lake, you might as well go out and see things. You're not there very often. But I can't make you. Either way keep me posted on how Murphy is doing. I love you and we’ll talk tomorrow."
"I love you too, baby sister."
With that they hung up.
~~
Sleep eluded Gail, even after she dug around the trunk of her car to find one of her favorite romance novels. When she slept it was fitful and she kept dreaming that the vet told her poor Murphy had died in the night. She had known every time she woke up that it was silly to think that because they had her phone number and would surely tell her if something had gone wrong, but that didn't stop the dreams from happening.
When she'd gotten up for breakfast the next day, she made herself wait an extra fifteen minutes so she wouldn't be racing down there just as breakfast started. She couldn’t get to the veterinary clinic until nine, so she didn't want to hurry up and wait.
When she stepped into the small dining area only Dottie was present.
Dottie wa
s putting out a platter of what looked like individually wrapped breakfast sandwiches. There was also fruit, eggs, several types of meat, what looked like a vat of oatmeal and individually wrapped cereals. There were two empty spots on the table which made Gail grateful she had come down late because clearly not everything would’ve been out yet. If she'd been earlier, she could've been seen as rude.
Since the coffee was already out, she walked to that table. When Dottie looked up, she wished her good morning. Dottie turned and looked at her, hand on her hip.
"Did you have trouble sleeping last night? Was the bed not good?" The woman had the authoritative mothering voice down pat.
Gail felt herself flush. "No, the bed was perfectly fine, thank you. I’m just worried for Murphy; I know it's silly."
The woman's face softened to a sympathetic smile.
"You have nothing to worry about, sweetie." She moved a few feet away and rubbed Gail's arm. "Herb and my Robert are very good vets. There's a reason they're the only vet office in town. There have been two separate occasions where someone else tried to move in and couldn’t do as well as those two guys do. Plus, the tone of his voice when Robert called told me it wasn't anything too dire. He would have sounded a lot more grave if there was something worth worrying about. You have yourself some breakfast, leisurely, and then head on down to the clinic. Herb usually gets there early, so as long as you don't rush in, he'll probably be able to help you before they open at nine and all the people who waited overnight for their pets and animals come rushing in." With another kind smile, she squeezed Gail's arm before turning and heading back toward the swinging door that Gail assumed led to the kitchen.
Knowing she wouldn't be here longer than today didn't hinder the fondness Gail was developing for the older woman. Dottie reminded her a lot of her boss at the University. Someone who cared about those around them, even strangers, and did their best to be a comfort to everyone. She loved her former boss and promised to stay in touch, but it was reassuring to her soul to know there was more than just Rebecca out there caring for the world.
Lantern Lake Winter Collection: Books 1-3 Page 2
