by Rimmy London
She towed Emily through the house, showing her the few things she would need to do. A few house rules were listed on an artful poster in the kitchen, as well as internet access and a key for an outside shed that held various lawn toys. It was all very casual and welcoming, giving off the feel escape from everyday life.
Chase rounded the corner quickly, skipping to a stop in front of them. “Emily!” He squeezed her in an enthusiastic hug. “Thanks so much for doing this, we really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Emily answered, feeling very comfortable in her surroundings. There was a calm aura when she looked at the house, as if it spoke in a rare kind of language, steadying her nerves.
“We’ll be back on Friday.” He handed her a paper that was crowded with information, scribbled into almost every corner. “Here’s our flight information just in case, and the number for our internet provider, and a plumber, and our power company, and along the bottom there are some emergency numbers as well.”
“Oh—” Emily tried to hold back her grin as she nodded back. “This is very thorough, thank you.”
“And if we don’t want to be rushing,” Chase huffed, appearing increasingly anxious, “we really should get on the road.”
Abby nodded. “Right. I’m sorry we can’t stay and spend some time together. But promise me you’ll stay a few days when we return—at least until Sunday!” She hugged Emily briefly. “Promise?”
“Yes, don’t worry,” Emily squeezed her sweet friend. “I’ve got it all under control.” She watched as they gathered their things, two small travel bags and a surprising amount of snacks. They chattered happily and waved goodbye as Emily stood in the doorway.
It felt strange watching them leave their own home and suddenly being in charge of it all. Plus, Emily knew what Poppyridge Inn meant to Abby. She’d seen it in her eyes that first day they’d stumbled upon the property. Even when it was a broken-down pile of rubbish, Abby had fallen in love with it. To see her get what she dreamed of warmed Emily’s heart.
She drew in a breath and turned around to inspect the grand interior a little more meticulously. The late afternoon light was at its strongest, and the sunshine seemed to lift the ceiling even higher. Strong wooden beams anchored the house to the forest beyond, bringing the feel of nature inside. But even with the lodge-like touches, there was enough modern influence to give a more classy, chic feel to their surroundings than Emily had noticed at first. She marveled at her friend’s obvious talent for design.
“Excuse me, miss?”
Emily turned around to find a woman who appeared not much older than herself. She had silvery-blonde hair that hung just past her shoulders. She visibly cringed before continuing, “I’m sorry to bother you, but the owners told me you were managing the inn for a few days?”
Emily smiled. “Yes, that’s right, I’m Emily. What can I do for you?”
“Hello, Emily.” The woman fidgeted and took a deep breath. “I’m Sage Morgan. My husband Tim and I just checked in yesterday. I’m afraid our toilet has become stopped up. Do you have some bathroom supplies I could use to fix it? I wouldn’t want you to bother.”
“Oh,” Emily wasn’t about to go around plunging toilets. “Well, I do have the number of a plumber if you’d rather I call him.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I can manage, I just need a plunger, I suppose.”
“Yes, right this way.” Emily led her to the supplies closet and sent her off with a plunger and freshly gloved hands.
Secretly, she was relieved the woman had offered to fix it herself. The idea made her sick. She’d never been good with cleaning up anything unpleasant. And her conscience was picking at her, warning her it had hardly been one minute before something went wrong. But she shook the thought off. It was only a clogged toilet, after all. Things would be fine.
Plus, she’d brought a project along that she wanted to finish as quickly as she could. While she’d taken time off from her own marketing firm, this project was something she’d agreed to take on as a side job just for fun. With the more likely reason that it was her late brother’s friend who’d done the asking.
She headed back to her car, anxious to get her things settled and get started. As she walked out the back door and down the porch steps, she remembered the frightening sight of the porch the day they discovered the house. Covered in dead animals in varying stages of decay, it’d been a nightmare. Even the smell was still strong in her mind.
Shrugging out of the memory, she glanced back at the house purposefully, filling her mind with its new reality. Anyone who saw it now wouldn’t believe what a state it had been in. She’d wager with the way the real estate market was rising, Abby could sell it and make a hefty profit if she wanted. Add in the fact that additional building permits along the coastline had been suspended indefinitely, and it was a gold mine… But Abby would never do that, Emily knew. Lifelong dreams should never be for sale.
She pulled her bags from the trunk and made her way to the largest suite. Chase and Abby’s room. It was the essence of luxury and comfort. Blankets and throws, pillows and slippers were placed around the room like a magazine cover. There was more than enough space, with a comfortable desk overlooking the ocean view.
She set her laptop and binder atop the desk to the sounds of laughter escalating from downstairs. The thought that she should be accessible for guests pushed through her mind, and she tapped the top of her computer, hurrying from her room. But she’d misjudged the quiet, and two steps into the hall she collided with a gray-haired gentleman.
“Oh. I’m so sorry.” She took a step back, noticing the severe look on his face before he wiped the expression away. “I’m Emily,” she continued, hoping to fill the air between them with a more cheerful mood. “I’ll be managing the inn for a few days, so please feel free to ask me if you have any questions or need help with anything.”
“Ah.” He lifted his wide chin and one gray eyebrow. “I see. Well, I’ve noticed the temperature in my room has cooled significantly tonight compared to the previous two. You might want to check with the other guests, or make sure there isn’t a tripped breaker or anything else electrical going on.”
Emily’s stomach twisted at the news of another problem, however small it might be. “Of course, I’ll look into it right away. Thank you so much for letting me know, Mr…”
“Saul.” He dipped his head and brought his hand up as if tipping an imaginary hat. A very old-fashioned gesture that felt immediately endearing. “Nice to meet you, miss.”
“Thank you.”
He continued down the hall, and Emily made her way to the kitchen. She hoped Saul was only imagining a chill in his room, but something told her there was more to it than that.
She walked in to find a family gathered around the sink, the mother commenting on the bath water being as cold as the Pacific.
“Is there something wrong?” Emily asked, wondering how in the world Chase and Abby could have possibly missed all these problems before they’d left. Perhaps it just wasn’t a lucky day for her.
“Yes,” the woman answered, exchanging a look with her husband. Her youngest child giggled and scampered around the room. “Our water upstairs isn’t heating up like it did yesterday. I understand the inn is busy, but now the kitchen water won’t warm to anything more than frigid.” She sighed. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with the furnace?”
Emily held a hand up. “I completely understand your frustration, and let me first apologize. I think there must be something wrong. I’ll make some calls, and hopefully we can get someone right out. Thank you for letting me know.” She wondered how many times she’d be using that phrase. Thanks for letting me know. It was already getting old, and she’d only been at the inn for a few hours.
She ran back up the stairs and dialed Abby’s number.
“Hello?”
“Abby, thank goodness!” She kept her voice down; news like this would hardly inspire confidence with the guests. “I think I need a p
lumber to come out. There’s a stopped-up toilet, and the water isn’t heating. And someone said their room is unusually chilly tonight.”
“What? Oh my goodness, Emily. I’m so sorry!” Abby’s voice cut out, and Emily could hear bits of a conversation in the background.
“Have you checked the breaker?” Chase’s strong voice startled her.
“Uh, no, I haven’t,” Emily admitted. “Not yet.”
“Okay, run down there while I’ve got you on the phone, and I’ll talk you through it. We’re about to start boarding, but hopefully we’ll have enough time.” Chase sounded stressed and Emily felt guilty for disturbing their trip like this.
“I’m heading down right now,” she said, nearly tripping down the stairs. “Where is it, exactly?” The breaker wasn’t something she’d noticed on her short tour.
“Head to the garage—there’s a key in the side cabinet in the laundry room. Did you find it?”
Emily quickly searched through the cabinets, opening the same one three times before finally spotting the key on a top shelf. “I’ve got it,” she said, unlocking the door.
The garage was spacious, with the furnace and breaker being almost the only two things in the room. “I’m here,” she said, opening up the small gray door on the wall.
“Okay, see if anything is turned off. They should all be switched on.”
Emily scanned the switches quickly, spotting three out of place. “A few of them are off,” she said, pushing them back into position.
“Really?” Chase sounded surprised. “Well, that’s an easy fix. I’m just curious how it happened in the first place. Maybe give the electrician on that paper a call and have him come by tomorrow to check everything out. I’m sorry, we have to run!”
“We’ll call you as soon as we can!” Abby’s voice was uneven in the background, as if they really were running.
“I’ll give him a call, it’s fine,” Emily promised. “Just have fun and don’t worry about me.” The line clicked to silence, and Emily glanced over at the furnace, wishing they’d had time to give her a trouble-shooting tip. She’d never owned a home and was beginning to wish for a landlord she could simply text with a list of problems.
She walked up to the large, cylindrical machine. It had an electronic screen on the front with numbers listed. They were a foreign language to her, but she studied them anyway. Sitting on her heels, she peered into a small door with a window on the front. But there wasn’t much to see.
Pulling the emergency paper from her pocket, she straightened it out, spotting the electrician. It was most likely after hours, but she dialed the number as she left the garage, locking it again and stowing the key. At the sound of an answering machine, she ended the call and moved down the page to a number listed as maintenance and repair.
The kitchen was empty, and the house seemed to be quieting down even though it was hardly eight o’clock. She sat at the fireplace hearth and reached for a small log from the pyramid-shaped pile of wood, stoking the embers to the sound of another answering machine. Her lip cocked into a slant, a habitual reaction to frustration, and she studied the paper yet again. There was no time for leaving messages and waiting for a call back. She needed help now. There were all kinds of emergency numbers listed, from firefighters to paramedics and even a retired doctor who lived nearby.
And then there was a number she hadn’t noticed before. Ryan Shaw. It was listed after the inscription: He can do anything.
A tiny fire burned in her chest at his name. Their first date had been a setup, hiking in the redwoods with Emily and Chase… It had been a disaster from the beginning. He bragged about his yacht and family mansion, vacations of a lifetime every month and private schools she’d never even heard of.
She had to admit she’d overreacted a bit after hearing all that. He seemed like the typical spoiled, rich, born-with-it-all kid, and it didn’t help that everything in the redwoods reminded her of Justin. She’d stomped off and let her emotions boil over. But after he’d seen her crying, he’d been so sincere. She could still remember the feel of his hand on her shoulder and the softness in his voice when he’d found her in the woods.
When he asked her on a second date, she was excited at first. All she could think of was the buzz of electricity that had shot through her at the touch of his hand. But the buzz wore off quickly.
He’d talked incessantly and only about himself. She’d hardly squeezed in two words. It was gag-inducing… but still she’d been undeniably attracted to him. Irritatingly so! And then he never called her again. Weeks had passed, and he just shrugged her off. The fire in her chest sparked, threatening to ignite.
But she wasn’t going to be intimidated. If she needed help, and he was the one to go through, she’d do it. Secretly, when she typed in his number, she hoped she was disturbing him in the middle of something that required his complete and utter concentration.
She smiled a wicked smile at the thought.
“Hello?”
Her face flushed. How was his voice so distinct? She could practically trace the outline of his expression just by the tones in that one word. “I—” She cleared her throat. “Yes, hello. This is Emily Bateman.” She decided to keep things completely professional, as if they’d never met. “I’m managing the Poppyridge Inn for a few days and have come across some problems. I was wondering how soon you’d be available to come help with a bit of maintenance?”
“Uh…”
The lapse into silence was a tiny victory for Emily, and she smiled at her brilliant timing. Perhaps he was even waiting to hop into a hot shower, standing there shivering. An evil laugh cackled in her mind.
“Hello, Emily.”
She choked on her evil laugh as it erupted into nerves. Nerves that told her his voice was buttery smooth… and kind… and perhaps she’d completely misjudged him.
“I can come right now if you need. What’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath, “Oh, it’s nothing too serious—” Her voice cracked, and she took a quick breath. “The guests told me there’s no hot water, and their rooms are unusually cold. I haven’t stayed the night here before, so I really can’t say. But I think something must be going on.”
The lights flickered around her before shutting off, bathing her in absolute darkness except for the glow of her phone. She gasped. “Oh my gosh, you’re kidding me.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Ryan’s voice was alarmed, and she tried to ignore the way her heart responded to it, pounding in her chest.
“The lights just went out,” she groaned, listening to the commotion upstairs in the guest rooms as parents and children called to each other and laughed. Everyone seemed to be thumping around, bumping into things.
“Oh man, that’s not good,” Ryan’s voice combined with the noise of rushing. A door closing. A bag zipping—or perhaps it was a coat. “I’ll head right out. I’m pretty sure Chase and Abby kept some emergency kits in the kitchen, so maybe you could find some candles and flashlights?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” She jumped up, then hesitated a moment. “Um… Thank you.”
“It’s no problem, I’ll see ya soon.”
The line disconnected, and she held her hand to her chest, feeling her heart thump. Stop that! She growled inwardly, determined to see Ryan for what he was—a spoiled elite who grew up in a different solar system. If he somehow possessed the ability to mess with the rhythm of her heart, that didn’t mean a thing. His aquamarine eyes and deep brown hair wouldn’t cause her to be the least bit unsteady. Not at all.
Chapter 3
Ryan had been shocked to hear Emily’s voice. He was sure they’d never see each other again. Their first date was both a bad and good memory, where he’d gone from resenting her to suddenly adoring her. When he found her in the woods with red, puffy eyes, so vulnerable and delicate. In the beginning, she’d seemed anything but, with her arrogant conversation and snide remarks. The second she’d learned he came from money, it seemed she hated him.
>
He had to admit he may have baited her, especially after he’d endured a few comments of Guys like you. But he couldn’t help it. She’d labeled him so quickly, he couldn’t resist pushing the envelope. And push it, he had. Right over the edge. It came to his stubborn mind a little too late that perhaps she was already struggling with something, and maybe their date was difficult on her for reasons he didn’t understand. But by that time, she’d already stomped off into the woods.
He never imagined he’d find her broken down in tears. It had shaken the fight right out of him, and he couldn’t help but comfort her—placing his hand on her shoulder. A force like lightning had jolted through him, clutching at him and dragging him closer. He’d felt nearly helpless to resist stepping in and taking her in his arms. She’d eventually backed away, but not before her head had settled sweetly on his chest. It had been like a dream. A moment in the middle of their battling that had completely disarmed them both.
When he pulled up to the house, he tried to shake the memory from his thoughts, sure it had all been in his head. Their second date had been a few shades of awkward at best; he’d been so nervous he couldn’t shut up. Then he was too humiliated about being a jackass to ever call her back. Maybe she even resented him for it. But whatever she thought of him, it didn’t matter. He’d come to help with the inn, and that was it.
He turned off the engine of his neon green Lamborghini, a car his step uncle had given him as a gift, although it was more likely an attempt to irritate his mom. There was an ongoing feud intertwined in the family that manifested in the way of strangely extravagant gifts. It was very over the top, but Ryan couldn’t help admiring it as an incredible feat of engineering… and the sound of its V12 engine was thrilling.
He smiled and pulled a bucket from the back seat that acted as his travel-sized tool shed. It was likely something that his uncle would be wholly ashamed of. Pockets along the outside were jammed with gadgets, wood pencils, and tape measurers. Ryan’s brain switched to mechanical mode, and he troubleshooted as he walked, wondering if all these seemingly unrelated problems could boil down to one solution.
