“How did you know?” she asked after he’d buckled in.
“Because you made her laugh. That’s one of the things she looks for.”
They drove back out to the hotel so Marissa could retrieve her car. She didn’t want to drive away just yet, though. Being close to Andrew was very much like Christmas or birthdays or oxygen—something she loved, something she needed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, bending down to kiss her through the open driver’s side window.
“See you,” she replied, then headed home. She was just a little envious that Andrew would be moving into the private quarters at the hotel—she’d love to live in the hotel herself, but she supposed there wasn’t much room.
When she reached her apartment, she scratched her cat’s ears, then got ready for bed. At least because of her hard work, he’d have some very impressive decorating in those private quarters.
Chapter Eight
“Don’t fall. You have to promise me—no falling,” Tabs called out. “Keep in mind, if you fall, you’ll land on me, and I don’t make the softest pillow.”
“Will you stop?” Marissa said with a laugh. “These are attic stairs, not some kind of death trap.”
“But they’re steep, so it’s kind of the same thing.”
Marissa finished climbing the stairs to the attic, which weren’t scary at all, and looked around. It was a spacious area, and from the remnants of furniture in the corners, it seemed as though it had been used as a large bedroom. “Andrew said we’d get ideas for this space as we worked on the hotel, but I’m still not coming up with anything.”
“I have the wildest idea ever,” Tabs said from the foot of the stairs. “What if it was just an attic? You could like, store stuff up there.”
“You’re brilliant,” Marissa told her. “I’m sure there will be lots of stuff to store.” She looked around one more time, and her gaze fell on a box in the corner. “I’ll be down in a second,” she said, moving from the top of the stairs over to the corner.
“Wait! I can’t see you anymore! What if the evil ghosts of the attic get you?”
“They won’t get me. I’m too ornery for that.” Marissa pushed her way past the broken pieces of furniture that seemed to cover the whole room. The box she’d seen wasn’t very huge, but it was heavy, and she was concerned about getting it down in one piece. She had to try, though. When she opened it, she saw that it was filled with more of the same books like the ledgers Andrew had been reading, and she knew he’d want to see these as well.
“Come help me,” she called out, and Tabs’s worried face appeared.
“You want me to go up there?”
“We’ve got to move this box to Andrew can read it.”
“And he can’t come get his own box?”
“It’s a surprise. You don’t make people fetch their own surprises.”
“Fine, fine. Be that way. But I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not going to die.”
Marissa slid the edge of the box over the first stair, and Tabs lowered it. Together, they thumped and bumped it all the way down to the main floor, where they sat and panted for a minute.
“All right, where is this man you’re surprising?” Tabs asked. “We’ve brought it this far, but I don’t think we can take it any farther.”
“I’ll go find him. Why don’t you run over to the diner and grab us some lunch?”
“Can do.” Tabs hopped up and headed off on her errand, and Marissa went in search of Andrew. She’d thought she’d seen him in the private quarters area behind the office. The electricians had been working on the wiring and she thought he’d been chatting with them, but no, he wasn’t there, and it looked like the electricians had taken their lunch break as well.
As she turned, she noticed that a section of the wall had been cut into, revealing the wiring that ran through the room. She was so glad they were working on it—it looked fifty years old, and was in bad need of an update.
Just as she reached the doorway, she heard a crackling sound, along with a shout from outside, and sparks raced down the wall she’d just been looking at. She had to get out of there, and fast, but her shoe caught on the doorframe, and she fell, hitting her head and becoming disoriented. She tried to pull herself up, but she couldn’t seem to find the strength in her body.
“Marissa? Marissa!” She heard Andrew’s voice and felt strong hands under her arms. “Come on! Get up!”
Somehow she managed to get her feet under her, and Andrew helped her outside where she could sit on the porch steps. She could hear a fire truck somewhere in the distance, and the sound hurt her head.
“What happened?” she asked.
“The electricians were running into some problems inside, so they went outside to tinker with the main box,” Andrew explained. “I went out too, and saw the box start to spark. Then I noticed the sparks inside—I could see them through the window, and I thought I’d better come in and check it out.”
“I’m really glad you did,” she told him.
“So am I.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You scared about a million years of life off me.”
“Where’s Tabs?” she asked.
“Over there.” He nodded toward the cars in the parking lot. “No one’s inside right now—we checked.”
“Good.” She snuggled into his chest. “What about your surprise?”
“What surprise?”
“I found a box in the attic. It looks like it’s full of more ledgers. I was coming to find you when I found the sparks instead.”
“Really? Where is the box now?”
“At the base of the stairs. You aren’t going in after it, are you?” she asked when he stood up.
“I have to. I need those ledgers.”
“And I need you.” She looked up at him. “Just wait until the fire truck gets here, all right? I know it’s important to you, but . . . please?”
He looked down at her, then at the building, then back at her. She could see the battle he was fighting with himself and she hated putting him in that position, but all she knew was that she couldn’t let him go in there. The problem should have been contained to that one room, but there was no guarantee. “All right. I’ll wait.” He sank back down and wrapped his arms around her again, and she pulled in a ragged sigh of relief.
As soon as the fire truck arrived, one of the firemen went inside with Andrew to get the box while another one checked Marissa over. She was edgy and couldn’t relax until she saw Andrew exit the hotel again.
“I’m sure everything’s fine now,” the fireman told her. “Take some deep breaths.”
“It’s just . . . have you ever suddenly realized you were in love with someone, and then that someone decided to go inside a potentially dangerous building? That’s sort of what’s going on right now,” she explained. “I’m not sure how to relax. And I’m thinking the whack on the head isn’t helping me.”
“It probably isn’t,” he said with a grin. “But the good news is, he looks like he’s in love with you too.”
She looked up and saw Andrew walking toward them, concern on his face. “He does, doesn’t he?”
The fireman patted her on the shoulder. “Good luck,” he said before he moved away.
“Are you all right?” Andrew asked. “Did they say anything?”
“I should go see my doctor tomorrow, but I should be all right.”
“Thank goodness.” He wrapped his arms around her again. “I wish I could promise that nothing else like this was going to happen, but I can’t. Things like this happen in old buildings, from what the firemen inside were telling me. I don’t want you to get hurt again, Marissa. You’re too important to me.”
“You’re pretty important to me too. In fact, I’ve decided that I’m in love with you.”
He looked down at her. “You are?”
“I am. Now, don’t be getting all mushy and kissing me and stuff. That would be absolutely terrible. And definite
ly don’t tell me that you love me too.”
“Oh, definitely not. I can’t think of anything worse.”
“There isn’t anything worse.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “And whatever you do, don’t keep holding me close. It’s so annoying.”
“I will most certainly not hold you close. Or tell you I love you. Or kiss you senseless. Or any of those other things.”
“Good.” She grinned as he brought his face down to hers. “You’re so disobedient,” she said after he kissed her.
“Very, very disobedient. And I happen to be in love with you too.”
“Shocking and scandalous,” she replied, wrapping her arms around his waist one more time.
When the firemen came out, they reported that everything would be fine as long as that wiring was pulled out immediately and replaced with new.
“This is going to set us back in our schedule, but we’ll still be able to make it work.” Andrew squeezed her hand. “Are you with me?”
“Absolutely.”
They stood together and watched as the sun set behind the hotel, casting brilliant pinks and golds and yellows everywhere. It was the most incredible thing Marissa had ever seen, and she couldn’t wait to come back the next day and continue helping to re-create the beautiful thing that was the Brody Hotel with this amazing man beside her.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed Generations, the novella that kicks off the Brody Hotel series. If you’d like to read about Adam and Elizabeth Brody and all the love stories that took place back in the 1800s, be sure to check out the Kansas Crossroads series listed below. And if you’d like to read more about Andrew and Marissa, you’re in luck because Heartstrings, Brody Hotel Book Two, will be out on March 19th, 2018.
About Amelia C. Adams
Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, an eater of chocolate, and a taker of naps. She spends her days thinking up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you just might see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.
You can reach her at [email protected].
Please join Amelia on her website to learn more about her, sign up for her newsletter, stay on top of news and upcoming releases, and follow her on Facebook.
And if you’ve enjoyed any of her novels, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It’s much appreciated!
The Kansas Crossroads Series:
A New Beginning (free!)
A Free Heart
The Dark and the Dawn
A Clean Slate
A Clear Hope
The Whisper of Morning
A Careless Wind
A Narrow Road
The Bitter and the Sweet
The Calm of Night
A Begrudging Bride
A Broken Wing (A Kansas Crossroads novella)
A Twisted Fate
An Unspoken Dream
A Joyful Noise
The Nurses of New York series:
Sea of Strangers (free!)
Cause of Conflict
Touch of Tenderness
Heart of Hearts
Test of Time
The American Mail-Order Brides series:
Hope: Bride of New Jersey
Tabitha: Bride of Missouri
The Hearts of Nashville series:
Whiskey and Women
Records and Rebels
As part of the Brides of Beckham series by Kirsten Osbourne:
Mail Order Molly
As part of the River’s End Ranch series:
Accidental Agent
Rugged Rockclimber
Welcome Wagon
Santa’s Shopkeeper
Delivering Destiny
Lucky Lifeguard
Poinsettia Promises
Christmas Catch-Up III
Candy Crush
As part of the Grandma’s Wedding Quilts series:
Meredith’s Mistake
As part of the Magnolias and Moonshine series:
Sweet Georgia Peach
As part of the Burnt River series:
Ashley’s Hope
Phoebe’s Fate
As part of the Rocky Mountain Romances series:
Utah Sunrise
As part of the Mail Order Mounties series:
Bride for Joel
Bride for Jonathan
Bride for Samuel
Bride for Calvin
As part of the Seven Sons series:
Benjamin
Daniel
Frank
As part of the Cowboys and Angels series:
Bribing the Blacksmith
As part of the Main Street Merchants series:
And Something Blue
The End
Generations Page 7
