“Because she’s supposed to be here.” Logan switched on the shower and put his hand under the stream of water that cascaded out. Sure enough, it was freezing cold. He waited, while Jeremy stood next to him with his arms still crossed as if he was trying to put up his own barrier.
“Why is she supposed to be here?” Jeremy was persistent, that was for certain.
And annoying, his wolf added.
“The water is running hot.” Logan kept his hand under the running water as it heated up. “Scalding hot.” He turned the temperature down until it was hot but not burn-your-skin-off hot. Once the water reached the desired temperature and stayed there, he stood back. “Perfect. Try it.”
Jeremy sidestepped Logan and put his hand under the shower. He waited and waited, his eyes fixed on the wall while the water ran. “Maybe there was air in the pipes.”
“Maybe.” Logan backed toward the bathroom door. “Have a nice shower.”
“Why is she here?” Jeremy pulled his hand away from the hot water and squared up to Logan.
“She is my mate.”
“Oh!” Jeremy’s eyes flashed with humor. “Wow, she lucked out, didn’t she? I mean you have such wit and charm, and you are so amenable.”
“Do you have a point?” Logan’s wolf wanted to leap out and claw Jeremy’s face.
“My point is, what has she done to deserve such a grumpy, backwater hillbilly?” Jeremy arched an eyebrow.
“That is a very good question.” Logan wagged his finger at Jeremy and then turned around and left the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him.
Stalking across the bedroom, Logan yanked open the door leading back into the corridor, cursing the warlock under his breath. As the door closed behind him a shout of, cold water, reached Logan. He ignored it and kept on walking. Penny might not deserve Logan as a mate, but Jeremy Barnes deserved a cold-water shower, whether it was sent by the house or not.
Chapter Five – Penny
“Welcome to Wishing Moon Bay.” The chef leaned back against the counter and sipped his coffee while the bacon sizzled in the pan. He was looking at her with an intense curiosity, like she was a newly discovered species. “I’m Ivan.”
“Thanks, I’m Penny and it’s good to be here.” Her brows knitted together as she spoke the awkward sentence. What else was she supposed to say? Arriving in the dark and walking down the street to the hotel hadn’t exactly given her a glimpse of anything other than neatly tended front yards and the hotel with turrets. “I like the hotel. It’s very unique.”
“It is unique. Like most things in town.” He smiled and sipped his coffee. “Do you intend to stay long?”
“No, I’m traveling to my sister’s. Milo and I are going to live with her for a few months while we get back on our feet.”
“You’re homeless?” Ivan sauntered over to the coffee pot and poured her a cup.
“My marriage broke down and she offered us a place to stay.” She didn’t see the need to hide her circumstances since she’d already told Logan all this.
“Is that what you want?” Ivan handed her the coffee cup and went back to his sizzling pan.
“What I want.” Penny shrugged. “I recently figured out that you don’t get what you want. If I did, I’d still be married, and my son would still have a father he could count on.”
Ivan looked up from his pan and stared at the doorway. There was no one there. “You could stay here for a while. This is a good town.”
“I believe you. But I can’t afford the hotel,” Penny explained. Even though Ivan’s suggestion was tempting. Very tempting. Penny had no idea why. She loved Helena and welcomed the chance to spend time with her. But there was something about Wishing Moon Bay that made her want to stay. Or maybe it was her kind, handsome rescuer that made her feel like this was home.
“Logan will figure something out for you, won’t you, Logan?” Ivan grinned as Logan appeared in the doorway. Had he heard him approaching or had Logan been hiding outside the kitchen listening to their conversation?
“No, I should go to my sister’s. I need to register Milo for school there. And then look for a job.” Who was she trying to convince?
“Milo’s dad. Is he in the picture?” Ivan asked.
“No, we’ve hardly seen him since the divorce.” Penny had nothing to hide but Ivan’s questions were beginning to feel like an interrogation of sorts.
“Divorce.” He nodded at Logan who shot the chef a warning look.
“I should go back to the room. Milo is awake and I told him to stay put until I got back, which is not easy for a boy to do when he’s in a place like this.” Penny backed away toward the door.
“Wait.” Ivan held up his hand and then reached for a plate. “I made this for you.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped forward. Ivan had made her breakfast. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, help yourself to whatever you need.” Logan went to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of orange juice. “There are glasses on the counter there.”
“You’re gonna need your strength,” Ivan said as he piled another plate with bacon and eggs. And pancakes. The smell was enough to make her mouth water.
“My strength?” she asked as Logan quickly put everything onto a tray and handed it to her.
“Logan is going to show you around while your car is being fixed. Isn’t he?” Ivan’s eyes shifted from Logan then back to Penny. “It’s a beautiful day and maybe once you have seen the town, you might decide to spend a little more time with us.”
“I... I really need to get to my sister’s.” Penny looked down at the tray. “Thank you for breakfast.” She glanced up at Logan. “Do you have time to show us around? Once I’ve been to the garage, I’ll have some idea of how long we’ll be here. Hopefully.”
“I’ll be finished here by nine. I can drive you to the garage and then we can take a tour of the town.”
“Nine it is.” She glanced down at the tray. “Thanks again for the food and if you need me to do some chores around the hotel, just let me know.”
“I will.” Logan swallowed nervously as Ivan watched them both, his eyes dancing with humor.
Penny turned around and headed back toward the stairs. The guy from room one was coming out of his room once more, this time he was dressed but the expression on his face said he was not happy. “Morning. It’s a beautiful day.”
“It would be a whole lot better if my shower worked properly,” he grumbled then his eyes widened at the tray full of food. “At least the food here is good. Unlike the hotel manager.” His eyes darkened.
“Logan has been very kind to me.” Penny figured it was time to keep on walking.
“Of course he has.” Jeremy brushed past her and went downstairs to the dining room, leaving Penny perplexed by his meaning.
Something definitely seemed off about the hotel and the people in it. Although she could not fault Logan’s kindness, there was something odd about him. Last night she’d put it down to their unexpected arrival, now she wasn’t so sure.
Carrying the tray of food up to room number eight, she opened the door and went inside to find Milo had pulled one of the chairs across to the window. He was standing on it staring out at the bay. “I love this place.”
“Do you?” Penny set the tray down on the table and joined her son at the window. “It sure is an incredible view.”
“I saw a tiger walking along the street.”
“Did you?” Penny looked down at the empty street. “It’s gone now.” Milo was still young enough to enjoy make-believe.
“It ran off toward the mountains.” Milo pointed into the distance toward the mountain range that had also not been on the map.
“Okay, well, we need to eat and get dressed and then go find out what is wrong with the car. While it’s being fixed, Logan, the guy who carried you to bed last night, has offered to give us a tour.”
“Great, he might know where the tiger went.” Milo slid down off the chair and dragged it back to
the table.
“Careful, buddy. This furniture looks antique. We don’t want to break anything or damage the floor.” Penny helped her son put the chair back next to the table.
“Do you think the hotel is haunted?” Milo climbed onto the chair and sat down but his focus was on the ceiling with its carved edges rather than on eggs and bacon.
“I don’t know. It all certainly looks old.” She blinked, reminding herself that she was supposed to tell her son that there were no such things as ghosts. “But I doubt it’s haunted.”
“Why not?” Milo picked up a fork and began to eat the food she’d put on his plate.
“If you were a ghost, wouldn’t you have better things to do than hang around a hotel?” Still not telling her son there were no such things as ghosts. She needed to work on teaching her son reality skills. But they had both had enough of reality the last few months. Reality consisted of losing your home and not seeing your dad.
“I don’t know. It would be kind of cool to scare people.” Milo was imagining being a ghost and what he’d do. Penny could always tell when he was thinking up great plans and schemes by the way his eyes went out of focus.
“I don’t think I’d go around scaring people. I think I’d go around making people laugh.” Penny forked up her eggs. “This food is delicious.”
“I guess that might be pretty cool, too,” Milo conceded and picked up his fork.
“I think it’d be hard work. I mean it’s easy to scare people, but making people laugh, that’s a skill.” She watched her son as he thought it over.
“I want to make people laugh.” He sat up straighter and ate his breakfast now that his decision had been reached. Penny loved watching him learn and grow, it was the most rewarding job in the world.
She sighed and glanced toward the window. A real job was what she needed. Staying with Helena was not a long-term plan. For now, Penny planned to take any job she was offered just so she and Milo could have some independence. They needed to stand on their own two feet.
Which meant finding childcare, too. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. She loved caring for her son, she loved picking him up from school and listening to his excited chatter as he told her about his day. Milo was not one of those children who kept it all bottled up inside. He liked to share his thoughts on all aspects of the world around him.
“The pancakes are good.” Milo’s small voice brought her back to the hotel room. The concern on his face made her heart squeeze in her chest.
“Ivan is a great chef,” she enthused, putting a smile on her face as she picked up a pancake. “When we go downstairs, we should go thank him.” Penny took a bite of her pancake and her eyes rolled back as the buttery soft texture melted in her mouth. “These aren’t just good, they are the best.”
“I could eat these every day.” Milo watched for her reaction. He wanted to stay here in town. He wanted to live in the hotel. But he was going to be disappointed, there was no way they could move here.
“I’ll ask Ivan for his recipe and maybe get him to teach me his magic.” She took another pancake and ate it, while Milo did the same.
“I think he must know magic,” Milo agreed.
“We’re going to be all right,” Penny didn’t know where the burning need to reassure her son came from, but the words just fell out of her mouth before they had even formed in her head.
“I know.” He smiled at her with all the innocent belief of a child who trusted their mom implicitly.
Penny just hoped she wouldn’t fail him. Milo deserved better.
Chapter Six – Logan
“Hi, Milo.” Logan met Penny and Milo in the reception area as they came down the stairs. “Here, let me take the breakfast tray.” He held out his hands and his mate passed over the tray which contained nothing but empty plates. “I see you enjoyed your breakfast.”
“The food is wonderful, we were going to say thank you to Ivan if he’s around.”
“He’s in the kitchen. Come on, I’ll take you through.”
“Thanks.” Penny held out her hand and Milo took it without objection. He was a good kid.
“Did you sleep okay?” Logan led them to the kitchen.
“Yes. Thank you for carrying me up to bed.” The boy smiled up at Logan. “I like the hotel. We think it’s haunted.”
“We don’t think it’s haunted, you think it’s haunted,” Penny replied.
“I think it’s haunted.” Milo looked up at the ceiling. “I’d also like to live here but Mommy says once the car is ready, we have to leave.”
“Sorry. Milo has a habit of saying exactly what is on his mind. I don’t want you to think that I’ve primed him to say that. We are leaving once the car is fixed. And I will pay the hotel bill...” She hesitated and clamped her hand down on her purse. “If I have enough money left in the bank.”
“Don’t worry about the money.” Logan shot Ivan a warning look as they entered the kitchen. “And Milo is not the only one who has a habit of saying exactly what is on his mind with no filter from his brain to his mouth.”
“He means me.” Ivan put up his hand which was covered in soap suds. “I don’t like anyone else washing my pans.”
“Ivan means he doesn’t trust anyone else to wash his pans.” Logan set down the tray and began loading the dirty plates into the dishwasher.
“Well, I am grateful for what you cook in those pans,” Penny told him. “I don’t think I’ve ever tasted food like it.” She put her hands up. “I mean in a good way. A really deliciously good way.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your kind words.” Ivan bowed his head.
“Can you teach my mom how to make pancakes the way you make them?” Milo asked.
“Sure, if you decide to stay in town longer, it would be my pleasure.” Ivan turned back to his work.
“Thanks, Ivan. I didn’t know if you had a secret ingredient.”
“No secrets. Just hard work and a little experimentation with the consistency of the batter.” Ivan finished drying the pans and carried them across to the stove.
Logan closed the dishwasher and went to the sink. “I’ll just be a couple of minutes and then we can go.” He washed off the tray and set it down on the drainer.
“What happened with the cold shower guy?” Penny watched Logan work. “He seemed a little on edge this morning.”
“It was working fine. When I left him, it was working fine, at least. Then, as soon as he gets under the water, it goes cold.”
“I told you the hotel was haunted,” Milo said. “There’s a ghost in the room who turns the water to cold.”
“I like your way of thinking.” Ivan pointed a soapy cloth at him.
“There’s probably something wrong with the pipes,” Penny said, changing the subject. “Milo has enough of a vivid imagination without any encouragement.”
“I think you know magic.”
Logan dropped a plate into the dishwasher and all the other plates clattered disgruntledly. “Ivan doesn’t know magic.”
“I think there’s magic in your pancakes because they are so good.” Milo licked his lips and Logan smiled gently at the young boy. He sure had a wonderful imagination.
“Unfortunately, I do not,” Ivan told the boy. “However, I have learned to cook through trial and error. And a few YouTube videos.”
“Mommy needs a new job, maybe you can teach her all about cooking.”
“We are not going to be here that long, Milo. You know that.” Penny smiled apologetically. “You’ve both been so kind to us already.”
Ivan cracked an egg into the frying pan, and it sizzled on the stovetop. “If you have time when you get back from your grand tour of Wishing Moon Bay, I can give you some tips.”
“Thanks. Although, I don’t think the kitchen is where my future lies.” Penny looked at the large clock hanging on the kitchen wall. “We should get going. If you’re ready? If not, we could walk to the garage and wait for you there.”
“No, I’m ready.�
�� Logan grabbed his jacket which was hanging behind the kitchen door. Checking that he had his keys, he ushered Milo and Penny toward the back door. The last thing he wanted to do was go out through the front and bump into Jeremy. He was not in the mood for yet another debate over the cold shower. As far as Logan could tell, there was nothing wrong with it.
It runs cold. If there is nothing wrong with it then why does it do that? his wolf asked. Because he is a warlock? Do you really buy into the idea that the house doesn’t like him?
I don’t believe the house does it on purpose. Logan led his mate and her son out onto the street. He’d seen enough magic and mayhem in his time to believe anything was possible, but the hotel being magic was going too far. Of course, there is one way to test that theory. He could swap rooms.
Good thinking. His wolf liked that idea, he also liked the idea of spending the day with Penny and Milo.
“This is me.” Logan fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the truck.
“Is this a monster truck?” Milo asked as Penny helped him climb inside.
A monster drives it, Logan’s wolf laughed.
“No, it’s just a normal truck. The big wheels help me drive up the mountain roads.” Logan stood still and peered into the distance. “There.” He pointed to a clump of tall pine trees halfway up the mountain. “That is where I live.”
“Wow! Can I come and visit you?” Milo asked. “It must be like living on the top of the world.”
“Let’s get your seatbelt on, Milo.” Penny helped her son into his seat and then climbed in beside him.
“I’d like to show it to you.” Logan inserted the keys into the ignition and started the engine. He’d also like his mate and her son to live with him. But he needed to take things one step at a time. First, he needed to persuade them to stay in town. Then he’d persuade them that he was the man to care for them and protect them.
“Maybe we can come back sometime. After we’ve settled down somewhere.” A nervous edge to Penny’s voice alerted him. Things were not good in his mate’s world.
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 4
