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Marian smiles and nods as she shakes my hand. Silver tresses escape her low, loose bun, and I get stuck on the warm, gentle mirth in her eyes. Kind eyes. Knowing ones too. Her skin is cool and soft to the touch, but she’s not weak about greeting me.
“If only it were ever that easy,” she quips.
“No wand? Then how about a spell?”
“I do have a guest who reads tarot cards after dinner,” Marian says as she leads us inside.
“Okay, we’re not doing that,” Lauren argues.
“I agree.” Marian shrugs. “Too risky.”
“And I’m sure he’s just as cranky as you are for the same reasons: the long drive gets to the best of us.”
Marian arched a brow. “Us? You and Caleb jetted over on his plane!”
“But I first rode here on a bus, and that trip seemed to take forever.”
I pat Lauren’s forearm, eager to put those memories in the past. The less we speak of her first escape, the better. “I am beat from the drive. Especially in my old car.”
“Old?” Marian asks as she leads us up the stairs. “I saw the trunk open as you walked up. They didn’t make those fancy features in old cars.”
I bite back a groan. The bungees didn’t hold, then.
“At any rate, welcome, Aubrey,” Marian says formally once we reach a gorgeous bedroom on the second floor.
“Thanks, Marian,” I tell her as I step inside. The walls are painted a dark peach with white trim, and with the white comforter on the bed, I feel like I’ve stepped into an elegant dollhouse. “I’m so excited to be here.”
“I love this room. Closet’s over there, And you’ve got your own bath,” Lauren says as she reaches for a doorknob.
“Wait. Wrong one, honey,” Marian tells her with a giggle as Lauren backs up and goes to another door.
I frown, taking in the three doors. One for the closet, the second that Lauren is opening shows a small bath, but the third? “What’s that one for?”
“It’s an old connector,” Marian explains. “It leads to the…Oh.”
I furrow my brow even further when Lauren winces. “Leads to…?”
“Leads directly to another guest,” Marian says.
I narrow my eyes. “Which guest?”
Lauren cranks up the wattage on a quick smile.
“Dalton?” I guess. I roll my eyes, unamused. Just my damn luck.
“Sorry,” Marian says. “As soon as rooms open up, you can move if you’d like.”
I hold up my hand, hating this feeling that I’m being difficult. “No. No. I’ll make do. It’s fine.”
And what is fine, again?
“Once I unpack I won’t want to repack and shift around, besides, this really is a gorgeous room.” I smile at the two women and appreciate their welcome. I truly do, and I’ve got to get my head out of my ass about my arrival. So, Dalton is a jerk. Even if he’s right next door, I don’t have to pay attention to him.
Later, though, as I unpack, I realize how challenging this will be.
The shared, connecting door opens and Dalton steps into my room. I pause at the unexpected intrusion and drop my panties. Of course, I had to be unpacking those right when he burst in.
His gaze drops to the floor and his brows shoot up. I glare at him until he looks back up at me.
