Page 98 of Drive
His smile grew, and his eyes took on a wicked cast. “And we’remarried.”
“Huh?” Rainey’s mouth fell open with thesound.
He could only chuckle. “Just go with it. The owners seemed sorta…old-fashioned.”
“O-okay,” shemanaged.
Ten minutes later, near the center of town, they pulled up to a deep-green Georgian style home with a copper awning above the front door. The placard on the black wrought iron gate that separated the house’s front garden from the sidewalk readCopper House. Built in 1829. Below was another that readThis property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of theInterior.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but since Rainey was already soaked, there was no point in outrunning the drops, so she paused to read the signs as Jacques swung the gate open. She glanced up at him. “How much isthis?”
Jacques carried their bags and didn’t meet her eyes when he answered. “About the same as last night,” he said with ashrug.
Rainey stepped into the courtyard. “Well, I hope you know I’m paying thistime.”
She heard the gate clink shut behind her as Jacques chuckled. She turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s sofunny?”
Jacques shook his head, his mouth twitching despite his best efforts. “No, dear. We’re married, remember? And we’re registered under the name Gilchrist, so…” He gave her a helpless shrug, and Rainey felt her jawclench.
“You did that on purpose,” she said through gritted teeth, but she was fighting, too, to keep from smiling. What was it about him and his 1950s’sensibilities?
Jacques shook his head, losing the battle of his smile. “No, I didn’t, but I’m not complainingeither.”
Before she could growl a response, the front door of the B&B opened, and a very round, white-haired woman called out a greeting. “Welcome to Copper House! Y’all must be Mr. and Mrs.Gilchrist.”
The woman’s last four words sucked the air from Rainey’s lungs. She quickly tried to mask her reaction, covering her opened mouth with her hand, but it felt like someone had just offered her a gift. A gift so precious it almost couldn’t beaccepted.
She felt a blush stain her cheeks, and she tried her best not to look at Jacques, though she could feel his eyes onher.
“Y’all come in out of the rain!” the woman urged, and Rainey realized she’d come to a halt just shy of the house’s copper awning. She darted inside with Archie, and the dog made a show of shaking off in rare canine form. Water sprayed all over the welcome mat, her, Jacques, and their hostess’sfeet.
“Archie!” she squealed. But their hostess onlychuckled.
“No harm done.” She turned to a chair by the door and hoisted up a stack of towels. “Willard said you’d been caught in the storm. I’m afraid your room’s not quite ready yet, but we do have a fire in the parlor where you can keepwarm.”
“Thank you, Mrs…?” Jacquesbegan.
“Please, call me Dottie,” their hostessoffered.
“Thank you, Dottie,” Jacques said, taking a towel off the stack and handing it to Rainey. He took the second, draped it over his shoulders and then knelt with the third to dryArchie.
“Jacques, I can do that,” Raineyprotested.
He just looked up at her and grinned that merciless grin. “No, honey, I’ve got this,” he said, scrubbing the towel over her wetdog.
Jacques was enjoying their situation too much, but Rainey had to admit that the endearment made her knees go a little weak. The same seemed to be true for their hostess because she threw her palm over herheart.
“My lands! Young love!” she swooned. Then her eyes met Rainey’s. “Enjoy it, dear. In forty years, you’ll be bickering over who’s going to unstop the toilet in the DerbyRoom.”
Jacques spluttered a laugh at this, and Rainey, on the brink of hilarity, wrapped the towel around hershoulders.
“Come on. The parlor’s this way. I’ll get you checked in overthere.”
They followed Dottie through a door to their right and passed a sprawling staircase that was polished to a highshine.
Jacques walked beside her, and as they cleared the hallway, he wrapped an arm around her waist, leaned down to her ear, and whispered in a sultry voice. “Rainey, no matter what happens, I promise I’ll always unstop the toilet in the DerbyRoom.”
Her laugh erupted as a humiliating snort that seemed to echo against all the polished wood, and she collapsed against Jacques as her eyes watered and she ached for breath. He tightened his arm around her and practically had to drag her along behind theirhostess.
