Page 28 of The Accidental Innkeeper

Yes, for the wine. A big no for the men.

I pressed my lips together, staring at the check like it might disappear if I blinked. My aunt’s voice whispered in the back of my head. Lose it quickly, or prove me wrong.

I exhaled. “Okay,” I said slowly. “Hypothetically. If… if… I were to open the inn…”

Lola’s eyes gleamed.

Dottie leaned in.

“I could keep you on,” I continued, pointing at Dottie. “And maybe bring in help. And start fixing things. Slowly. Carefully. Without the building actively trying to kill me.”

Dottie clapped her hands. “Oh, I knew it. I know someone who can help with the fixing,” she added with a twirl of her finger like it was a magical wand.

“I didn’t say yes,” I warned.

Lola waved me off. “You did. You just haven’t caught up yet.”

I looked down at the check again. Thirty-eight thousand dollars. My shoulders sagged as the exhaustion finally caught up with me.

“Fine.” I sighed. “Temporarily. We’ll call it… a trial. Or a soft open,” I added, remembering what Becca had said. I couldn’t believe I was doing this.

“That’s how it starts,” said Lola with a knowing smile. “And then it gets hard, real hard.”

Before I could ask what she meant, though, a shrill ring cut through the inn, echoing from the hallway outside the kitchen.

I frowned. “Is that…”

Dottie tilted her head, listening. “That’s your phone ringing.”

My mouth fell open. “My phone?” I repeated like a simpleton.

Lola laughed, already shaking her head. “Those are bookings, darling.”

The ringing resonated again, louder this time, coming from somewhere near the front desk.

I just stood there. “Why,” I asked slowly, “would anyone be calling to book rooms at an inn that is very much not open?”

Dottie shrugged, completely unconcerned. “News travels fast.”

Lola smirked. “Especially when there’s fresh blood.”

The phone kept ringing. Ring. Ring. Ring.

My heart started pounding. “How do people even know I’m here?”

Dottie began wiping down the counter like this was a perfectly normal day. “Small town. Someone saw lights on. Someone saw Lola come back.”

Lola preened. “I am an event.”

The phone rang again, insistent now. Demanding.

I shook my head. “I don’t know how to answer it.” I typed for a living. I didn’t answer phones.

Dottie paused mid-wipe and looked at me. “You say hello.”

Right. “And then?”

“You smile,” Lola added. “Even if they can’t see it. People hear panic.”