Page 39 of The Accidental Innkeeper

“I won’t.”

“And you don’t get to look at me like I’m going to fall apart.”

“I don’t do that.”

I squinted. “You kind of do.”

He tilted his head. “You’re standing in front of a ringing phone, a ledger written in code, and a building that’s actively fighting you. That’s not judgment. That’s observation.”

Lola laughed. “I haven’t had this much entertainment since Louis attempted the inverted pretzel.”

Dottie clapped her hands. “Great! Then it’s settled.”

“It is not…” I started.

“I’ll show you what needs immediate attention,” said Dust-guy. “You decide what you want done.”

I hesitated. Pride, fear, and exhaustion were all wrestling it out in my chest.

Then the phone rang again.

I closed my eyes. “Fine,” I said. “But if this goes badly, I’m blaming all of you.”

Lola lifted her glass. “I accept no responsibility.”

Dottie grinned. “Welcome to innkeeping.”

Dust-guy just nodded and turned toward the stairs.

And just like that, I’d agreed to let Dust-guy help me keep my life from collapsing.

Fantastic.

9

ALEX

Iclimbed the stairs, putting more pressure on them than they needed, just to test. Weight shift. Heel. Toe. Listen for complaints. Nothing.

They were fine. Good bones. Solid. Whoever built this place knew what they were doing. That mattered.

Behind me, New York panted. Not out of shape, but more like she was frustrated. Big difference. I could hear it in the way she breathed, sharp and clipped.

I didn’t care. I was here to assess. Prioritize. Fix what needed fixing first. Then I was gone. That was the plan.

“Where are you going?” New York called from behind me.

“To your bedroom.”

“Oh really? My bedroom?”

I stopped mid-step and turned. Her tone had changed, an edge where there hadn’t been one before. Defensive. Territorial. Like I’d just crossed a line she hadn’t realized was there until now.

“Dottie said your bedroom door fell off its hinges,” I said. “You’re about to have strangers walking through this place. You’ll want a door that closes. Don’t you think?”

Her mouth opened. Then closed. “Oh. Right.” Her cheeks went pink. The color climbed fast, catching in her cheekbones.

I noticed it anyway, the color in her cheeks, how it sharpened her face, made her eyes stand out brighter than they had a second ago.