Molly managed to steer clear of Adam as long as she could. Or maybe he was steering clear of her. But she was working the front desk on Saturday morning when she heard him coming down the stairs. It was impossible to circumvent an encounter since she was checking out the Booths, a middle-aged couple who were celebrating their thirtieth anniversary.
Molly bestowed a smile on the couple, über aware of Adam coming around the corner and stopping hesitantly.
“Did you get over to Stone Gap Bridge yesterday?” Molly asked the couple.
“Sure did,” Mr. Booth said. “Got some great pictures. It was amazing.”
“It was terrifying!” Mrs. Booth laughed. “I’m afraid of heights, did I mention that?”
Mr. Booth curled his arm around his wife’s waist. “You did great. She made it all the way across.”
“And then I would’ve paid a million bucks to avoid going back.”
Molly smiled. “I guess you figured out there is no other way back.”
“My legs were shaking so badly. I just about collapsed when I made it back across. But I have to admit the views were stunning.” She opened her phone to the photos and showed Molly.
The sunset views were beautiful. The rocky canyon reflected the pinks and purples of the sky. There were selfies of the couple on the middle of the bridge and photos of Mr. Booth taken by his wife from the safety of terra firma.
“These are great.”
“I’ve already posted all our pictures on Facebook, and I tagged your inn’s page.”
“Thank you. I’ll have to check them out.”
“We had a wonderful time in Bluebell,” Mrs. Booth said. “We’re already planning to come back for our thirty-fifth.”
“We’ll splurge on the suite next time,” Mr. Booth said.
“I’m so glad to hear it. We’d love to have you back.” Molly handed them their receipt along with a white pastry bag. “I knew you’d be in a hurry to catch your flight, so I had Miss Della bag up some muffins.”
“Oh, you’re such a doll,” Mrs. Booth said. “Thank you so much. You made us feel like family.”
“My pleasure. You have a safe trip back to Philly. Take care now, and give that little granddaughter an extra hug for me.”
The couple waved, then pulled their suitcases behind them and slipped out the front door.
And then there was nowhere to look but at Adam, whose hands were tucked into the back pockets of his khakis. His presence seemed large in the space.
“Good morning!” she said, overly bright. She took her smile down a notch or two.
“Morning.” His voice was morning gruff. He took a step closer, his eyes rising only as far as the counter. He obviously had something to say.
Please, God, not a reference to yesterday’s unfortunate debacle.
He stopped half a body length away. “Um, I hate to be a bother, but the air conditioning unit in my room isn’t functioning properly.”
“Oh, no. That’s not good.” Duh, Molly. “And it’s supposed to be a super hot one today. I’ll let Levi know, and we’ll get it taken care of as soon as possible. Will you be out today?”
“Yes, all day in fact. So whenever you can get to it is fine.”
“Okay, we’ll get it taken care of.” Already said that. “I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.” She couldn’t seem to stop sounding so professional.
“It’s fine.” He poked his glasses into place, his eyes flickering to hers for the briefest of seconds. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who was flustered. “It cooled off last night so I was comfortable enough.”
Ah, yes. Cooled off. Because of the storm. All the images, all the feelings from yesterday’s interlude swept over her. Man, that kiss. Heat flooded into her face. She fiddled with the tourist pamphlets on the counter, straightening them like a maniac.
“Right. Yes. Well. It’s supposed to be hotter today.” Already said that too. “So we’ll get it fixed. Today. Levi, I mean. And if he can’t take care of it, we’ll find someone who can. Your room will be cool as a cucumber when you get back from, well, wherever it is you’re going. It’ll be great!”
He gave a nod, backing toward the door. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Great! Have a great day.” Could she say great one more time?
“You too, Molly.” He gave her a wistful smile, then slipped out the door.
At the final click of the door Molly collapsed on the counter and buried her head under her arms.