“Looks like we don’t have any vacancies right now.” She turned to head back to the house full of boys.
I flinched. “No, wait. Please, give me a chance.”
Carol looked back at me; her eyes narrowed. It was obvious she didn’t trust me and would not be letting me anywhere near the B&B tonight. She placed a hand on her well-rounded hips. “You just had your chance. You may work in Hillsdale, but you aren’t one of us.” She stormed back to the house and slammed the door, causing the hanging porch light to swing with the thud.
How had I made even more enemies in this small town? I headed back to my dented car.
Perfect.
Chapter Eight
MARISSA
I couldn’t makeheads or tails of the whole Scott situation. Sometimes he seemed like the guy from the corn maze, fun, charming, and almost flirty. Then he would morph into this stuck-up businessman and become someone new. And by new, I meant rude.
I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and walked outside, then climbed into my old Honda Accord.
I had spent the last few days trying to set the office up the way he wanted it, sorting through files and uploading them into the new software. Scott’s professional side was not a fan of the internet speed.Wait ’til he sees what happens in a snowstorm.
Sometimes he was sweet and patient as he leaned down over my shoulder, pointing at the screen on my ancient monitor, teaching me the software. He smelled like cinnamon; my heart would race, and my fingers would get all tingly as his hands brushed near mine. And when he smiled at me . . . I was a goner.
None of that mattered. I had no desire to become more thanfriends with anyone, especially not with someone in Hillsdale. I shuddered as I imagined the amount of gossip that would generate and how fast it would spread if I dated Scott.
Not that it was an option, anyway.
I yanked hard on my car door, trying to convince it to open. I eventually won and turned the key in the ignition. The Beast didn’t like to start up on the first try, but after a few times, she would turn over and get me where I needed to go. I headed down Main Street to Merritt’s. I was a few minutes late, but it wasn’t a long drive. Nowhere in Hillsdale was a long drive. You could get from one corner to the next in less than ten minutes, and that was with the twenty-five mph speed limit.
Faith and Rose had warned me in advance that tonight would involve lots of questions about Scott, and to be prepared. I would never be prepared to discuss the complexity of Scott. I put my car into park, grabbed my purse, and stepped out, slamming my door shut in one fluid motion. When it didn’t latch, I tried again, throwing my hip into it this time. I didn’t bother locking it. I would have to pay someone to take the Beast off my hands. I loved her though, in her broken, rustic way.
Merritt’s was one of the few sit-down restaurants in town that wasn’t connected to a gas station, and tables could fill up fast, even on a Thursday night. I pulled open the heavy wooden door and inhaled the smell of baked bread and greasy food; my mouth watered.
“Hey, Marissa,” Merritt’s granddaughter Jesse smiled. She was a high school senior now but had worked here since she was about fourteen. She stood behind the entry table and was pinching her shoulder to her ear, holding a phone in place. “Faith and Rose are in the left back corner,” she mouthed as she continued taking an order on the phone.
“Awesome, thanks Jesse.” I whispered and headed to the back.
She nodded and gestured to the stack of menus on the edge of the table. Her eyebrows pulled up in question.
“No need, but thanks.” I wouldn’t need the menu. It hadn’t changed since I started coming here in high school.
I wound around the booths and headed to the left. The buzz of conversation and the smell of pumpkin circled me. Angie Merritt must have added the pumpkin pies to the menu this week.
Rose sat on one side of the table in her gold hoop earrings, red high heels, and dark eyeliner. Faith’s back was to me with her hair in a wispy bun, wearing a button-up shirt and slacks from work. She rubbed her temples. I wondered if some parent was giving her trouble again.
“Hey, have you ordered?” I asked as I sat down next to Faith.
Rose nodded. “I got you hot chocolate. Jesse will get the rest when she brings the drinks.”
I nodded. “Did you remember to add?—”
“Yep, cinnamon and whipped cream,” Rose finished.
I blushed a little. I always added cinnamon in my hot cocoa, but now it reminded me of Scott, and that felt different.
“Alright Mar, spill it.” Rose grinned. “Essentials first. Is he dating anyone?”
I rolled my eyes. “Crazy, but somehow, his dating life hasn’t come up this week.”
“It would've come up if I was talking to him.” She fiddled with one of her earrings.
