He knocked and waited. Nothing.
“Where are they?”
He turned around at the sound of a vehicle approaching. A blue truck carrying two men came up the path. They got out and approached him.
Ciaran walked down to meet them.
These two men were bears, which made sense. The shorter one wore wire-rimmed glasses, a full beard, and short brown hair. The taller one, well over six feet, was blond, with a goatee. They were both handsome men.
“Hello,” Ciaran said. “I’m Ciaran Moore. I have a one-night stay booked.”
“Well,” the shorter man looked at him. “I’m Teddy, and this is my partner, Geoff. I think I forgot we had a one-nighter. It’s not common. Sorry, we weren’t here to meet you.” He extended his hand, and Ciaran shook it before shaking hands with Geoff, too.
“I just got here,” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t call to confirm.”
“No worries,” Teddy said. “Come inside. We’ll get you set up.”
Ciaran grabbed his bag and followed the men inside.
The interior matched the exterior. Wooden and natural. A fireplace sat against a wall, with two chairs in front. A couch with a crochet throw blanket over it, a wooden coffee table, and a ceiling fan. There was no television in sight.
“So,” Teddy said. “You’re here for one night, right?”
“Yes,” Ciaran said slowly. “Just one night.”
“We’re surprised you didn’t cancel,” Geoff said. “All our other guests did.”
Geoff had a German accent that took Ciaran aback. He’d never met someone from Germany.
“Why?” Ciaran furrowed his brow.
“The storm,” Teddy said. “Didn’t you hear about it?”
“Yes,” he said, “but it’s not supposed to be here until Saturday. I’ll be out of Washington by then.”
“True,” Geoff said. “Well, just sign in and I’ll show you to your room.”
“Thanks.”
Ciaran filled out the forms and followed Geoff to his room.
“Where are you headed?” Geoff asked.
“I’m going to visit my family in White Rock, BC.”
“You’re from Canada?”
“Yes and no,” Ciaran said. “My mom is from Eugene, Oregon, and my dad is from Vancouver. My dad moved to the States to live with my mom. They moved to Wisconsin, where my sister and I were born, but spent a lot of time in Canada on vacations with my dad’s family. Long story short, they moved to White Rock when I was twenty, and I moved to California to go to school and strike out on my own.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. You made it on your own in California with no one?”
“I can’t say no one,” Ciaran said. “My boyfriend at the time moved there with me. That is another story, though.”
“We’ll leave it at that, then.”
They climbed the wooden stairs, and Geoff opened a door to a small room. It held a bed, a nightstand with a lamp, a wardrobe, a television, and a ceiling fan.
“This looks amazing,” Ciaran said. “I think it’s well worth the charge.”
