“I could be a serial killer, and you just left me with your kid. What kind of parent are you?” He crosses those thick, corded arms over his chest.
Laughter bubbles out of me as I stare him down. “I’ve already taught Lark the most valuable lesson.”
“What’s that?” he challenges, and even that feels like the promise of a new beginning.
“To scream fire if she’s in danger.” I push past him, pausing at the threshold to look at the snow surrounding me, but I catch Arlo’s inquisitive gaze.
“It does that to you.”
“Does what?” I ask, turning to give him my complete attention.
“Sucks you in. Silent Springs is like that.” His voice goes soft, and I can’t help but agree with him. I met this man only an hour ago. Normally, I’d be on the phone, trying my best to get a rental and continue on our journey to my one and only brother.
So why didn’t I?
A flare of nervous energy shoots from my gut to every inch of my body. The intense gaze he throws my way fills with knowing. It strips me bare, right down to my bones, to my marrow. Unsettled, I look away and press into the foyer of the bed-and-breakfast, where there’s a large, mahogany front desk to the left. A little bell rests on the side, while a lamp illuminates the area in ambient light. Behind it, a wide staircase swivels up and to the right, where a banister lines a hallway.
It’s a mixture of modern and antique that blends so seamlessly that if I saw it separately, I would never believe they would ever go together. The beautiful deep green and mahogany décor makes me want to whip out a cigar and puff away in the sitting room I just know exists. I never would have thought that this lurked in the interior of the home, but I love it.
“Mom!” Lark thunders down the stairs. “Arlo said I can have my own room.”
“A logical deduction.” I smile at Arlo and give him a wave of my hand. “Lead the way, oh knight in flannel armor.”
“Don’t call me that,” he grumbles, but I see the quick tick of his lips as he marches up the stairs, leading me to what I hope is a bedroom. “Lark has your key. You guys will share a Jack and Jill bathroom, but you each have separate keys.” He looks over at me, silently asking if that was the right thing to do.
“Yes, good sir.”
“Crazy woman on the side of the road.” He coughs as his heavy footfalls land on the top stair, and then he leads me to a bedroom. “The town shuts down at eight.”
“Sorry, what?” Why does that excite me? A small town that shuts down at a specific time? Yeah, I’m here for it.
“Except for the bar.” He cracks open the door, but I don’t look yet, I’m too stuck on this conversation.
“There’s a bar?”
“A pub.”
“What’s the pub called?”
“It’s across the street, that way.” He points toward town. “Half a mile, then it’s another half mile before you hit town.”
“So the bar isn’t in town?”
“Ernie didn’t think it would be a good idea.”
“Who’s Ernie?”
“The mayor,” he answers with exasperation. “Keep up.”
I’m just surprised he’s keeping up with me. “The town closes at eight?” I ask again.
“Yes, except for the bar, we’ve been over this. My sister Sera owns the bar.”
“Not the sister who runs the schoolhouse, I hope?” If she’s drinking on the job, that’s a whole new can of worms.
“Different sister.”
“How many do you have?”
