“Yep, I’m running some errands today.Plan to meet the insurance guy at the coffee shop shortly, and hope…” I cross my fingers, “…I’ll be able to get into my apartment to start cleaning up.”
“Will you be staying there?”
“Oh, that would be amazing, but I’m not sure I can get things in order that soon.Don’t get me wrong,” I quickly add, realizing that might not have sounded very grateful.“I love staying here—the room is beautiful, the bed is comfy, you guys are amazing—but I miss my things and my dog.”
“No need to explain.”He smiles as he pours me a coffee.“I completely understand.But know you are more than welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.Hey—” I suddenly shift gears when a thought occurs to me.“You do weddings here from time to time, right?”
“Occasionally.We can’t really facilitate bigger events, so we don’t get a ton of interest from outside of Silence.It’s mostly locals who know the place.”
I don’t really know what Savvy and Nate envision for their wedding, or whether they already have a place in mind, but I can’t imagine they’d be looking at doing something big and elaborate on such short notice, and it can’t hurt to ask.
“Just as a general inquiry; what is your availability this coming June?”
“As in, this year?”
I scrunch my nose.“Yeah.”
“Yours?”he asks, a twinkle in his eyes.“I happened to see that handsome lawman come out of your room yesterday.”
Damn blush, I can feel it crawling up my cheeks.
“I’m asking for a friend.Honestly,” I add for emphasis, when he slowly pulls up an eyebrow.“I’m just doing some groundwork here.I haven’t had a chance to sit down with her and go over what she might want.”
“Well, from memory, I don’t think we have anything substantial scheduled for June, but let me look into that and I can let you know.”
While I eat my breakfast, I glance out of the dining room’s French doors.
This placewouldbe perfect for a wedding.
The Carriage House has a large stone patio surrounded by a neatly trimmed boxwood hedge, a few Japanese maples—those will look fabulous in June since they leaf out early in the season—and a beautiful garden with roses and rhododendrons beyond.All of it should be in bloom.
A simple wedding; I envision the ceremony here in the dining room, the ornate fireplace would serve as a perfect backdrop for the couple.Those French doors would be wide open to the patio where high tea could be served in lieu of a full sit-down dinner.While the guests were outside eating, we could clear the dining room down to the beautiful wooden floors for a little dancing after.
I can see it all.
I’m nota fan of the insurance adjuster.
The grumpy man was barely able to acknowledge me when I met him outside the coffee shop, yet as soon as Emmet shows up, he’s suddenly Mr.Cheerful.
I’d almost forgotten to let Savvy or Hugo know I was coming here.I called from the car but was unable to connect with either of them, so I left each a message.Knowing they’d have a shit fit if I came on my own, I got a hold of Emmet, who was thankfully available to meet me here.
“Luckily it didn’t spread up here, but this apartment definitely needs remedial cleaning.Here’s the name of a company I’ve dealt with before that specializes in this kind of work.”
The adjuster hands Emmet a business card.The guy has been addressing Emmet the entire time on our walk-through, and it is starting to get on my nerves in a big way.I’ve held on to this morning’s good vibe as long as I could, but at this point it’s rapidly eroding.
“I’ll take that, thank you,” I intervene sharply, snatching the card from the older man’s fingers.“Since this ismyapartment,mybusiness, andmyname on your policy thatmymoney pays for,” I remind him.
I’ve clearly shocked him; he looks like he just bit into a lemon and doesn’t particularly enjoy the flavor.
“Of course,” he concedes primly before finishing up his inspection in silence.
Maybe it would’ve been better to bite my tongue and let his dismissive treatment of me slide.The reality is, I need this man to sign off on my insurance claim, so I can start repairs.
When we get back downstairs to the coffee shop, he pointedly turns to me.
“This area too is a matter of remedial cleaning, but obviously the kitchen is of most concern.I will email you my detailed findings once I have them written up.”
