Maddie turns to him and feigns offense. “You’re telling me you forgot that your high school sweetheart was Dogwood Festival Queen four years in a row?”
Ewan slaps his forehead. “Oh, you mean that Dogwood Festival.”
Maddie laughs and elbows him in the ribs.
“Speaking of the festival,” I say, “it just so happens that I have a present for you both to express my congratulations on y’all getting back together.”
“You do? That was quick,” Maddie says with a smirk.
“Well, it’s a shamelessly self-serving gift,” I say. “I’d love it if you two would test out the carriage house for me.”
Maddie’s eyes widen with excitement. “It’s finished?”
I smile. “Yes. My first renter arrives tomorrow.” When my MiMi’s house, built in 1902, was passed on to me, I had no idea how to take care of it. Now, I’m proud to say it’s becoming the home of my dreams, complete with space to earn a little extra income.
Maddie and Ewan look at each other, and at first I think they must think this is a terrible idea. They are literally myneighbors. Why would they want to walk across the side yard and spend the night in my shed, as if that’s actually a present?
But to my delight, Ewan says to me, “Sounds cool. Let’s do it.”
Maddie is all in. “I don’t even have to pack a bag. Let’s go.”
As I lead them through the side gate to the backyard, I explain that I want a full critique in the morning. “Tell me what works, what doesn’t work, if you have enough pillows, towels. Is it dark enough? Too dark? Does the koi pond fountain make too much noise? Rake me over the coals.”
I glance over my shoulder, but Maddie and Ewan are about fifteen paces behind me, taking their time to look at the flowers, the fish, and everything else I’ve put my energy into over the past year.
Maddie coos over the koi. Ewan nods approvingly at the sturdiness of the wood on the new patio. “You have a pizza oven out here?” Maddie shrieks.
That’s one feature I’m particularly proud of, sourced by a local craftsman with native clay. “Ingredients can be provided for guests to make their own pizza if they arrange ahead of time, or I can do it for an extra fee. As well as s’mores for the fire pit.”
It seems chintzy when I say it out loud, but adding on extras for guests of a small bed and breakfast takes some creativity in a town this size.
I finally show them the inside of the carriage house, and they are overly complimentary. Not going to lie, though, it does make me feel good.
“Sorry, no TV, but I have a dedicated Wi-Fi.”
“No, that’s smart,” Ewan says. “You don’t need a TV. People can use their own passwords to watch stuff on their laptops at night.”
Maddie nods. “Yeah. Nobody’s coming here to watch TV.”
“That’s for sure,” Ewan says, causing his wife to blush. “Speaking of, where’s the bed?”
“Oh my god, I meant they’re here for the festival,” Maddie says. “Don’t listen to him.”
I point upward to the loft and show them the set of narrow but sturdy stairs. The loft level is mostly one huge bed with a fluffy duvet, a mountain of pillows, a simple side table and lamp.
“Oh, and I offer my guests fresh biscuits in the morning, because I want it to have more of a legit bed and breakfast feel. I suppose most of them will want it dropped off, room-service style, but I’d love it if you dropped by the main house to have breakfast with me in the morning and give me a full rundown of what you liked and didn’t like.”
I give them the code and tell them they can crash whenever they’re ready, and then I scoot out of there because the way these two are looking at each other, I think they’re ready to retire for the night immediately.
It feels weird knowing my neighbors are about to have sex in my carriage house. But that’s what I signed up for. I’m renting out a room. People are going to have sex in it. That’s just how it is.
At least someone is getting lucky at this address, because it’s not going to be me. I’ve got a bad picker, and I’m not going to pick another man anytime soon.
Three
Oliver
“Volunteer and delivery trucks only,” reads the sign at the corner of every road leading to downtown Songbird Ridge.
