Ooo-kay. Rolling his eyes behind her back, he followed her through the living room and into the dining room. Once they were inside she pushed the French doors shut, closing off the room, even though the whole inn was empty but for the siblings and Mia.
“I just took up their breakfast,” Grace whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back at her dramatically. “You passed me on your way up.”
“I thought I’d do a little detective work, you know, try and figure out what was going on. So when she opened the door I looked past her, very casually, and the bed was empty—there was no one else in the room that I could see. Although he could’ve been in the bathroom, I guess. The door was almost closed, but I don’t think the light was on.”
“Get to the point, Grace,” Levi said when he should’ve just cut her off. He could see all this was leading somewhere, but their guest’s personal life was none of their business.
“I’m trying. I didn’t recognize her at first, without her makeup and everything, and the hallway is fairly dark, so it took me a minute. It was her voice that tipped me off.”
Levi struggled for patience. His sister could drive him crazy sometimes. Both of them, actually. “Grace, I have things to do, so if you don’t mind—”
“Our guest isMia Emerson,” she blurted.
“I know that... I checked her in, remember?”
Grace rolled her eyes. “TheMia Emerson, Levi—ofInto the Deepfame.”
“Into the Deep? The movie?” Well, that would explain her incredible good looks.
“Yes, the movie, Levi. Do you live under a rock? She’s a superstar. She’s on magazine covers, and she’s going to be in the new Jax Jordan movie this fall. Youhaveheard of Jax Jordan?”
“Of course I’ve heard of Jax Jordan,” he scoffed. “He’s been around forever.”
“I can’t believe Mia Emerson is staying right here, under our roof.”
Levi narrowed his eyes at her. “Please tell me you didn’t ask for her autograph.”
“Of course not. I was a consummate professional. I didn’t even let on that I recognized her. But do you know what this means, Levi? Do you know how connected she is? If she tells all her friends about our inn, we could become the new getaway for the Hollywood elite. Can you imagine?”
He rocked back a little at that. He didn’t care one whit for the Hollywood elite. But the inn sure could use an influx of influential people. A word or two on social media from a movie star or a mention in a magazine could make a huge difference.
“Is her new husband an actor too?” Levi asked. That would bode especially well.
“What do you think I am, a groupie?” She pulled out her phone. “Let me see what I can find online.”
“You shouldn’t be prying into our guest’s personal life.” Even he could hear his halfhearted tone.
“Hey there.” Molly entered the dining room from the kitchen, still wearing an apron. “Miss Della had to leave early for a doctor’s— What’s going on? You have a funny look on your face.”
Grace looked up from her phone. “Our new guest is Mia Emerson.”
“What? The actress? Are you sure?”
“Positive. It took me a minute to recognize her because she was straight out of bed, but her voice gave her away. It’s definitely her.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. Did her husband ever show up?”
“I don’t think so. I didn’t see him. I’m Googling ‘Mia Emerson wedding.’ I think she was engaged to some actor, but I can’t remember who it—oh, here it is. She was engaged to Wesley Hughes.” Grace continued reading and scrolling then sucked in a breath. “Oh no. They broke off the engagement.”
“When?” Molly asked.
“Where are you even getting this information?” Levi asked. “Those tabloids are just a bunch of gossip.”
“I know that,” Grace said as if insulted. “This is a reputable site. They broke up months ago—the party line is, it was a mutual decision. But inside sources claim he broke up with her.”
“Why would she come on her honeymoon alone?” Molly asked, a pained look in her amber eyes.
