Levi reached for his door handle. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take.”
“I’m coming too.” Waiting wasn’t her strong suit, and she was tired of sitting in the car.
“You sure?”
She tugged her ball cap down. “It’s just the one woman, right?”
“Yeah, she pretty much has the run of the place.”
“All right then.”
The clerk’s office was a two-story brick building on the other side of town. Levi held open the door and Mia stepped inside, the air conditioning cooling her skin. The main room was small, containing only a few seats, a big table, and a mammoth-size copy machine.
To their left was a window that opened into an unoccupied office, bright with florescent lighting. The building smelled of old documents and burnt coffee. Dust motes danced in a beam of sunlight shining through the front window.
“She’s probably still downstairs.” Levi crossed the room and began looking at the old photos on the walls.
Mia followed on her crutches. There was a photo of an old mercantile with a couple standing out front. A black-and-white beach shot from the forties. An old dance hall, its parking lot packed with cars from the sixties.
“Look,” Levi said from the adjacent wall. “I forgot these were here.”
Mia hobbled to him and peeked over his shoulder. She smiled as her gaze scanned a collage of photos of the historic inn over the course of time.
Levi pointed to a photo of a young couple on the porch. “That’s your grandparents, right there.”
Mia gasped, leaning in close. She wished the photo were larger. But even in black-and-white she could see that her mom bore a great resemblance to her grandmother. And her grandfather was quite the looker, with his dark hair and confident smile.
Mia placed her palm on her chest. “I’d never seen them before. What a handsome couple.”
“I think you resemble her. Your hair color and the shape of your eyes.”
She took out her phone and snapped a couple photos. A few moments later she moved on to peruse the other photos, standing close to Levi.
His masculine scent enveloped her. Just a hint of wood and leather. Nice. She leaned forward a bit, drawing in a deep breath, then she lost her balance and toppled forward. She grabbed Levi’s arm.
He whirled, steadying her. “Careful there.”
“Stupid crutches.” Was that her voice, all breathy? His arm was thick and muscular under her palm. She should let go. She really should.
Let go, Mia.
He was close. So close the brim of her hat only allowed her to see as high as his lips. They were nice. Dusky mauve. The top one bowed nicely in the middle. He hadn’t shaved this morning, and that was nice too. She could almost imagine the bristly scratch of his jaw against her bare cheek.
He hadn’t moved back, and neither had she. Tension crackled between them. Her skin tingled, and her palms grew damp. His arm beneath her hand was hard and warm and—
“Sorry it took so long!” A short, round woman barreled into the room.
Mia jumped back, wobbling, and Levi steadied her again. She shot him a grateful look even as her pulse raced at the moment they’d shared.
“Howdy-do. Oh dear, what happened to your foot?”
“I slipped and fell yesterday.”
“You poor thing.” Connie waddled over to the table and set a bulky binder on it. She had a kind smile and cheeks that bunched when she smiled. “You’d better have a seat, dear. I just hate using crutches. Got new knees in 2012, and getting around was such a bear.”
Levi pulled out a wooden library chair for Mia. “Connie, this is a guest from the inn... um, Mia. Mia, this is Connie Harmeyer, our town clerk.”
Mia smiled and tugged her brim down. “Nice to meet you.”
