If Christopher avoided the tabloid blogThe Jenkins Report, he’d have a harder time ignoring stacks of print in every building in town, including his lobby.Loon Lake Lifemight be a newspaper to Seth, but it was an incendiary eighteenth-century revolutionary pamphlet to Christopher. Or so Zach Jenkins would have it. Christopher wouldn’t give in to his nemesis with an outburst.
“You’ll tell her?”
“Sure.”
A crash of metal on metal saved him from more response or having to gracefully decline to accept any copies for the Inn.
“Hey, Seth,” Lonnie called from the fudge shop door. “You coming?”
“Yes, sir,” Seth said, straightening the box in his arms. “Bye, Chris.”
Christopher nodded. With a heavy sigh, Christopher decided on the long way along the gravel road back to the Inn. Maybe crunching stones under his feet would drown out the voices in his head. Or maybe he owed himself and her the truth.
ChapterThirteen
Why did standing outside his office door feel so serious?
After a nap and a shower, Ashley had dressed for their evening activity. He was probably joking when he’d saidall-nighter,but she prepared all the same. She was ready for vindication, looking forward to this chance to prove herself correct. But until she paused in the hallway, she hadn’t considered that whatever happened tonight would impact her future.
She had grown up in this building. She knew every nook and cranny. Here, in converted attic space, she could see through the drywall and paneling to her spooky childhood memories.
His domain hadn’t been her father’s, thankfully. She had too many bad memories from the lectures and disappointed headshakes she’d received in that spot. She should have no qualms up here.
But it was like she had wandered onto the set of a beloved sitcom in time for a very special episode. Or, worse, a preachy public service announcement only vaguely connected to the other zany antics aired weekly. She was an outsider in her home. She hadn’t considered the true cost of leaving.
She pinched her cheeks, adding a bit of color, before raising a fist and knocking on the door. She didn’t want to look like she had gone to too much trouble with her appearance. But neither could she show up without making some sort of effort. She smoothed her hands over the extra-large black sweater, tugging the hem over her hips and leggings.
The door opened.
Christopher appeared on the other side.
Her heart flipped.
He was dressed in black, too, although his crewneck sweater hugged his torso like an expensive, tailored fitted suit. Inside her slip-on, canvas sneakers, she curled her toes. The white fabric was no longer spotless but faded and shabby. Like most of her life. She hadn’t purchased anything new in years, only replacing what she absolutely could not mend.
She was focusing on the wrong aspect. He took the plan seriously enough to dress the part. Even if he still didn’t believe in every facet, his outfit showed some real understanding.
A tiny flicker, a lot like hope, flared inside her chest. She rubbed her palms together before tucking her clammy hands under her arms. “Hi. Can I come in?”
“Please.” He pushed the door wider, stepping back.
She passed into his sanctum and took a deep breath of the hint of pine and leather in the space. The room was calming because it was so high up, perched in the treetops. Climbing stairs was a wonderful exercise, and with such consistency, his butt must be rock hard.
She flushed. Why did her mind go there?
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She whirled around.
He shut the door and crossed toward the leather chairs, waving her to sit.
She crossed the room, unsure how to answer. Her hot cheeks betrayed her.
“Any fever? I hope you didn’t catch something from the lake water.” He frowned.
“Oh, no. I’m fine.” She waved off his concern and sat in one of the chairs, slipping off her shoes and tucking her feet underneath. She liked to sit twisted up and tight. Making herself small wasn’t the goal. She liked feeling in control, holding onto herself. Sometimes, the physical was all she could restrict.
“Are you sure? If you don’t feel well…”
