Page 73 of An Espresso Machine’s Guide to Love & Mischief

Then again, I’ve stayed in much fancier places that needed armed security for when the drug-fueled parties spilled into the halls and lobby.

Okay, fine, they were my drug-fueled parties.

I push the cart toward the desk and spot a name tag pinned to her shirt. “Erica, can you call up to my friend’s room?”

“Did you say it was Nephrite Murphy?” she asks.

I nod. “That’s her.”

Erica searches for her on the computer, then picks up the phone to dial the room.

I slump against the cart with the espresso machine. Roscoe leans against my leg. In a few minutes, I’ll finally see Neph again. I’ll be able to hug her for the first time ever! And make sure she’s okay after the kidnapping ordeal earlier.

I’ll also find out if the skunk shifter is okay. Is he alive? The thought of him lying dead on the road makes my heart feel like someone dug their fingernails into it. Maybe she’ll know where Fletcher is, too. Maybe he’s even here, waiting for me?

My heart does a summersault at the thought of seeing him again.

“There’s no answer,” Erica says and hangs up the phone.

It’s not like Neph to be out in the middle of the night. Maybe she went to the hospital with the skunk shifter and she’s still there now? I frown. “Can you try again?” I ask even though I know if Neph was here, she would answer. She never lets a phone ring without picking up.

“Either she’s not here or she doesn’t wish to be disturbed. I’m sorry.”

“Has she checked in?” I tighten my grip on the cart. What if something happened to her? What if—

“The system says she did earlier this evening. I can’t provide any more info or let you into her room without her permission.” Erica types something else into the computer. “And the room booking doesn’t include our standard pet fee. It’s an additional fifty dollars per pet, but it should cover the first five days of your stay.”

“Neph can pay that when she gets back.”

Erica nods. “That’s fine then, but you’ll have to wait here… or, you know, leave?”

I’m not waiting in this sterile hotel lobby, and I definitely don’t plan on sitting on the street all night.

I’m going to hop into Erica so I can get upstairs. I let go of the cart with the espresso machine. Thanks so much for your help, Kennie.

No problem. If you feel like hopping into me again, my hourly rate is ten bucks. Kennie laughs, and Erica looks at us like we’re crazy. I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Hop on by any time, free of charge. I’m usually on Richmond.

I feel lighter as I start taking deep breaths. I imagine my spirit—still in espresso machine form— lifting out of Kennie and floating across the room before settling into Erica.

I blink, and I’m staring at a homeless woman with a dog standing in the middle of a hotel lobby next to my cart.

“It worked!” I cry.

“Whoa, this shit’s messing with my head.” Kennie reaches down to give Rosco a pet. “See you later, Diva.”

“See ya.” I try to wave as she leaves the hotel, but Erica pulls our hand back and slaps us across the face.

“Oh fuck, what did I smoke?” Erica’s shout comes out of my mouth. Our mouth. This is still so confusing.

I resist the urge to compare drugs we’ve tried. I need to focus on Neph. “I’m sorry. I just need to borrow you until I find my friend.”

I picture Neph, with her curly red hair and bright green eyes, in those off-brand sweaters she loves to wear because they’re cozy.

“Oh… oh, fuck,” Erica says. “She’s your friend?”

“You could see that?” I look up as the hotel’s front door opens and a man in a business suit walks in.

He takes one look at me and Erica talking to each other with the same mouth, and shakes his head. “Nope. Not today.” He turns on his heel and rushes out.