Kiss Me in the Summer - Barbara Dunlop Page 0,58

downstairs was more of an alcove off the living room, which Josh had said suited him just fine.

I found a plush robe in my bedroom closet, which would be better than nothing to sleep in. Then I sat down to test the bed and found it soft and comfortable. The inn even had cell service. So, all in all, it wasn’t the worst place to be stranded.

I heard a knock on the front door then the sound of voices downstairs.

Madeline appeared in my doorway. “It’s like being back in college,” she said.

“This is a whole lot nicer than my dorm room.” I could sleep almost anywhere, but I liked to know what to anticipate. “This mattress is super comfy.”

She wandered in and sat on the other end of the bed and gave a couple of bounces. “Josh tells me you heard from Cecily.”

“That was fast.”

“I asked while you were in the ladies’ room,” she said.

“Small town,” I said, chuckling.

Funny that I didn’t mind anymore. At first all the information-sharing had seemed invasive. Now I realized that people cared about each other. Mostly, they wanted details so they could reach out to help.

“They don’t want you back, do they?”

I shook my head. “Not that Cecily told me. In fact, she said Elizabeth Jones quit in protest.” I realized now that in all the excitement of the past couple of hours, I hadn’t really let that sink in. “Elizabeth’s a partner with Laatz Wallingsford. I liked her a lot. It sounded like she took her clients and walked.”

Madeline beamed. “Good for her! Now that’s loyalty.”

“We weren’t really all that close, not like me and Cecily.” I didn’t know how I might have earned Elizabeth’s loyalty.

“Loyalty to the sisterhood,” Madeline said with a firm nod. “We have to stick together.”

Josh and Butch came down the hallway then, Butch beelining for me, sitting down in front of me and looking up for a pat on the head.

I patted him, and he seemed satisfied and flopped down on my feet.

Josh looked around the room. “This seems comfortable.”

“It’s not fair that you got the small bed,” I said.

He laughed. “Relax. It’s all good. This way Butch can sleep by the fire. He’ll think he’s in heaven.”

“It’s going to be hard for him to go back to the shelter after this,” I said, looking down at him. He did look supremely happy at the moment.

“Hopefully it won’t be for long,” Josh said, reminding me of the upcoming adoption fair.

Now that I’d gotten to know Butch, I couldn’t figure out why nobody had adopted him yet. Sure, he was a little intimidating from a distance, but he was a sweetheart up close, much nicer than, say, Pooh-Pooh or Ollie.

Sure, they might be purebreds, but Butch was pure niceness.

“Housekeeping dropped these off,” Josh said, handing us each a little package with a toothbrush and toiletries.

“Isn’t that cute?” Madeline said. “Mine’s neon orange.” She looked over to check out my toothbrush.

“Yellow,” I said.

Josh held his up. “Blue.” He shot me an amused grin.

I stood from the bed to drop my package in the bathroom. Butch stuck with me, and we all trooped back downstairs to enjoy the fire.

Madeline was the first to call it quits. I was happy to have her finish in the bathroom and get settled. I had my eye on the big bathtub for a long, hot soak before I got into bed.

Josh glanced as his watch. “Reginald said I should come back when the restaurant was closing. He promised some leftover prime rib for Butch.”

“Lucky dog,” I said, thinking it had to beat the heck out of kibble. I also felt a bit guilty that I hadn’t given a single thought to feeding him.

Josh opened the door to the porch. “Come on, boy,” he said to Butch, who was lying next to the fire.

It was still raining, but only lightly now. The bulk of the storm had passed overhead.

Butch lifted his head. He looked at Josh, then he looked at me curled up on the sofa and laid his head back down on the rug.

“What have you done to him?” Josh asked me.

I shrugged. “Must be my winning smile.”

“He’s determined to convert you into a dog lover,” Josh said. He sounded amused. “Who am I to stand in the way of that process? Stay here with Laila,” he said to Butch.

Butch opened his eyes.

I could swear he gave Josh a look that said: What do you think I’m doing?

I coughed out a laugh. “You know, it