by Tasha Black
“Sure,” Hailey said.
“What was so weird about today?” Dru asked.
“Well, first of all Zander was mopey when I got here,” Hailey said. “I’ve never seen him mope, have you?”
Ack.
She had a pretty good idea why.
“No,” Dru replied, trying to hide her guilty expression by looking down at her hands.
“Oh, I see,” Hailey said, eyebrows arched. “I can’t believe you turned him down.”
Dru shrugged. “I didn’t, exactly.”
“So you said yes?”
“I said maybe another time,” Dru admitted.
“Wow,” Hailey said. “Even worse than a no.”
“How is that worse?”
“Because it means he has to ask you again,” Hailey said. “And you probably still won’t say yes. At least a no puts him out of his misery.”
Dru sighed.
“It’s that new guy in Sapphire, isn’t it?” Hailey asked, managing to look a little scandalized and a lot delighted at the same time.
“There’s nothing going on with us,” Dru said.
“Well, fix that as soon as you can,” Hailey said. “He was just down here looking for you.”
“He was?” Dru asked.
“Twice,” Hailey said.
Dru looked down sadly at her soda and chips.
“Go to him,” Hailey said with a melodramatic flair. “You can eat your pathetic dinner later.”
“You’re right,” Dru laughed.
“As always,” Hailey acknowledged.
“And so humble,” Dru teased.
“Careful, you wouldn’t want anything to happen to your five-star meal while you’re gone,” Hailey said.
“Very funny, I’ll see you in a little while,” Dru said, heading for the staircase.
She was already knocking on the door of the Sapphire suite before she remembered to feel nervous.
Thankfully, it opened before she had a chance to chicken out.
Viktor stood in the threshold, one hand on the door, the other on the frame. He was shirtless, and his dark hair hung in front of his eyes.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
“I had a hard time sleeping,” she said, trying not to look at the hard planes of his chest and his abs. “I can’t find the journal.”
“You lost it?” he asked, looking more dismayed than she would have expected.
“Apparently,” she said. “I mean, it can’t have gone far.”
“Come in,” he said. “I’ll get my shoes on and we’ll go look for it.”
She stepped inside, trying not to feel guilty for having been in the room earlier without his permission.
Where had he been?
She couldn’t ask him without letting him know she’d been searching for him.
He bent to put on shoes and the muscles of his back stretched taut like steel bands.
She forced herself to turn and look at his desk.
Unlike hers, which was covered in evidence of her absent-minded writer lifestyle, it was perfectly clear, with only a pen and a pad of paper in the corner.
His bed was still made with military precision, as if he hadn’t even sat on the edge of it since Gert’s visit this morning.
“Ready?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.
He had put on a shirt, making it easier for her to nod and head for the door like a sane person, instead of teaching him how to properly mess up a bed.
“I assume you checked at the desk, and in the stairs and corridor,” he said.
“Yes, and the dining room and solarium,” she added.
“Where else did you go?” he asked.
“Nowhere—oh,” she said, remembering. “I took a bag of trash down to the basement.”
“How did you get there?” he asked.
“Through the outside entrance,” she said, not mentioning the fact that she found the inside path to the tunnels a little too claustrophobic to use.
They headed downstairs.
“Hi, kids,” Hailey said with an obnoxious knowing look. “What are you up to?”
“We’re looking for the journal, Mom,” Dru teased.
Viktor was already at the front door.
“Outside?” Hailey asked.
“Retracing my steps,” Dru explained, grabbing her jacket.
Viktor helped her put it on and she tried not to remember the feel of his strong arms around her.
He held open the door, and they stepped out into the night.
The snow had begun to melt during the day, but everything had frozen over again once the sun went down. The branches of the big hemlock out front were trimmed in ice that sparkled in the moonlight.
“Wow, it looks so cool,” Dru said, gazing up at it.
“It’s beautiful, but it’s not good for the tree,” Viktor said. “All that ice is heavy.”
“That’s too bad,” she said. “I guess it will melt again tomorrow.”
“This weather is strange,” Viktor said. “It smells like more snow is on the way.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Dru said, taking a deep breath of the cold air. “It would be awful if it snowed during the comet.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t,” Viktor said. “Did you walk around the north wing to get to the catacombs?”
“You said catacombs,” she said with a grin.
“I like your name for them,” he told her. “It feels like the right way to describe those tunnels.
“Yeah, it does,” she agreed. “And yes, I did go around the north wing.
Dru took a dep breath of the crisp air and remembered their first walk outside together.
“It’s too bad I got up so late. We could have gone for another walk on the trails,” Dru said as they headed past the abandoned wing. “Did you ever get to check them out on your own?”
“I’ve been distracted,” Viktor said. “But maybe we can do it together tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is the comet,” she reminded him.
“Oh yes,” he said. “I suppose you’ll be quite busy.”
“Hopefully, the whole hotel will be busy,” she said.
“Is it usually very quiet?” he asked as they approached the corner of the building.
“I’ve only been here a short time, but it feels that way,” she said. “People just don’t want to stay in an old-fashioned bed and breakfast anymore. They want privacy - a short-term house rental they can book on a website without talking to anyone.”
“And so the world moves on,” Viktor said thoughtfully. “Change is the only constant.”
That seemed like kind of an intense thing to say. But he wasn’t wrong.
As they turned around the edge of the north wing, Dru spotted a man in an orange coat coming from the opposite direction.
He was tall and dark-haired. As they approached, she recognized him as Tyler Park.
“Hello, Mr. Park,” she said.
“Hello,” he replied tersely, glancing down at the ground.
He was pretty good-looking, though it was more of a studied look than Dru normally went for - slicked back hair and jeans that looked like they were intentionally distressed. A small snag on the left sleeve of his jacket was the only imperfection.
That, and the way he was trying to avoid eye contact.
Poor guy. Hailey was such a flirt.
“What was that about?” Viktor whispered as they continued.
“Oh, that’s Tyler Park, from the Agate Room,” she told him. “Hailey is flirting with him so much it’s probably stressing him out whenever he sees the female staff.”
“You aren’t flirting with him, are you Drucilla?” Viktor asked, stopping in his tracks.
“Of course not,” she replied, feeling her face grow hot.
“Why not?” Viktor asked.
You. Because of you…
“Because I’m… not interested in him,” she replied awkwardly.
Viktor’s expression softened, and he rea
ched his hand out gently, brushing her cheek with the tip of his finger.
“You’re blushing, Drucilla.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again, unable to think of a single thing to say.
He let his hand fall to his side.
“Come, let’s search the catacombs.”
They walked together to the basement entrance. He watched as she slid out her skeleton key and opened the door.
The usual musty scent greeted her as she descended the stairs with Viktor right behind her.
She activated the dim bulb overhead, then got out her phone and turned on the flashlight function so she could scan the floor ahead of them with it.
They walked slowly down the damp corridor, the only sound the echo of their shoes on the stones and the drumming of her heartbeat in her ears.
They made it all the way to the bins without any sign of the journal anywhere.
“Where else did you go?” Viktor asked.
“Just back up to my room,” Dru said.
“Through the lobby or the backstairs?” he asked.
“Backstairs,” she said.
“Let’s go.”
They headed back down the corridor and up the steps into the night.
“You really don’t like it down there, do you?” Viktor asked.
“It always feels like those walls are closing in,” she admitted. “It doesn’t bother you?”
He shook his head.
She turned off the flashlight on her phone and relied on the moonlight and the soft light emanating from the solarium to search the ground on the way to the backstair.
“It’s bright as day in there,” Viktor said, looking thoughtfully up at the solarium.
“Yes, although it’s very different in there in the daytime,” Dru said. “I went looking for the journal in there earlier.”
“What was it like?” Viktor asked.
“It was less mysterious,” she said. “More cheerful - like something out of a movie, or a children’s book.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“I’ll bet the greens were greener.”
“It was so green,” she agreed.
There was a hungry look on his face that she couldn’t understand.
“Maybe you can get up early one of these days and check it out with me,” she suggested.
He nodded with a half-smile.
They had reached the backstair.
She pulled out her key again and opened the door, and they headed up the narrow staircase together in the dim light. It was hard not to think about how close he was, and the fact that they were going to her room.
Unlike the Sapphire Suite, Dru’s room was mostly bed.
She opened the door and instantly wished she had cleaned up… well, ever.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m uh, still getting used to this schedule.”
“You’re the creative type,” he said, observing the room from the doorway.
Ouch.
“Well, come in if you want,” she said, turning back to survey her domain, such as it was. “I really don’t think it’s here though.”
She heard him enter and stop.
“You carry this up and down with you every night?” he asked, looking at the typewriter.
“Yeah, I know a laptop would be easier,” she said. “But it was my Nana’s, so it’s kind of special. Besides, I can’t check social media on it.”
“Focus is a dying art,” he agreed, fixing her in his azure gaze.
His eyes looked pale blue again.
It must be the light up here.
“So you came up here,” he said. “And you put your bag down with the journal still in it, as far as you know?”
“Yes,” she said. “I put the bag down next to my bed.”
He knelt beside the desk in the spot she had indicated.
“I already looked,” she said.
“Humor me,” he teased. “Wow, there’s a lot of stuff back here.”
He tossed her a tissue box and a dog-eared paperback.
Dru cringed, hoping he wouldn’t find anything embarrassing. She seriously needed to clean her room.
“What’s this?” he said softly.
A moment later, he emerged with the journal held aloft.
“Whoa, I can’t believe it,” Dru breathed.
“You must not have checked carefully enough,” Viktor said, handing it over.
“Clearly not,” Dru said. “I have no idea how it would have gotten that far back there, but I’m really glad you came.”
He straightened up.
She had moved closer to take the journal. And when he stood, they were mere inches apart.
Viktor reached out slowly, as if she might run if he moved any faster, and slid her hair back over her shoulder.
Tingles of awareness spread from her neck down her spine.
“I like to see your face,” he told her softly.
Heat washed over her, and though she felt incredibly self-conscious, she couldn’t look away.
He bent and she closed her eyes, tilting her chin up for his kiss without a second thought.
But he pressed his lips to her forehead instead, leaving her reeling.
“I should let you get your writing done,” he said, his voice husky.
He was out the door again before she could catch her breath.
15
Dru wandered down to start her shift, typewriter in tow, still feeling dreamy.
She liked Viktor, liked him a lot. He was hard to read, but there was something about him that was so familiar. It made being lost in the throes of attraction much easier to bear, even if she didn’t know exactly where she stood.
“Did you guys find what you were looking for?” Hailey asked, blinking innocently at Dru.
Dru laughed.
“Yes and no.”
“Ooohhh, tell me all about it,” Hailey said.
“There’s really nothing to tell,” Dru said, sliding behind the desk with her friend. “We found the journal and then he kissed me…”
“Yesssss,” Hailey interjected.
“On the forehead,” Dru added
“Oh,” Hailey said, taken aback. “That can be sexy though. What was it like?”
“I don’t know,” Dru said, retrieving her chips and Diet Dr. Pepper from under the counter, so as not to have to make eye contact. “He pushed my hair out of my eyes, said, I like to see your face, and then he kissed my forehead.”
“Nice,” Hailey said, leaning back. “Classic older man move.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dru asked.
“He doesn’t want to come off as pervy, but he definitely wants to kiss you,” Hailey said, with great authority. “That was his way of toying with the boundary to see how you would respond.”
“Oh,” Dru said, wondering if that could really be right. Hailey had clearly put in way more thought on the subject than she ever had.
“How did you respond?” Hailey asked.
“I, er, thought he was actually going to kiss me. I closed my eyes and everything,” Dru admitted. “I probably looked like an idiot.”
“Nah,” Hailey said. “It means next time, he’ll go for what he really wants. You passed the test.”
“That makes me feel better,” Dru laughed. “But I’m not sure it’s accurate. He can’t be that much older than me anyway.”
“He seems older, though,” Hailey said. “Don’t you think?”
“Yeah, he does,” Dru admitted. “But I’m sure it’s only a few years.”
“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it on your shift,” Hailey said.
“Weird day got quieter as it went on?” Dru guessed.
“It did,” Hailey said, grabbing her bag. “See you tomorrow, and text me if he makes a real move.”
“I will,” Dru laughed.
But she wouldn’t really. Dru wasn’t the type to kiss and tell. Unless Hailey was right here to drag it out of her. She also wasn’t the type to
put up much of a fight with a friend.
“Ciao,” Hailey said, and blew her a kiss on the way out the door.
“Ciao,” Dru echoed.
Though she knew she should probably be writing, she decided to check in with the Ghost Getters message board instead.
After several excruciating minutes of getting the front desk computer online, she heard the ping of her avatar popping up in the room.
TadStrange:
Ghostwriter!
ActionPark:
Hey, ghostwriter, did you figure out the key to your journal?
GhOstWr1ter:
Yes, it actually belonged to my Nana. Crazy!
ActionPark:
No way!?!?!?
BethsMom1972:
That’s incredible! Wasn’t she there during the jewel thief thing?
GhOstWr1ter:
Yeah
TadStrange:
wow
ActionPark:
What does it say?
GhOstWr1ter:
Not much yet. I just figured out the code. But who knows?
BethsMom1972:
Keep us posted!
Wormulus:
lily getters boobs 4ever
BethsMom1972:
Very classy, Wormulus.
UnclePete58:
Easy Wormulus there are ladies present.
Wormulus:
balls
*Wormulus signed off 12:17amEST*
BethsMom1972:
Don’t you wish we could keep certain people out?
UnclePete58:
YES
A commotion in the solarium distracted Dru from the board for a moment.
Two male voices were speaking in harsh, staccato tones.
It was hard to tell from the lobby, but it sounded almost like an argument.
GhOstWr1ter:
I’ve got to get some work done, just wanted to say hi.
BethsMom1972:
Keep us posted, GhostWriter.
She signed off and slipped into the threshold between the lobby and the dining room. It was definitely an argument. She could hear the voices cutting each other off and growing louder.
These two men sounded violently angry - angry enough that it seemed like they might be about to hit each other.