Hearts Inn

by Lilly R. Mason

  “I hope so.”

  Rosalie thought about the faces she’d come to be familiar with during her time in Ashhawk—the other waitresses at the diner, the clerks at the convenience store across the street, the checkers at the quaint family-owned grocery store a few blocks over, the residential guests of the hotel. She thought of the welcoming committee who had brought casseroles during her first week. In her initial insistence that her stay in Ashhawk was temporary, she’d snubbed their invitations to become part of the fabric of the town. Now she was part of it, and she had a chance to make an impact on the well-being of the town in a way she never expected.

  Alex shifted in her seat. “You seem anxious, Rosie.”

  “I am.”

  Alex gave a pout, as though she wished Rosalie wasn’t so hesitant around her.

  “I was nervous you’d think I was leaning in the wrong direction.”

  “Why would I think that?”

  Rosalie gave a timid shrug. “I’m not from here. I shouldn’t get to make decisions about a town you’ve lived in your whole life.”

  Alex looked at Rosalie tenderly. It was the opposite look Rosalie had expected.

  As always, Alex was quiet and calm, giving her space to talk through her thoughts.

  Rosalie took a breath. “People might hate me for letting a big warehouse be built in such a beautiful place. They probably already hate me for having one of the only viable businesses in town. And if the warehouse ends up being terrible, it’ll be my fault.”

  Alex nodded pensively. “Maybe. But for the most part, people will be excited about the possibility of more jobs and traffic through town. Those are good things. They know that.”

  Rosalie bit her lip and nodded, still not convinced her inclination to sell the property was the right choice.

  “I’m not a businesswoman,” Alex said, a phrase she repeated often when they discussed the hotel. “So talk to the people you need to talk to.”

  Rosalie nodded quicker, calming at the thought. “I have an appointment with a lawyer my dad helped me find to go over the proposal and make sure it’s sound. And a consultation with a commercial real estate broker.”

  “Good,” Alex said. “That’ll be good information.” She paused, studying Rosalie for a moment longer. “What does your gut say, Rosie?”

  Rosalie exhaled and closed her eyes, dropping into her discomfort full force like cannonballing into a pool. She held her eyes closed long enough to check how her hands and feet and legs and stomach felt about holding on to the property. She didn’t feel anything. Then she imagined selling it. Immediately, her stomach unclenched, and a warmth coursed up from her hips. “Take the deal.”

  Alex smiled, a soft, early morning sun smile. “Good.” She reached across the table and squeezed Rosalie’s hand, sitting quietly for a long moment before she said, “I think Estelle would be proud.”

  Rosalie smiled and shrugged. Perhaps Gran would have been proud of it or perhaps she wouldn’t. Gran had left her the property because she trusted Rosalie to do the best thing with it. That had been her final lesson in generosity.

  ****

  When she could pry herself out of bed with Alex, Rosalie found managing the hotel to be exponentially easier. Grumpy guests hardly fazed her, expense reports practically drafted themselves, and the list of immediate repairs she and Alex had put together didn’t feel as overwhelming.

  The only thing lurking in her mind as unpleasant was the inevitable conversation she knew she’d have to have with Shelley. Now that her heart was in Hearth for the foreseeable future, she knew she didn’t have space in it for anyone who might make her feel uncomfortable about dating a woman. Guests would come and go, but her staff had to be the family she didn’t have nearby.

  Rosalie maintained a calm composure as she approached the desk. Shelley’s hair was perfect as always, her sad, vaguely bored expression directed at the computer Rosalie would soon replace.

  Rosalie loved the new lobby. It felt lively and fresh and set the tone for what she hoped was a successful remodel of each room in the building. The physical labor she had been doing with Alex to renovate the property was a welcome distraction from her looming deadline for a decision about the Cocheta property. She still had a few days to decide.

  In the meantime, Rosalie was invigorated by the changes slowly occurring in the building around her. If Shelley wasn’t inclined toward similar change, Rosalie knew she’d have to find someone else.

  “Hey, Shelley?”

  Shelley looked up, trying to seem alert. “Yeah?”

  “I know you and Alex don’t get along,” Rosalie hedged.

  “We get along fine,” Shelley said, her voice creeping toward defensiveness.

  Rosalie let the denial pass. “Maybe I’m imagining a little tension there,” she said, giving a gentle shrug to convey she wasn’t accusing Shelley of anything. “It’s fine. You don’t have to be best friends.”

  Shelley pursed her lips and nodded for lack of a better response.

  “Anyway…She and I have been dating for a little while now. I wanted you to hear it from me.”

  Rosalie waited for a reaction. She got little; Shelley’s hands stiffened where they hovered over the keyboard, and she blinked a few times. After a few seconds, Rosalie knew that was all the reaction she was going to get.

  “I want everyone here to be comfortable since it’s just the four of us. She’s going to be doing more management stuff as we keep going with the remodel.”

  Shelley gave a slow nod, as though she had a lot to process before she would speak.

  “You’re doing a great job, and the guests like you. I like spending time with you. But if you’re uncomfortable working here because of me and Alex, I’d be happy to give you a glowing recommendation somewhere else.”

  Shelley’s perfectly tweezed eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly.

  “You’re a great employee, but I understand if personal differences are a deal breaker.”

  Shelley nodded, not wanting to incriminate herself further or commit to staying or leaving.

  Rosalie patted the counter. “Anyway,” she said, smiling. “I’m happy to answer questions, if you have any. Well, most questions.”

  Shelley nodded quicker now, relieved the conversation was ending.

  Rosalie left the office with her head held high, thinking Perene would have been so proud of her.

  But more importantly, she was proud of herself.

  She went immediately to Alex’s room, wanting to reward herself with a kiss and the comfort of Alex’s arms. Of course Alex wasn’t there; she was busy ripping out a bathroom sink to replace it with one of the new vanities they’d designed together. Rosalie marched into the room, smile widening as Alex looked up at her, safety goggles strapped over her face. Rosalie walked up to her, pulled the goggles off, and planted a big, wet kiss on her mouth. Alex’s eyebrows lifted, and her arms wrapped around Rosalie’s waist as Rosalie drew her closer, smiling with her whole body, wanting to wrap herself farther into Alex than their clothing and daytime obligations would allow. When she pulled away, she was beaming.

  “Hello to you, too.” Alex grinned.

  “I came out to Shelley.”

  Alex’s eyebrows arched.

  “She didn’t say much,” Rosalie explained. “I said I hoped she still wanted to work here, but I understood if she wanted to leave.”

  “Really?” Alex asked, surprised.

  Rosalie nodded. “This is our home. I want everyone who works here to be cool with us.”

  Alex glanced back at the vanity for a moment as her smile spread. She tightened her grip on Rosalie’s waist. “Have I told you today how great you are?”

  “Yeah, but I wouldn’t object to hearing it again.”

  Rather than speak, Alex hunched forward to kiss Rosalie again, staggering a few steps forward so Rosalie almost lost her balance. Alex gave her another, more smacking and playful kiss before placing a few smaller kisses on her chin and cheeks.


  “You’re pretty great,” Alex said. She helped Rosalie stand upright.

  Rosalie darted forward to leave one last kiss on Alex’s cheek. “Do you want sopapillas for dinner?”

  “Always,” Alex said.

  As Rosalie left the room, Alex watched her go, halfheartedly reaching for the drill she’d set down moments before.

  “Hey,” she called after Rosalie.

  Rosalie stopped walking and lifted her eyebrow.

  “I love you,” Alex said.

  She said it simply, as a fact or compliment or encouragement. There was no anxiety or pretense. It simply existed as true, as an expression of the generosity flowing through her as effortlessly as laughter.

  Rosalie flushed, a burst of comfort pulling her mouth into a smile. Her feet took her back to Alex, and she threaded herself into her, wanting to wear her like a coat.

  “I love you, too,” she hummed, eyes dancing between Alex’s eyes and lips.

  ****

  Rosalie and Shelley avoided each other as much as they could for the next few days. Shelley showed up on time and worked as hard as she ever did, the smart knot of her apron secured around her waist, hair drawn back in an almost severe ponytail. Rosalie danced around her, wondering if this was how Shelley handled distaste for someone, or if she simply needed time to process. Either way, Rosalie was uneasy.

  But it was easy to stomach Shelley’s behavior when she had Alex’s bed to fall into as often as she did. She had never been so glad to be naked with someone. She continued ravishing Alex night and day, eager to consume rather than be consumed.

  After a few days, Shelley came into the lobby at the end of her housekeeping shift, head bent as she removed her apron. Rosalie thought she would come and go silently, but after hanging her apron in the back room, Shelley stood awkwardly to the side of the counter. Rosalie looked up.

  Shelley wrung her hands and blurted, “I kissed a girl once.”

  Amused by Shelley’s strange admission, Rosalie raised her eyebrows.

  “Bobby wanted me to,” Shelley said, rolling her eyes.

  Rosalie dared to respond. “How was it?”

  Shelley let out a nervous, gasping giggle. “Pretty good.”

  Rosalie gave a subtle bob of her head, as though thanking Shelley for whatever odd declaration she was trying to make.

  “I don’t want you to think I’m grossed out by it or anything.”

  “I don’t think that.”

  Rosalie hadn’t assumed Shelley was grossed out by girls kissing. She just knew Shelley was uncomfortable with Alex. Shelley’s superficial Sapphic experiment for the viewing pleasure of her boyfriend had little to do with tolerance, but Rosalie decided to give Shelley the benefit of the doubt. Shelley seemed flustered enough.

  “I like working here, and I love working with you,” Shelley said, as though she were apologizing. “And if Alex makes you happy, that’s cool.”

  Rosalie relaxed in her chair, understanding now that Shelley was pledging her allegiance to Hearth and to being a good employee despite whatever bad blood there was between her and Alex.

  “How did you guys, like, start dating?” Shelley asked, inching forward to continue their conversation now that Rosalie was receptive.

  “We were friends for the first few months,” Rosalie explained. “I had a girlfriend back in Philadelphia when we met.”

  Shelley looked surprised. “Alex isn’t your first?”

  Rosalie shook her head gently.

  “But I thought you had a boyfriend when you first got here.”

  “I was in a relationship but not with a boy.”

  Shelley’s eyebrows crept up her forehead. “Wow. I guess I assumed...”

  “That Alex converted me?” Rosalie said, lifting an eyebrow playfully to challenge whatever assumptions Shelley had about Alex. “Actually, I made the first move on her.”

  “Huh...” Shelley said, looking utterly confounded. “Well, you never can judge a book by its cover.”

  Rosalie studied Shelley’s apologetic and confused stance and made a quick decision. She was getting better at those—quick decisions—even though they still made her uneasy. But if she could bank on anything, it was Shelley’s work ethic.

  “Changing topics,” Rosalie said, shifting in her seat. “I need a director of housekeeping and hospitality.” Her smug grin widened in anticipation of Shelley’s reaction.

  “Are you serious?” Shelley asked, her body lurching forward a few inches.

  Rosalie nodded. “Are you interested?”

  “Fuck yes,” Shelley said. Her hand flew to her mouth. “I mean, heck yes.”

  Rosalie’s grin split as she laughed. “You can curse when there aren’t any guests in here.”

  “What do I need to do to apply?” Shelley asked, trying to restrain her enthusiasm.

  “You don’t need to apply. The job is yours if you want it.”

  Shelley gaped at her. “Are you fucking with me?”

  “I thought I made it clear I was fucking Alex,” Rosalie said, mostly as a joke, but also to test Shelley’s tolerance.

  Shelley let out a great, gawping laugh she tried to choke back with her hand like she had her expletive.

  “Oh, my god, you’re bad,” Shelley said, body relaxing from her tense apology. Finally, Rosalie recognized polite, polished Shelley before her.

  “We can talk salary and benefits in an official contract meeting,” she said. It wouldn’t be difficult to draft a job description and write out a contract that would hold up in the unlikely event Shelley didn’t work out. But Rosalie knew Shelley’s work ethic well enough to know that it would.

  “I’d want you to take at least one course online,” Rosalie said, pointing vaguely to her computer. “I’m taking some hotel management classes, and they’ve got some for hospitality managers. The hotel will pay for it, of course.”

  Shelley was beaming, nodding as though she would agree to almost anything Rosalie suggested. “Oh, my god, this is amazing,” she said, dipping at the knees and lifting her voice as though her stomach muscles had tensed at the last word.

  Rosalie loved giving good news.

  “I actually had an idea,” Shelley said, whispering as though her idea were either unstable or clever.

  Rosalie raised her eyebrows to invite Shelley to continue.

  “I know we’re never going to have the facilities to offer, like, room service or anything,” Shelley said. “But what about, like, taking pre-orders for breakfast from the diner the night before and having it delivered hot the next morning? And we could charge a delivery fee or something?”

  Rosalie’s eyebrows danced up again, pleased with Shelley’s industry. Rosalie knew the lack of room service and decent breakfast were bothersome to some of the guests who came in for a night or two. The idea of collaborating with the diner had never occurred to her.

  “That’s a great idea,” Rosalie said, giving soft little bobs of her head to show she was processing it. “I’ll definitely look into it.”

  Shelley looked pleased with herself, clasping her hands together. “So does this mean I can quit the diner?”

  “You’ll have to,” Rosalie said, knowing Shelley wanted to hear that more than ever. “Your new position is full time.”

  Shelley gave a little pump to the air, her voice still muted, as though her boss at the diner might hear if she expressed too much joy in no longer having to work there after ten years.

  Shelley fidgeted before extending her arms forward awkwardly. “Can I have a hug?” she asked, as though Rosalie might reject her.

  Surprised by Shelley’s affection, Rosalie stood, stepping tentatively into Shelley’s embrace. She gave her a gentle squeeze, so as to not awaken any residual fears that lesbianism was contagious or that she was some sort of letch. Shelley squeezed tighter than she did but stepped back quickly, not out of discomfort, but because she was having trouble keeping her body still in her excitement.

  ****

  The
casino wasn’t the most romantic place for a date, but it was nicer than the diner without the pretension of something more upscale. Rosalie hadn’t been to the casino since her meeting with Coral. They were seated toward the back of the restaurant that opened onto the floor, tucked away from the worst of the zipping and clanking and pinging of thousands of machines promising riches, delivering few.

  Despite all the distraction, it was easy to fix her attention on Alex. They sat and skimmed the menu, ordering a drink while deciding on their entrees. Once their drinks arrived, Alex leaned forward.

  “Cheers,” she said, holding her beer forward for Rosalie to clink.

  “Cheers.” Rosalie met the bottle with her wine glass.

  “To the sale of the Cocheta property.”

  “Amen.”

  They took a sip of their drinks, beaming.

  “Thanks for holding my hand through it.”

  “Psh, I could do it in my sleep.”

  “You two ready to order?” a server asked in a pinched voice.

  Rosalie and Alex glanced down at their menus.

  “What sounds good, babe?” Alex asked.

  Rosalie glanced up at the waiter, unsure how he would respond to Alex’s verbal affection. The waiter only smiled professionally at Rosalie, and the little swell of anxiety she felt quelled.

  They ordered and settled deeper into their seats.

  “I know we’re not supposed to talk about business on dates, but I just want to say: I’m excited for the coming months,” Alex said with an unabashed smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve worked for someone who wasn’t on a shoestring budget.”

  “Don’t go getting too crazy,” Rosalie teased. “I only have a few hundred thousand dollars to spend.”

  Alex laughed. “You realize that makes you a Rockefeller by Ashhawk standards.”

  “So will you let me pay for dinner?” Rosalie asked, gaze boring into Alex.

  Alex glanced down at the table, biting down her smile. “Fine,” she said. “Feels kind of weird, though.”

  “You’ve never had a girl buy you dinner?” Rosalie asked, surprised.