The Better Man

by Hebert, Cerian

  She drove the narrow, winding road slowly, the window open to let the cool autumn air inside. The crisp smell was a refreshing change from the warm city air she’d left at home.

  The inn came up on her left, a sprawling country resort carved out of the woods. She slowed the car down and soaked it in, realizing Brian would’ve hated it. Nothing about this place would’ve appealed to him. But Brian would’ve hated most of the places she’d stayed. He was about flash and excitement she’d tried so hard to avoid on this “honeymoon.” She sought relaxation and hominess, which this place offered in abundance.

  The old white building was everything she thought a country inn should be, complete with a wide wrap-around porch furnished with wicker chairs and tables. A dozen pots of bright, yellow, rust, and orange chrysanthemums lined the wide stairway that led up to the front door. The well-landscaped front lawn, she imagined bloomed with bright flowers in the spring, swept down to the road. The inn didn’t have any of the trappings of a more modern hotel, no high tech conveniences, but that was just what she wanted. She parked in the front and went inside. The lobby was decorated with antiques and quaint New England country furnishings. The place was perfect.

  At once, the troubles that had been riding along with her melted away.

  A young woman stood behind the front desk, glaring at her computer and mumbling under her breath. Lori hated to interrupt her, and when she did, she was greeted with wide-eyed desperation.

  “I have a reservation. Lorelei Petrin.”

  The young woman continued to stare, then bit her lip. “Um. Petrin. Okay, let me um, pull it up here on the…”

  She turned back to the computer and hit the enter button on the keyboard, once, twice, a third time hard enough to break the thing. Then she let out a frustrated groan. “It’ll just be a…um, a moment. Slow system, you know.”

  The pain on the woman’s face was plain and actually hard to watch. Lori was sure the clerk would start sweating any moment.

  “Petrin, P-E-T-R-I-N? It’ll just be a—damn. Oh God, I’m sorry.”

  Lori stared at her with a mixture of fascination and pity. The poor woman was obviously out of her element. Second by second, a blush crawled up the woman’s face and Lori could’ve sworn tears began to swim in her eyes.

  “I’m, uh, not used to this system. I’m usually the hostess in the restaurant. Never touch computers, and you can see why. The woman who usually handles it—well, she fell two days ago and broke her hip, and the other one, her backup, just had a baby so that leaves me. And this stupid manual makes no sense. I’m so sorry, Mrs. Petrin. Really, if you’ll just be patient.”

  Her words came out in a tangled rush, and Lori’s heart went out to her. She’d spent enough time in the hotel industry to know many customers were too impatient to deal with someone who didn’t know their way around the front desk. Not really a woman, this front desk clerk wasn’t much more than a girl, and one out of her element, which was surprising. Lori thought all young people were whizzes with computers. Apparently, she’d found one who wasn’t.

  “Can I help?” She knew It wasn’t her place, but Lori glanced down at the manual next to the keyboard. It was a system she was actually very familiar with.

  The clerk shot her a startled glance of relief and horror. “I don’t know. My boss would kill me if he knew I let…I mean, it’s against company policy.”

  Lori smiled reassuringly. “What’s your name?”

  “Tina, ma’am.” Her voice was suddenly tiny, her eyes wide.

  Lori leaned over the desk and dropped the volume of her voice. “Tina, I promise I won’t say anything. And I can show you how it’s done. Really, I’ve worked on this system before.” Back before she’d given it all up for Brian.

  Tina glanced around. “Well, he’s not here right now. Maybe it would be okay.”

  Lori slipped behind the desk and Tina moved aside. “This is a complicated and old system. Don’t feel bad you haven’t got it down pat.

  “There are so many new and simple programs out there these days, I’m surprised he doesn’t upgrade. My God, this computer has to be at least ten years old. No wonder you were having difficulties.”

  “Plus, I just look at a computer and it seems to break.” Tina hovered closely as Lori quickly went to the first screen and typed in her name. The reservation came up after a long wait. Lori scowled at the words “Mr. and Mrs. Brian Petrin” next to “Honeymoon Suite”.

  “Oh, congratulations. Your husband waiting for you in the car? Please apologize to him for my keeping him waiting.”

  “No, actually he’s down in Florida. We didn’t get married after all, but I didn’t want this vacation to go to waste.”

  “Oh-h-h,” Tina replied. Next, the girl would be patting her on the head. “That really sucks.”

  So much for polite discretion. Lori grinned. Apparently, no one had taught the girl proper front desk etiquette anymore than they had taught her to use this dinosaur of a system. But Lori appreciated her candid, honest reaction.

  “Would’ve sucked more had we actually made it to the altar. Together. Okay. You need to go through these three screens, verify the information here and here. I don’t understand this screen, but just enter right through it. Okay, now here is where you ask for my credit card.” Lori pulled it out of her purse and handed the card to the girl. In less than five minutes, she was checked in and had printed out her copy of the receipt, explaining another one would be printed out at the end of her stay with any additional charges.

  “I’d tell you it’s easy, but it really isn’t. The owner should upgrade.”

  “I appreciate you showing me. Not all of our guests are so patient.”

  Horror crept back into Tina’s eyes at some memory, probably of someone who’d given her a hard time.

  “Just a matter of getting used to it. It’ll come in time.”

  Lori still stood behind the desk when a couple came through the door. Their laughter filled the foyer and, for a moment, Lori envied them. Arms around each other, practically attached at the hip and totally loving it. So young, so in love. Was there ever a time when she and Brian were like that? Maybe in the beginning, but their enthusiasm had quickly faded.

  “Help me,” Tina whispered from behind her.

  “I will.” But Lori stepped back and let Tina greet the couple.

  “Hi,” the man greeted, keeping his arm around the glowing woman next to him. “Mr. and Mrs. Rapetti.”

  Lori guided Tina through each step, casting a smile at the couple.

  “Here you are.” Tina’s voice brightened. “Austin and Lori. Hey, another Lori. All right. Oh, wait a minute. I have you down for next weekend.”

  The smile died from the couple’s face. “No, that’s not right. October seventh through the ninth. Two nights. Honeymoon suite,” the man said.

  “But I have you booked for the fourteenth.”

  His lips twisted into a sneer, and he pounded both fists hard onto the counter. “And I called for the seventh. You screwed up. Now what are you going to do for us?”

  “We only have one honeymoon suite and it’s booked for four nights,” Tina explained, her voice small and timid.

  The guy’s face turned beet red and let out a stream of expletives. Even his wife’s cheeks blushed, maybe with embarrassed but didn’t say anything to calm him down.

  Lori’s eyes narrowed in irritation, and she frowned in disapproval. Normally, she would want a guy like this to pound sand, but that would only cause more problems for Tina. The smile the guy came in with had disappeared and was replaced with icy outrage. Not that she really blamed him, but there were better ways to handle the situation. And she didn’t want to see Tina flounder again.

  Gently she moved the girl aside and smiled sympathetically. This was like riding a bike. “I’m sure we can take care of this. Just need to shuffle some things around.” She glanced at Tina. She didn’t have any right to do this and prayed Tina wouldn’t get into any trouble with her m
eddling.

  She found a vacant room for two nights and moved herself into that room, and then into a different room for another two nights, freeing up the honeymoon suite for the angry guy. She smiled at him brightly.

  “There we go Mr. Rapetti. You’re all set for the honeymoon suite. And we’d like to offer you a complimentary dinner for this evening for the inconvenience.” She held out his room key.

  The color in the man’s face slowly returned to normal. He straightened and nodded. “Thank you. That’s fine.”

  When the couple left, she turned to Tina. “I hope that won’t cause problems for you.” Tina’s boss might not like the way she just handled things. But it was too late.

  “No, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. Just, wow, thank you. But you gave up your room.”

  Lori snorted. “I don’t need it. Really. Staying in these suites is getting old and a little bit like a kick in the pants. I’d rather have someone enjoy it.”

  “You’re a life saver, really. I think I may be able to muddle my way through this. Hate it, but I can’t really quit.”

  Tina handed Lori the proper room key and she headed back out to take care of her car.

  * * *

  He was going to call her. He had to. Not knowing how she was doing was driving Will plain nuts. He managed to get the name of the hotel and room number for Lori’s current location from Connie. Even though she would be home in five days, he couldn’t wait that long to make sure she was okay.

  As soon as he was fairly sure she’d be in her room he dialed the number, anxious to hear her voice.

  Cold shock rushed through him when a man answered instead, his words bothered and rushed. For a moment Will couldn’t speak, could barely breath. What the hell?

  “I’d like to talk to Lori.”

  “Talk to Lori? Who the hell is this?”

  No, who the hell are you? “Will. Who are you?”

  “I’m her husband. And we’re a little busy.”

  The man on the other end slammed the phone down, breaking the connection and leaving Will thoroughly confused. Husband?

  Brian’s face flashed into his brain. Had Lori and Brian made up and gotten married anyway? It was far-fetched and the guy on the other end of the line didn’t sound like Brian. Not to mention, the last time Will had seen Lori’s ex, he was still “in love” with his dancer.

  No, there had to be something else going on.

  It sickened him to think Lori would do something rash like marry some guy she’d met along the way. No, she wasn’t like that at all. She had some sense. Maybe the guy had been lying. But still, what in the hell was Lori doing up there?

  She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d just pick up some stranger. He didn’t want to believe it. And until he saw it with his own eyes… There was no way he’d wait for her to get home to find out. He stalked to the computer, powered it up to booked a flight to Manchester, New Hampshire.

  Chapter Five

  “I can’t believe it.” Tina put her head down on the desk and moaned.

  “She’s not coming back.”

  Lori was returning from the dining room when she found Tina wallowing in the depths of despair. “You okay?”

  Tina looked up. “No, not okay at all. Mr. Goss told me that Rochelle isn’t coming back. She’s the one who just had the baby. She’s the assistant front desk manager. Mrs. Goss won’t be able to come back to work for weeks. I’m it. I don’t think I can do it.”

  Anguish was written all over Tina’s face, from her unnaturally pale complexion to her red-rimmed eyes. No, this kind of work was not Tina’s forte.

  The girl had struggled for the past two days and when she could, Lori gave her a hand. Some people weren’t cut out for it. “He’s going to interview for the position, right?”

  “I guess. He didn’t say. Oh my God, what if he doesn’t? What if he decides to keep me here?”

  Lori smiled gently, covered the girl’s hand with her own and squeezed. “Stop. I’m sure he’s going to replace Rochelle.”

  She hoped he was going to replace the former assistant front desk manager, even though she couldn’t believe she was ready to do what just popped into her mind. Why shouldn’t she interview for the job? What waited for her down in Florida? An apartment? She had no idea. Maybe Brian was already living there with the bimbo. She could easily picture all her things in boxes out in the hallway and that homewrecker sleeping in her bed. Ugh. Lori shuddered at the thought. No, even if they weren’t living there, even if Brian had moved out the day of the wedding, she still didn’t want to live in the home they’d made together. The very idea repulsed her.

  What else was there? A job she hated? All the places that would remind her of her life with Brian?

  Will?

  Thinking of him gave her pause. Could she leave him so far behind? Yet, how could she face him again? He hadn’t been far from her mind since she’d left him that morning. Not having him in her life was a bleak thought, but what could she do? She needed a fresh start. She’d absolutely loved her time in New England. So, why not move here? If she could get a job at the inn, why not?

  “Do me a favor. Ask him. I know this sounds crazy, but what the heck, my life has been filled with craziness over the past few weeks. I’ll interview for the job. I love this place and I love this kind of work.”

  Tina sucked in her breath, her eyes growing as big as saucers. “Really? That would be so awesome. I’ll ask. Oh my God, I’ll ask as soon as I see him.”

  Lori grinned. “You do that. Okay, I’m off for a drive. Going to check out Cathedral of the Pines. I hear that’s a must-see.”

  She didn’t think Tina heard her. The girl looked happier than she’d seen since she arrived. Lori continued to smile. She’d done a good deed and in return had set herself on a path to a new life.

  * * *

  Will could very well see why Lori wanted to come up to New England on her honeymoon. She’d never been a woman who wanted flash and fancy nightclubs and nonstop action. In a matter of minutes, he was out of the Manchester traffic and on a two-lane highway heading west toward the town where Lori was staying. The tension immediately eased from his body. The window was open and crisp fall air streamed into the car.

  Used to the open, more populated landscape of central Florida, the thick forests should’ve been claustrophobic. Instead, the trees appeared to be on fire, a bloom of reds, yellows, oranges, and golds. The brilliant foliage glowed in the sun. On the smaller country roads, wide, rock-strewn pastures and old farmhouses broke up the thick forest. Though he passed the occasional strip mall, there were more antique shops in the quaint little towns he drove through. If it weren’t for the upcoming confrontation, he could’ve easily let the tension in his muscles drain completely, but he had no idea what awaited him at the end of this journey.

  The farther he went, the more he could picture Lori in New England rather than in Florida. It was a chilling notion. Would she leave everything behind and start fresh? He really had no basis for those thoughts. Just a gut reaction.

  Of course, he’d never imagined she’d find a man in a few days and again agonized over the idea of her with someone else. It was so out of character for her. If they hadn’t been such good friends, he didn’t think she would’ve slept with him that night. No, he knew she wouldn’t have slept with him.

  So why in the world would she hook up with some stranger? It wasn’t Lori’s style.

  He arrived at the inn just over an hour after leaving Manchester. The place was right from a postcard, settled in the forest, glowing with October foliage. When he climbed out of the car, tranquility from his surroundings, the rustling of breeze through the branches overhead, the distant call of a flock of geese, seeped into his body. It only dispersed when he remembered what brought him there. For a moment, he hesitated and almost got back in the car.

  What business was it of his if she’d met another man? None. She didn’t owe him anything. He could be walking into an embarrassing situation f
or which she would never forgive him.

  And yet he couldn’t just walk away. For years, he’d sat back and watched the woman he loved with another man and done nothing, because her happiness was his priority and she had been in love with Brian. All that had changed the night of her almost-wedding. All bets were off. And if she was with someone she’d met while on this “honeymoon,” the guy had better be prepared to step into the ring, because there was no way Will intended to let Lori go without a fight.

  Will strode into the inn. A girl sat behind the front desk, glaring at the computer monitor with unbridled hatred. She didn’t even glance up until he cleared his throat.

  She looked at him and smiled almost guiltily. “Hi. Welcome to Five Oaks, sir. How can I help you?”

  “I was hoping you’d have a room available.” An opening was a long shot. In the middle of the fall foliage season, most inns like this would be booked solid. Roads filled with busloads of leaf peepers had confirmed this on the drive from Manchester. Besides, better to book a room, if one was available, rather than ask right out to see Lori.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but we have no openings. This is our busiest time of the year. I believe if you drive to Keene, about half an hour from here, you may find something. I’m afraid most of the inns are going to be full.”

  “Thought so. Okay. I’ll do that. But you have a guest staying here, perhaps she’s in. Lorelei Petrin, though it could be booked under her maiden name, Lorelei Warren.”

  “Oh, gosh, yes. Lori.” Her face brightened and then almost immediately her eyes narrowed. “You’re not her—the guy she was going to marry, are you?”

  Will chuckled. So, Lori had made a friend and ally. Just like her to find a buddy so quickly. “No, I’m not her ex-fiancé. I’m a friend. I hadn’t heard from her since she left and I was concerned. She doesn’t know I’m here. She’s still a guest, isn’t she?”