go?”
“This has never happened before,” the girl offered apologetically.
“But this is July Fourth weekend!” Annie persisted. “Nothing will be available! I can’t believe this,” she added, more to herself.
Full-fledged panic was on the verge of setting in. Annie’s palms began to sweat and her heart beat frantically. Her eyes were drawn to her suitcase and she stared at it, trying to regain focus, drawing on her grandmother’s strength as she listened to the girl carry on with profuse apologies.
As long as there was a plan, Annie could pretty much handle anything. But that was the problem with things like people dying and naked strangers, they were seldom part of anybody’s plan.
She felt suddenly dizzy. Luckily, Mr. Heywood returned with a glass of brown liquid—tea maybe?
In his left hand, he carried a small bowl and stooped to place it in front of Lady.
Lady tilted him a quizzical look and then another at Annie before peering down at the bowl full of glistening water.
As upset as Annie was, she realized Lady wouldn’t drink without permission so she reached down and pushed the bowl closer to her muzzle. Lady dove in at once and somewhere beyond the mounting hysteria, Annie was grateful the guy was thoughtful enough to think of her dog when she couldn’t.
He waited patiently, then handed her the glass of brown liquid and extended his hand again. “May I?”
Annie thought he wanted the cell phone back. She was too sick to her stomach to refuse. The girl was rambling on and on, saying words that really weren’t the least bit helpful.
Annie handed the phone back to Mr. Heywood and sank back into the chair with her glass of brown liquid while Lady sloshed cool water onto her toes in her eagerness to lap up every last drop. It was hot, but there was no way to tell how much of the sweat tricking between her breasts was due to stress.
“Shit,” she said, not caring what he thought about girls with potty mouths. This was a shit situation if ever she’d encountered one.
“Write her a check,” he was saying and his tone left no room for argument. “I’ll come by to get it within the hour.” He hung up the phone.
Annie looked up at him incredulously. “Just like that!” She stood, peering up at him fearlessly. “You’re going to give me my money back and ask me to go?”
He handed her the phone back. “Look, Ms …”
Annie narrowed her gaze at him. “Franklin! Do you realize there won’t be a single room or house available this weekend?” He opened his mouth to speak, but Annie wasn’t done. “And frankly, even if there is, I shouldn’t be expected to pay last-minute prices when I planned for this six freakin’ months in advance!”
He gave her an infuriating little smirk, his blue eyes twinkling far too mirthfully and said, “I wasn’t going to ask you to leave.”
Confused, Annie cocked her head a bit like Lady had just done. “You weren’t?”
“No. I wasn’t.”
“What then?”
“First, I’m going to look for an alternate place for you to stay. If I find one, I’ll pay for it myself to make up for the inconvenience. If I don’t, you can stay here.”
The image of his penis suddenly accosted her. “NO way am I paying to share this house with a complete stranger! I don’t care if you own the place!”
His lips twitched a little as he extended his hand. “My name is Jamie. Now we’re only sort of strangers.”
Annie didn’t immediately reach for his hand, so he held it up. “OK, hear me out. There’s an entire suite upstairs—plenty of room for both of us. We would only have to share the kitchen and living room.”
The fact that he was still grinning at her wasn’t helping. “But I paid for a whole house, Mr. Heywood, not half a house!”
“That’s the beauty of this deal, Ms. Franklin. You get to keep your money no matter what happens, and we never even have to bump into each other … if we don’t want to. There are separate stairs that lead
“This has never happened before,” the girl offered apologetically.
“But this is July Fourth weekend!” Annie persisted. “Nothing will be available! I can’t believe this,” she added, more to herself.
Full-fledged panic was on the verge of setting in. Annie’s palms began to sweat and her heart beat frantically. Her eyes were drawn to her suitcase and she stared at it, trying to regain focus, drawing on her grandmother’s strength as she listened to the girl carry on with profuse apologies.
As long as there was a plan, Annie could pretty much handle anything. But that was the problem with things like people dying and naked strangers, they were seldom part of anybody’s plan.
She felt suddenly dizzy. Luckily, Mr. Heywood returned with a glass of brown liquid—tea maybe?
In his left hand, he carried a small bowl and stooped to place it in front of Lady.
Lady tilted him a quizzical look and then another at Annie before peering down at the bowl full of glistening water.
As upset as Annie was, she realized Lady wouldn’t drink without permission so she reached down and pushed the bowl closer to her muzzle. Lady dove in at once and somewhere beyond the mounting hysteria, Annie was grateful the guy was thoughtful enough to think of her dog when she couldn’t.
He waited patiently, then handed her the glass of brown liquid and extended his hand again. “May I?”
Annie thought he wanted the cell phone back. She was too sick to her stomach to refuse. The girl was rambling on and on, saying words that really weren’t the least bit helpful.
Annie handed the phone back to Mr. Heywood and sank back into the chair with her glass of brown liquid while Lady sloshed cool water onto her toes in her eagerness to lap up every last drop. It was hot, but there was no way to tell how much of the sweat tricking between her breasts was due to stress.
“Shit,” she said, not caring what he thought about girls with potty mouths. This was a shit situation if ever she’d encountered one.
“Write her a check,” he was saying and his tone left no room for argument. “I’ll come by to get it within the hour.” He hung up the phone.
Annie looked up at him incredulously. “Just like that!” She stood, peering up at him fearlessly. “You’re going to give me my money back and ask me to go?”
He handed her the phone back. “Look, Ms …”
Annie narrowed her gaze at him. “Franklin! Do you realize there won’t be a single room or house available this weekend?” He opened his mouth to speak, but Annie wasn’t done. “And frankly, even if there is, I shouldn’t be expected to pay last-minute prices when I planned for this six freakin’ months in advance!”
He gave her an infuriating little smirk, his blue eyes twinkling far too mirthfully and said, “I wasn’t going to ask you to leave.”
Confused, Annie cocked her head a bit like Lady had just done. “You weren’t?”
“No. I wasn’t.”
“What then?”
“First, I’m going to look for an alternate place for you to stay. If I find one, I’ll pay for it myself to make up for the inconvenience. If I don’t, you can stay here.”
The image of his penis suddenly accosted her. “NO way am I paying to share this house with a complete stranger! I don’t care if you own the place!”
His lips twitched a little as he extended his hand. “My name is Jamie. Now we’re only sort of strangers.”
Annie didn’t immediately reach for his hand, so he held it up. “OK, hear me out. There’s an entire suite upstairs—plenty of room for both of us. We would only have to share the kitchen and living room.”
The fact that he was still grinning at her wasn’t helping. “But I paid for a whole house, Mr. Heywood, not half a house!”
“That’s the beauty of this deal, Ms. Franklin. You get to keep your money no matter what happens, and we never even have to bump into each other … if we don’t want to. There are separate stairs that lead
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