Page 19 of Redeeming Bosley

Dante turned toward us and saluted me.Applesauce. It was going to be annoying having him hover around all the time. It had felt different and less obtrusive when he was here to help me, but until I had a chance to question Romeo, his presence was irritating the crap out of me now.

“Don’t worry about him. Come with me.” I held my arm out for her to slip hers through mine.

She transferred the couple of bags she was carrying into her other hand, grabbed ahold of my bicep, and smiled up at me. “Okay, whatever you say.”

We started toward the elevator with Harlow trailing us when I heard a whistle. Whipping my head around, Dante pointed toward the entrance of the hotel where Romeo was striding toward me. Charity dropped my arm and backed away just as my Daddy pulled me into a tight hug and dropped a kiss on my lips.

“Hey, quirky boy,” he whispered. “How was your day?”

“It was fine, but it’s better now.” I leaned into his strong chest, soaking up the comfort of his presence for a second. “I’m glad you’re back. I’m taking Charity and Harlow up to show them their rooms on the fourth floor. Now you can come, too.”

“Me, too?” Dante asked as he sidled up next to us.

Romeo shrugged, so frowning, I mumbled, “I suppose.”

Dante snickered as Harlow edged around to the other side of Romeo, the farthest point he could get from Dante and still be with us. What was that about? I’d have to check in with Harlow later. If Dante bothered him for some reason, Romeo would have to show him the door.

The five of us made our way to the elevator where Everest was waiting with a big smile on his face. “Oh well, it’s a party. Am I invited?” He laughed.

Since Everest had been the one I put in charge of deliveries today, I wanted him to get the chance to see Harlow andCharity’s reactions when they saw their new spaces. “The more the merrier.”

We all stepped into the glass contraption which thankfully was oversized to fit travelers with their many suitcases. When we arrived at our destination, I was the first off, sprinting down the hall.

“What’s your hurry?” Romeo called after me.

“I’m excited. Come on, you slow pokes.” I went to the far end of the building where I’d put Harlow and Charity in rooms across from each other. Standing in the middle of the hall, I asked, “Where should we go first? The right or the left?”

I saw understanding on Harlow’s face, but Charity giggled. “What are you doing, Cory?”

Romeo and Dante exchanged puzzled expressions, but Everest beamed at me. “I think you should show the young lady the room on the right, Mr. Letterman.”

Harlow nodded eagerly. “Me, too.” He lifted both arms to show all the bags he was carrying. “I’d really like to put these down.”

I spun around to unlock the door, and when I turned back, Dante was relieving a protesting Harlow of his packages. Romeo’s lips thinned, so I figured I’d let him keep an eye on Dante, while I focused on my newest employee. Grabbing Charity’s hand, I dragged her into the room.

“What’s this? It’s not…” Her hands covered her mouth as she took in the Queen-sized bed covered in a white lace bedspread, with different-sized white and pink throw pillows. Under Everest’s direction, a couple of other employees I’d pulled from various sections of the hotel had taken down all the outrageous twenties-inspired art and replaced it with shelves that had dainty silk flower arrangements placed on them. This room had already had white wallpaper with a calmer pink pin-stripe pattern, so it had worked out well.

“Do you like it?” I asked nervously.

“Oh my God, Cory. It’s beautiful. This is too much. You should be renting this room out.”

“Now, Miss Charity, don’t you worry about that. Mr. Letterman didn’t have too many takers for these rooms anyway.”

She spun in a circle, then sank down into the Queen Anne chair in the corner. “Why on earth not?”

I pointed to the side of the room where the sink, apartment-sized refrigerator, two-burner stove, and microwave were. “We had these rooms constructed a little larger for travelers who were staying and wanted to have a small kitchen and whatever. Because of that, the price is higher.”

“And I can tell you from working here,” Harlow said. “People who come to The Gin Mill for its speakeasy theme are here for the ambiance and amenities. They don’t want to cook for themselves or anything else.”

“I didn’t even see these offered when I booked,” Romeo said.

I crossed the room to his side and leaned into him. “That’s because I’d closed this floor down by then. I was frantic about the break-ins, and I didn’t want to worry about anyone who was borderline living here having something stolen or worse. The fourth floor has always felt disconnected from the rest of the hotel.”

He kissed the top of my head. “That makes sense, but it doesn’t explain why you didn’t offer me one of these rooms when I told you I was going to stay a while.”

I felt my face heating, and when Dante chuckled and Everest smiled widely, I knew it must be bright red. Romeo snorted. “It’s because you were hoping I’d end up in your bed, isn’t it?”

Playfully, I slapped his arm, then directed everyone’s attention back to Charity. “So what do you think?”

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