Page 9 of The Christmas Eve Delivery

“It is,” I said. “But the inn has kept handwritten registration logs consistently since it first opened in 1895, and it seems like it would be a shame to stop doing so now.” I spun the book around and began copying his information into my hotel guest registry software. As I was typing, the power flicked on and off, staying off for a long, dark moment before flicking back on.

I let out a breath that I had been holding in the dark. “And that’s a very good reason I had you fill out the handwritten registry first.” I clicked the keys on my now off computer, indicating that the power outage had kicked me off my system.

“Your name is…” I squinted at his bad handwriting. “James Miles?”

“You can call me Miles,” he said with a sly grin that made my stomach feel all fluttery.

“I’ll be able to update the system when it comes back online.”

I grabbed a key for one of the nicer rooms on the second floor. I jotted down the room number in the registry before suggesting that he follow me.

“How big is this place?” he asked.

“Sweet Mountain isn’t particularly large by today’s standards, but when it was built, it was considered big. Back in the day, this area of the state was a big tourist destination for health and wellness seekers. There used to be a sulfur spring, but it dried up at some point in the mid-1900s.”

“You say that like it was so long ago,” Miles said.

“I say that like someone who has zero experience of the previous century.”

“Now you’re trying to make me feel old.”

I turned and stammered a quick apology. That wasn’t my intention at all. “You aren’t that old, are you?” I asked.

“Considering I was born in the late 1900s, I don’t really know how to answer that question. I don’t feel old, but when you’re using terms like century and millennia, I have to wonder.” He was clearly teasing me, which was somehow worse than if I actually had insulted him.

I put the key in the door and my stomach sank. There was that telltale chunk as I tried to wiggle the key in the lock.

“What’s wrong?” Miles asked.

“The lock has decided to stop working,” I said with a sigh.

“It’s a simple mechanism. What do you mean it has decided to stop?”

“It might be a simple mechanism, but it’s a really old one and sometimes, they just stop working. If you’ll wait a moment, I will be right back with the key for a different room.” I scurried awayas quickly as I could, completely mortified that the lock chose that moment to break.

I dangled the key for a different room as I returned. It slipped into the lock and turned without any problems. I pushed open the door and let Miles cross into his room. The heater was working beautifully, if not overcompensating as the room was almost obscenely too warm.

I followed him into the room and pointed to the thermostatic valve on the radiator. “You can adjust the heat in your room by turning that.”

I handed Miles the key. “I don’t do anything more than packaged pastries and coffee for breakfast, but considering you are here because of the storm and my other guest is stuck as well, I’ll probably end up making something for breakfast for everyone. Have a good evening,” I said as I began to step into the hallway.

“What if the power goes out?” Miles asked, pointing at the radiator. “That’ll still work, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“And where will I find you if I need anything?” Miles asked.

“I’ll be downstairs reading in case anyone else gets through on the roads.”

“Good night.” He smiled as he closed the door.

6

MILES

Icast my gaze around the room. It was passable. Definitely not five-star quality. Barely three-star worthy. It was clean, but the entire building had that musty old smell to it. I guess that couldn’t be helped. At least the heater wasn’t blowing dust all over everything, and under the circumstances, I was glad to be warm.

It looked like I wasn’t going to be in the office tomorrow. I reached into my back pocket for my phone so I could message the team and let them know. Only my phone wasn’t in my pocket. I picked up my overcoat and searched all its pockets. Nothing.

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