Page 41 of Love in Mission City: The Shorts

Contents

1.Chapter One

2.Chapter Two

3.Chapter Three

4.Chapter Four

5.Chapter Five

6.Chapter Six

7.Chapter Seven

8.Chapter Eight

9.Chapter Nine

10.Epilogue

Chapter One

Ben

What the actual fuck?

The hotel desk clerk held my gaze with a level look, her hazel eyes scrutinizing me.

Buddy rubbed against my leg.

I did mental gymnastics.“Does that come with food?”

“Complimentary breakfast buffet.”She patted her platinum blonde hair in its elegant chignon.

Ugh, too similar to my mother.None of the scenarios in my mind appealed.The storm that’d been threatening my entire trip up from Nanaimo had finally materialized—part of the reason my poor beagle was cowering by my legs.

So a return trip back to the ferry was out.And likely the ferry back to Vancouver would be canceled due to the high winds anyway.Authorities were threatening to close the highways.

My friend Marisa was never going to make it down here.

Damn woman.

This’d been her idea.Graduation celebration in Tofino.Winter surfing before we started our teaching careers in January.Who the hell surfed in early December?In the middle of storm season on Vancouver Island?My best friend, apparently.With whom I was supposed to be sharing the room.Sharing the expense.Eighteen months of teacher’s college had me completely tapped out.

I laid my head on the counter, revelling in the cool of the granite.

“You know I’d help if I could, Isaac.”

The other desk clerk’s quiet voice carried through my panic.

“I’ll call around to see if there’s somewhere else.”He sounded doubtful.

“It’s okay, I can search myself.I just hoped to get home today and now it looks like I’m stuck for a few days.”

This guy was also in a predicament, I presumed.

“You do hate to be landlocked.”The soft-spoken clerk again.

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