Page 48 of Code Block
"This here's the Leesburgh Guest House," Devon said. "Ye're booked here. Front desk is to yer left. Just give them your names." He unloaded their bags, set them just inside the door, and hurried off to collect more stranded travelers.
Claire looked around, eyes wide. "These people are amazing. Everyone's pitching in to help. It's kind of wonderful."
"Mm." Noah nodded. It didn't surprise him. He'd grown up in places like this—small towns, tight-knit communities. People took care of each other.
"Welcome to Leesburgh Guest House!" A buxom woman with a welcoming smile stood behind a tall antique desk that served as a counter. "I'm Mrs. Ferguson, the proprietor. We've got everything ready for you. I just need you to sign in to make it official, then we can get you two situated so you can change your clothes and get warm. How's that sound?"
"Fantastic," Noah replied and moved forward to sign in.
She took his information and credit card, then set several items on the counter: a brochure about the guest house's history, a sight-seeing pamphlet, and a single key.
Noah stared at the key in horror as the niggle in the back of his head came roaring to the front. Devon had said room. Singular. He raised an eyebrow and met Mrs. Ferguson's gaze.
"Well, I don't suppose you'll be needing the tourist information, will you?" She smiled and removed the leaflet from the counter.
Noah swallowed. "Only one key?"
"What?" Claire squeaked behind him.
"Well, yes, but it's a suite with two bedrooms. I have a second key somewhere around here. I'll look for it while you get settled."
Noah peered over his shoulder to gauge Claire's reaction. Her eyes were wide, her expression somewhere between this is a joke and I might actually faint. He turned back to the hostess.
"And you have no other rooms?"
She shook her head. "It's the last one available. We normally reserve it because it's meant for families. One room for mum and dad and one room for the bairns. Since this is an emergency, we're renting it out."
A string of curse words filled his head, and for a fleeting second, he fought the childish urge to stomp his feet like the aforementioned bairns. Instead, he forced a tight-lipped smile and tried to ignore the way his stomach flipped. As if being stranded in the middle of nowhere wasn't enough, now he got to share a suite with the one person he'd been trying very hard not to think about too much.
"That's very kind of you and we appreciate it," he said, voice steady despite the chaos in his head. "Which way is it?"
They managed to get their luggage up the narrow stairway. He'd traded with Claire since her bag was bigger. And because his mum would have slapped the back of his head for not offering.
"Ready?" he asked. Claire's silence since the sharing-a-room bomb dropped was deafening.
She took a deep breath, released it, and answered, "Yes. Let's do it."
He unlocked the door, and they walked into a small sitting room. Warmth radiated from the fire burning in the fireplace. The room held a settee, two chairs, and a petite writing desk. Two doors to either side led to the bedrooms and the third door on the back wall appeared to be the toilet. They checked out the bedrooms and Noah cringed at the smaller room. There was no way he'd fit on either of those tiny beds.
"I'm taking the other one because I'm bigger than you. You'll fit okay in a twin bed," he said. He expected pushback from the woman who questioned everything and waited for her response. Instead, she laughed.
"You say that like you expect an argument. Let's get our stuff settled and out of these wet clothes."
Claire exhaled in relief as she unzipped her suitcase. Her weatherproof luggage had held up against the torrential downpour like a champ. Lucinda had questioned the price when she'd bought it, but right now, it felt like the best investment she'd ever made. Money well spent, her dad would say. She peeled off her damp clothes, shivering slightly, and rummaged through the neatly packed layers for a soft sweater and warm leggings. Her room—small and tightly packed with two twin beds and a wardrobe—wasn't exactly spacious, but it was hers alone. After the chaos of the morning, she was enormously grateful for a door she could close and a little privacy to breathe. She tossed her toiletry bag onto the second bed, then hung a few wrinkle-prone outfits in the antique-looking cabinet. They'd likely only be here a day, but she still wanted to look her best when they arrived in Norway. After tucking her suitcase into the bottom of the wardrobe, she gathered her things and stepped out into the sitting room.
She could hear Noah moving around in the other bedroom. She smirked at his attempt to trump her on the queen-sized bed. Like she would have claimed the bigger bed when he was clearly too large for the smaller ones. Men are silly, she decided.
She stopped in the doorway to the bathroom. She'd expected it to be tiny and cramped. And while the room was small, it was big enough to hold an antique clawfoot tub sitting in the corner. Images of soaking in a hot bubble bath filled her mind. She tossed her wet clothes over the glass encasement of the stand-up shower and moved closer to the tub. Claire clapped her hands in delight. On the nearby shelf sat bubble bath, body oils, and all kinds of luxury items just perfect for a girl stranded in a rainy town with nowhere to go. She intended to make use of those amenities before they left.
As she turned back to the sink area, the shaving kit on the counter jumped out at her. Her stomach dropped. She'd been ignoring the close proximity problem, but there it was, undeniable and monogrammed. She was sharing bathroom space—essentially living with—Noah Raines.
A shiver ran down her spine. Lord have mercy, her grandmother would've fainted on the spot. Claire ran her hand through her hair. These were extenuating circumstances, she reminded herself. Emergency landings. Limited accommodations. Still, the idea of cohabiting—even temporarily—with a male coworker would've raised more than a few eyebrows back home.
She placed her toiletry bag on the counter next to his, trying not to think too hard about it. To her surprise, she wasn't as freaked out as she expected. Maybe she'd finally worked through her aversion to close quarters with male colleagues. Or maybe, whispered a voice in her head sounding suspiciously like Lucinda, it was just Noah she didn't mind getting close to.
"Claire?" Noah's voice pulled her from her thoughts and into the front room. He stood by the fireplace, phone in hand, the firelight casting a warm glow over his frame. He'd changed too, and she couldn't help noticing his lean, athletic build. The kind of body that looked more at home on a soccer field than in a gym. Stop it, she scolded herself. This trip was stressful enough without letting her ridiculous work crush make things worse.
"She's here now, Simon. Go ahead."
