Page 9 of Moonshine and Magnolias
Dr. Upshaw huffed out a laugh. “Nothing that dramatic. He believes an angel cursed his uncle, but doesn’t know why, and now the men of their family have a hard time with permanent relationships.”
“That’s a great excuse for a fear of commitment.”
“If he wants to hire me to find the origin of his family curse, I’m not going to complain. I get to bask in the southern sun and play around in newspaper archives.”
Brandi gave a tinkering giggle. “That sounds like so much fun.”
And she even managed to sound sincere. Wendy gripped the end of her ponytail. “If we can do anything to help, Dr. Upshaw, just let me know.”
“Since you mention it, can you check the register books from the…” His eyebrows knit and he frowned. “late nineteen twenties?”
Another action-item Brandi could do. If the reward was spending time with a handsome man, she’d be more likely to follow through. Unless she got too distracted by said handsome man and forgot what she was supposed to be doing. Hmmm. “I’ll make a note to look for them.”
“Thanks.”
“She makes a lot of notes.” Brandi grinned at their guest. “That’s all she does. You should see how rigidly she keeps to a schedule. She wouldn’t even tie her shoes if it didn’t fit in to her plans for the day.”
“Then I guess it’s good thing I’m not wearing sneakers,” Wendy said. “I don’t have to worry about tripping on my laces.”
“And lucky for me or I’d miss this valuable source of information.” Dr. Upshaw offered her a warm smile. The kind that indicated interest. The kind she hardly ever saw directed at her. The kind men always threw Brandi’s way.
“Of course. That’s what I meant.” Brandi backtracked. “There’s nothing wrong with note taking. I would do it myself if I wasn’t so busy.”
“Of course,” Dr. Upshaw said.
“Call the house phone sometime after lunch and I’ll see what I can do about those books,” Wendy said. “Is there anything else?”
He took a long time answering and she had to hold back a shiver under his hazel stare. “No, not now.” The hint of promise was in his voice.
She should have let Brandi continue flirting.
***
After an hour spent listening to Hal discuss different points of interest to their search for the angel’s treasure, Rob ditched his brother and wandered about the grounds to soak in its history and find some tree that allegedly held mystical powers. The path from the main building led him to the old kitchen that now served as a recreation room. It could have led him to Atlanta and he still would have been relieved to get away from his brother. He had been talking nonstop about breaking the curse since breakfast ended. One more minute in his company, and Rob was likely to stick him in a box and ship him back home.
The door to the rec room opened and he caught a glimpse of a ping pong table before Wendy backed onto the concrete walkway. She juggled three small step stools with a stack of plastic baskets sandwiched between them. The sun hit her rich, dark hair, showing off strands of deep auburn in her long ponytail.
If she had seen him, she would have put on that mask of her not-quite smile and greeted him in her modulated tones. He could have announced himself, but the unobstructed view of her was too enjoyable for him to say anything.
Green gaze narrowed in concentration on the door knob. Toned legs peeked out of the uniform skirt that hugged her backside. She had changed from her conservative flats into a pair of tennis shoes. High cheekbones led to full, pink lips, which parted to let out a sigh. It seemed the uptight innkeeper had been hiding a sexy body behind her do not disturb sign.
She maneuvered the items in her hands and reached for the knob. Even with using her chin to keep the containers in place and some creative stretching, she couldn’t extend far enough.
A piano riff sang from her skirt pocket. She shimmied around, trying to get to her phone without losing her precarious grip on her load. The plastic baskets popped out of their resting place and tumbled to the ground.
She stared at the mess, then shook her head and dropped the rest of her armful, staying clear of the legs of the stools.
She righted the baskets with her foot while putting the phone to her ear. “This is Wendy.”
Rob half-listened to her conversation while she nudged two stools together with her foot. Apparently a roof was leaking somewhere in Terre Haute and only Wendy could save the day. He slid in front of her and closed the rec room door with a click. “There. My work here is done.”
Her lips curled up at the corners, but her eyes flared before they resumed their flat look. “Call the on-site manager and have her get those plumbers back to fix their mistake. It won’t pass inspection tomorrow if water-damaged tiles fall into the lobby.”
Rob scooped up a step stool that had fallen farther away than its buddies, then picked up the other two from their resting place.
“Okay, Bo. Let me know when it gets fixed. We may have to postpone, and we’re already behind schedule. Talk to you soon.” Wendy shoved her phone back in her pocket and reached for the stool. “Thank you, Dr. Upshaw. I’ve got it from here.”
He sidestepped her arms. “It’s no bother.”
