Page 54 of Pictures in Blue
“My room has a leak in the roof right above the bed.”
She sets down her work and sighs. “I was afraid of that. Sometimes with heavy rain like we got the other day, the roof leaks every now and then. Your room is one of the frequent ones that suffers, but I was hoping the last repairs Elias did would hold up a little while longer.”
She stands from her stool and reaches for the phone before I can ask where she wants me to move my stuff. “Fran!” She says louder than her normal speaking volume.
“Leaky roof again….yeah, Avery’s room…yeah, same place….Where do you think she can stay? You got room at your place?....Mmmm, maybe? I think he has family in town…Oh, good idea! We can ask around there.”
Her features change. They go from worried to scheming in the matter of seconds. What I wouldn’t give to hear what Fran was saying on the other end, because they are up to something.
“Nowthat’san idea… he’s got the room…Would he do it?” She chuckles at something Fran says.
“You’re right, Franny…Okay, I’ll let her know. See you at 6.” Cordie hangs up the phone and levels her eyes with mine, light and fire behind her gaze.
“Here’s what we are going to do,” she starts. “All the rooms here are booked and I’m sure one or two of the others have the same leaks. The whole roof needs replacing, I just haven’t had the money to do it, so Elias patches it up for me when he can, but he’s out of town and even if he were here, it would take too long.”
It takes me a second to register what she’s saying. “Wait, you mean I can’t stay here?”
She shakes her head, “Nope. Everything is booked. Fran had the idea of asking around at the town meeting later tonight to see who might have a room for you to stay in for the rest of your visit.”
My stomach drops at the idea of losing my own space and staying in a stranger’s home. The inn is technically a stranger’s home, but it doesn’t feel like that. Over the last few days, I’ve found myself looking forward to being greeted by Cordie, and sometimes Ethan and the other guests in the dining room. Walking up the creaky stairs toward my room where I can seclude myself and work on editing that day’s photos. Now, I’ll have to worry about intruding in someone else’s space, not really knowing what to do with myself or my things. I sigh, this trip is starting to give me more stress than it is relieving it.
“There’s no other inn in town I can stay in?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Sorry, honey. This is the only one here. But don’t you worry,” she says, reaching over the desk to pat my arm. “We will find you a place to stay where you’ll be just as comfortable as you have been here.”
I don’t know what it is, but something about her smile makes me think that there is a lot more to her and Fran’s conversation than she is letting on.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
HUDSON
Sunshine
You have my camera equipment.
Afact I realized as soon as I walked into the living room and set the bag down, and it landed with a heavier thud than warranted considering its contents. When I opened it to unpack a covered lense peeked out from under her damp clothes, another thing I forgot was in there.
I pull my phone from my back pocket as I move through all of my dogs to let them out back. Thankfully I was able to send a quick text to Sky last night to let her know what happened and to ask her to take care of them so I wouldn’t come home to piss-covered floors. They drive me crazy most days, but I wouldn’t change it. Every time Jacob at the shelter finds a golden retriever puppy or an adult someone can’t take care of anymore, he calls me and I adopt them.
I don’t think I could even name all of the animals we had had as kids because my family has always supported the animal shelter. My favorite was always our family dog, Margo, an old golden retriever we fell in love with at the shelter the day we went to look for a guinea pig for Sky. But Margo found us instead. We were goners as soon as she looked at us. We took her home right away and she lived her last two years in a home filled with love, belly scratches, and lots of tennis balls. Ever since then, I’ve had a soft spot for dogs, but the biggest for goldens. I have five of them so far: Bernard, Buddy, Judy, Hermes, and Patch. They’re a lot to handle on the best day, but they are also the best cuddlers and the reason I have a king sized bed.
As the five of them take care of their business, I start typing out a text to Avery.
I noticed.
I can almost hear her roll her eyes at the short response and I smile. Walking toward the barn, I swipe away the text conversation and open up my Etsy app. I ignore the email notifications and go straight to the current orders. At least ten new orders have come in since yesterday morning when we left for the hike. I open up the first picture to a medium sized husky lab with wide brown eyes, ears perked, and what looks like a smile on her face.
Etsy Order Confirmation for: $150.00
Subject: Shiva
Message:Hi! I was referred to your shop by a friend of mine who ordered from you in the past and I am really impressed by your work. Our husky lab, Shiva, has been an amazing part of our family for years and we would love to have something of her for our mantle. I attached a few pictures of her at her best from different angles. Let me know if there’s any other details you need from me.
Looking forward to working with you!
Kay
I scrollthrough the few pictures she sent and open the next order.
