Page 18 of Magic Blooms
A young, attractive man wearing a sweater vest and tie smiled at me from behind the service desk, pointedly ignoring my companion. "Welcome to the Pinecrest Inn. Do you have a reservation?"
"She's not a guest," grumbled Joshua. "Is Gerry around?"
The greeter frowned for a moment, then caught himself and forced another fake smile. "I'm afraid Mr. Carpenter has a very full day today. If you want to give me your name and number, I can make sure he gets back to you as soon as he is able." Both helpful and dismissive at the exact same time—that definitely took training.
Joshua took a small step forward—small but loaded with intensity, his building irritation rolling off his body in waves.
The greeter’s shoulders slumped, and he blinked rapidly while remaining mute.
I glanced between the two very different men. Was this part of Joshua's magical ability? Was he some sort of species that can just terrify others on a whim? Or was that more the effect of his strong personality?
"My name is Joshua, and you darn well know that. I'm here to see Gerry, and you’re going to call him for me right now. Got it?"
“I, uh, I can’t?—”
Joshua didn’t actually move, but he tensed up almost imperceptibly, and the much younger man immediately picked up his cell phone and pressed a button.
Everyone here seemed to have one of those things. Were they assigned at birth or was it a rite of passage? Not even everyone I met had a vehicle, but these little hand-held boxes seemed to have practically fused into each person’s hands.
“I hate to bother you, Mr. Carpenter, but Joshua Collins is here, and he seems rather insistent on speaking to you.”
There was a pause.
“Okay. Okay. All right. Gotcha. Yes, sir.”
The boy placed the phone back onto the counter, then turned his attention to us. “He’ll be right down.”
Well, that had proven effective. Way to go, Joshua!
I crossed my arms over my chest and tugged at the dress that Lorraine had bought for me. She had found it on something called the clearance rack. It was nothing like the luxurious materials I was used to wearing, but it was by far better than the lost-and-found items Lorraine had provided me before.
It had a small floral print and was shorter than dresses I usually wore, stopping a few inches above the knee. But given the heavy heat and humidity outside, I didn’t mind wearing less fabric. She’d called my new footwear sneakers, and while they weren’t the most elegant in appearance, they were certainly more comfortable than what I’d had on before.
A few seconds later Gerry emerged from the upstairs.
While the rest of Pinecrest came off as very polished and professional, Gerry looked like an employee of the inn rather than its owner—the kind you kept in the back, away from guests. He wore a black and blue flannel shirt and a faded pair of jeans that were frayed along the bottoms. He also sported a full beard mixed with both red and gray hairs. It did not suit him.
Pinecrest Inn did not suit him, though he was its creator.
Now I understood why it felt so fake.
Because it was.
I could see why Lorraine didn’t get along with Mr. Gerry Carpenter. I hadn’t even spoken to him and already knew that I didn’t want to.
And while Joshua came off as gruff and unforgiving, the two men felt nothing alike.
Knowing there was something magical about Joshua but being unable to identify it was driving me crazy. I liked that he seemed protective of Lorraine, though. She’d been consistently friendly toward me ever since she’d found me wandering lost in the woods. And if there was a killer lurking around, I needed to make sure that person was caught and punished before I left.
But was that person Gerry?
Hmmm,
This man was every bit as off-putting as Joshua was intriguing. I could definitely believe Gerry had committed murder, while I now knew Joshua would never hurt a fly, and would, indeed, brave great peril just to save some lost little piglets.
“Collins, what do you want?” asked Gerry as he motioned for us to follow him down a hallway.
“Have you heard what happened at Fox’s End?” Joshua asked, not bothering enough to fake pleasantries as Gerry led us into a small office at the end of the hall—one where he sat behind the desk, noticeably higher than the uncomfortable chairs provided for me and Joshua.
