“I’m so sorry, Paul.” Bonnie was already dashing into the laundry room for extra towels as she spoke. “I have to deal with this.”
“What can I do to help?”
Moving toward the doorway, she said over her shoulder, “Logan will turn off the water and fix the pipe. I’ll help the two ladies move into a different suite and then clean up the mess. It’s going to take a while. You might as well head home, but thanks for the offer.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Looking back regretfully, she said, “Please do.”
She hated that the evening was ending this way, but she had no other choice, she thought as she dashed for the stairs, assuming Paul would let himself out. He surely understood, but that didn’t make her feel any better.
She was tired and grumpy when she changed out of damp, grubby clothes a couple of hours later and donned her pajamas. For the second night in a row, her time with Paul had ended disappointingly. She hadn’t even gotten a goodnight kiss this time. The extent of her disappointment was a bit daunting in itself.
She was getting in too deep, she thought, climbing into her lonely bed. And she wasn’t talking about the water she’d spent half an hour mopping up in room five.
Her phone rang and even the sight of his name on the screen made her breath catch, her heart beat a little faster. Her hand wasn’t quite steady when she put the phone to her ear. “Hi.”
“Hi. How’s the flood?”
“Contained, thank goodness.”
“Any damage?”
She pushed a hand wearily through her hair. “Nothing too bad. Fortunately, the ladies saw the water very quickly. The floor is tiled, so that was okay. The wood underneath the sink will probably have to be replaced, but Logan said that’s not too major. We won’t even have to turn it in to insurance. He thinks he can have the job completed tomorrow, so I don’t think we’ll have to lose any of our bookings.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Yes. If the leak had sprung when the room was empty, it could have been much worse. Logan’s going to start checking pipes in all the suites next week, just in case there are any other problems we’re unaware of.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“It’s an old building. Always something needing attention.”
“I’m sure.”
She couldn’t think of anything more to say about the averted catastrophe at that moment. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry I rushed away from—”
“Don’t apologize again,” he broke in with an undertone of humor in his voice. “Seriously, Bonnie, I get it. You have big responsibilities there. I’m not going to get in your way.”
She frowned. She was glad he wasn’t annoyed at being brushed off by her two nights in a row, but did he have to be quite so sanguine about it? He could at least sound a little disappointed.
“So, do you have any big plans for the rest of the week?” she asked, groping for an innocuous conversational topic.
“Cassie and I have decided to take our bikes out tomorrow. She had some plans that fell through, so we’re going to ride the Creeper Trail one more time before she leaves.”
“All thirty-five miles?” A multipurpose trail formed from an old railroad line, the Virginia Creeper Trail ran from Abingdon, Virginia, to Whitetop, Virginia, near the North Carolina state line. Winding through national forest and crossing old restored trestles that offered spectacular views, the trail was a popular local attraction for guests of the inn, some of whom brought their own mountain bikes, others who rented bikes from outfitters or preferred taking hikes along the trail.
“That’s the plan. We’re packing picnics and figuring to take six hours or so to complete the ride. Already made arrangements for a shuttle service. Have you ever ridden the Creeper Trail?”
“I’ve made the ride from Whitetop Station to Damascus.” That seventeen-mile section of the trail was mostly downhill, steeply so at times, and a favorite with tourists. “It was beautiful. I had a great time.”
“I wish you could go with us tomorrow. Damascus to Abingdon is a great ride, too.”
“Maybe I’ll get a chance to do the whole trail soon.”
“I’d be happy to ride with you anytime.”
“Sounds great,” she said brightly, though she wondered how long it would be before they could make good on that offer. And whether he would still be interested in taking her by the time she was free to go.