“No.” Addie moved closer, slipping her arms around Mel. “I guess the only way to shut you up is to kiss you.” She forced their mouths together, her tongue tracing the seam of Mel’s lips. When they parted, she drove deeper, enjoying the taste of her lover more each time.
Mel returned the kiss and groaned, leaning back. “I have to get to work. Wish I could stay here and neck a little longer.”
Addie reached around and cupped Mel’s ass. “We wouldn’t be necking for long. In another minute, I’d strip those clothes right off you and bury my face between your legs.”
“Mmm.” Mel squirmed against her. “Maybe I should be late.”
Chuckling, Addie released her. “Or maybe you should go to work and come back here as soon as you’re through. Better yet, stop by your place and pack some clothes so you can stay awhile.”
Mel’s dark eyes twinkled. “I will, thanks. I’ve got a short shift today, so I won’t be late.
We’ll get some dinner.”
“Sounds good.” After leaning in for one last kiss, Addie watched her go. She walked around, thinking about the inn. It was eerily quiet being there by herself. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to that.
She locked both front and back doors securely and headed upstairs. Mel’s inquisitiveness had gotten her wondering what
was
in the boxes in the attic. No time like the present to find out. Returning to the dark, closed-up room, she pulled the chain, and the bulb lit up.
Addie knelt by the first stack and opened the top one. A cloud of dust rose, causing her to sneeze. She dug into the box and hauled out a covered piece that looked like it might be a dish of some sort. Removing the paper and cardboard wrapping, she found a lovely, ivory plate with a rose pattern. It appeared to be old, fine china.
She set it aside and picked up another piece. It was similar to the first, and several more lay beneath it. The other boxes held plenty of the same—cups, saucers and bowls, all intact.
Addie unpacked them all to check their condition, then rewrapped each piece carefully and put them all back where she’d found them. She kept the first plate out, deciding to take it downstairs with her.
The other boxes were half-filled with junk or empty, pretty much what she’d expected to find in all of them. The china was a real surprise. Maybe she wouldn’t need to buy new dishes after all. Addie closed up the attic and strolled down to the dining room.
She’d found twenty-four place settings of china, plus two of each of the serving bowls and plates.
Will that be enough?
If the inn were full, she could have up to twelve occupants.
The china might just do it.
That thought buoyed her spirits through the rest of the morning, and she decided to tackle the furniture refinishing again. She was elbow deep in paint stripper when Mel returned. “What are you doing back so soon?”
“Whew! Can I get some air? That stuff is strong.” Mel opened two windows in the front room.
“Yeah, and it’s not going well, either. Look at this headboard. It looks like crap.” She pointed to the piece she’d tried to strip.
Mel bit her lip. “That doesn’t look right. Are you sure you’re using the right stuff?”
“No,” Addie admitted and dropped onto the sofa. She peeled off her rubber gloves and exhaled a breath that ruffled her bangs.
“I brought you a sandwich from the diner. Naomi was at the store, so I decided to leave for my lunch hour today.”
Addie glanced at her accusingly. “I have food, Melissa. I’m not going to starve.”
“I know. So what if I just wanted to see you?” Mel sat next to her and nudged their knees together. She handed one sandwich over and unwrapped the other for herself.
“You’re up to something. I recognise that look in your eyes.”
Mel grinned. “Uh oh. Am I that transparent? Okay, maybe I am. Listen, Gill has this friend, Hal Kuckleman. He’s a contractor and, from what I’ve heard, a good one. I’d like to call him to come look at the inn. You know, doing the floors is too big a job for you to handle.”
Addie chewed and thought. Perhaps the man would work with her on the payment, until the insurance and her finances were settled. The only way to get money coming in was somehow to fix up the inn. She had to start somewhere. “You’re right.” She nodded as she ate. “I can’t do the floors. Hell, I can’t even do the furniture. I need professional help.”
“So I can call Hal?” Mel asked excitedly.
“Might as well. Thanks for thinking of it.”
“You bet.” Mel picked over her sandwich. “I had another idea. Maybe, while Hal is here, he can take a look at the attic. I’d love to see about getting it turned into another room to rent.”
“Mel.” Addie shook her head dejectedly. “I can’t afford that right now, and you know it. I hate that I’m starting to sound like a broken record.”
Mel squeezed her arm. “Just let Hal shoot us a price. That way, we’ll know. For the future, I mean.”
Addie gazed at the sweet expression on her face.
Why do I know it’s going to be hard to tell
her ‘no’ about anything?
She was getting entirely too comfortable in their relationship and knew, with her future so uncertain, she should back away or at least slow down. She found Melissa Danes too enticing to do either. She sighed. “Do you always get your way, or is it just me you have wrapped around your little finger?”
“It’s just you.” Mel smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “Thank you. I’ll call Hal when I get back to work.”
Addie stole another quick kiss before they finished their sandwiches. In the kitchen washing up, she noticed the piece of china on the counter. “Oh! You’ll never believe what I found in the attic!” She unwrapped the plate and held it up.
“Hey, that’s nice.” Mel took it and inspected it. “Are there more?”
“A
lot
more. Twenty-four place settings plus serving pieces. I couldn’t believe it! I guess I won’t need dishes after all.”
“Yeah, looks like it.” Mel studied the plate intently.
“What?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing. Can I take this? Naomi likes old dishes. She’d love to see it.”
“I suppose.” Addie shrugged and rewrapped it.
Mel clutched it to her chest with one arm and hugged Addie’s waist with the other.
“Have a nice afternoon. I’ll see you later, you sexy thing.”
“Come ‘ere, you tease.” Addie kissed Mel, a thrill of excitement zipping down her spine. Just hearing the words ‘I’ll see you later’ was enough to get her motor running.
Perhaps she’d be waiting for Mel in the bedroom after work, wearing nothing but a smile.
She cupped Mel’s ass and squeezed. “Later.”
Mel wiggled her butt, smiled sweetly and hurried off.
Mel stopped at Bronwyn Antiques before going back to the bookstore. The small shop was a block down Main Street, and she knew the owner, Ryan Bronwyn, did a good business because he was fair and reputable. She took the plate inside, where a small bell on the door announced her arrival.
“Hello, Ryan.” She smiled at her business neighbour. She’d always been particularly fond of him. His light brown hair, glasses and tall, lean, frame reminded Mel of her father.
While Ryan was younger, probably mid-thirties, he still carried that same air of wisdom and confidence that she loved about her dad.
“Hi, Mel. How’s it going today?”
“Not bad. I have a plate I wondered if you could check out. It looks old to me, but I’m no judge of antiques.” She set it on the counter.
“Let’s have a look.” He unwrapped the china and studied the back carefully. “I haven’t seen this mark before, which surprises me. I’d like to investigate this further. Could you leave it with me? I’ll write you a receipt.”
“Sure. I don’t need a receipt.”
“I insist.” He wrote out the slip and handed it to her. “Can I call you when I know something? It might take a day or so.”
“No problem. Thanks, Ryan.” She left his store and went back to
Booklovers
.
Naomi was stocking a new title when Mel rushed in, speaking breathlessly. “Hi, sorry I’m late.”
“Not a problem.” Her pretty, red haired employer glanced back at Mel, an amused expression on her face. “I remember those days, hurrying home for a quickie at lunchtime.”
Mel feigned shock. “We did not have a quickie! We ate sandwiches and talked about china. Addie found a whole set of it in the attic. It’s real nice stuff.”
Naomi placed the last of the books on the shelf. “Why would Tia leave a set of china?
That sounds odd. If she couldn’t take it, wouldn’t she have sold it?”
Shrugging, Mel shoved her purse under the counter. “Maybe she forgot about it. The attic is dusty as hell. Doesn’t look like anyone’s been up there in a coon’s age.”
“I’ve always wondered exactly how long ‘a coon’s age’ was. I should get on the internet and look that up.” Naomi made a funny expression at Mel as she passed, carrying an empty box to the back room.
“Oh, hush,” Mel teased her right back. “You’re such a smart aleck. I’d hoped Courtney would cure you of it, but I think it’s only gotten worse.”
Naomi poked her head out of the back. “Speaking of our one true loves, does Addie plan to hire some people to work at the inn? It’d be a pretty big job for one person. Tia had a front desk assistant and a morning cook.”
Mel shook her head. “She hasn’t got that far, yet. The inn needs a lot more work before it can open. It’s rough, because Addie’s a little strapped. She thought she’d come here to a money-making operation. So far, it’s only been a money-eater.”
“I hope they catch the little bastards who did it. They should be made to pay. They should have had to clean it up, too, but I guess it couldn’t wait that long.”
“Nope, she needs to get things going
now
. Speaking of which, I offered to call that contractor friend of Gill’s to see what he could do about the floors.” She reached for the phone book.
“Hal? He’s a good guy.” Naomi walked back to the counter. “I just wanted to mention—if you’re thinking about quitting here to go work at the inn, try to give me some notice, will you? I don’t relish the idea of working long days by myself. When summer gets here, Sally Meadows will be back from college, and she’s already asked me about getting some hours. But until then—”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Mel nudged Naomi’s arm lightly. The idea of her working at the inn had never occurred to her. It was a tempting thought, but she could hear Addie going ballistic if she mentioned it. It was too early for those kinds of plans.
“You say that now,” Naomi nodded her head knowingly. “But just in case, somewhere down the line…” She raised her eyebrows. “I’m not being nosy. I have reasons, and I need to know.”
“I heard you. Don’t worry about me. I love my job, and I
need
it. Now go away so I can make my call.” She proceeded to look up the contractor’s number.
“Sure, go ahead.” Naomi headed to the front of the store, muttering jokingly, “For someone who loves her job, she sure doesn’t get much work done.”
“Five more minutes, that’s all I need. I promise.”
Naomi laughed and waved a hand.
Hal Kuckleman lived with the Reverend Casey Sharp near the church in Cattle Valley.
That was the extent of Mel’s knowledge about the man, other than he was a friend of Gill’s.
Hal seemed very accommodating on the phone, agreeing to stop by the inn after work to check out what needed to be done.
Mel hurried to her apartment and gathered a few more clothes to take with her, arriving at the inn at the same time Hal did in his white pickup truck. She left her things in the car and got out, approaching him. “Hi, Hal. I’m Melissa Danes. I think I’ve seen you around town.” She extended her hand.
He shook it and smiled pleasantly. “Yeah, at Gill’s wedding, maybe. I don’t get into the bookstore much. Wish I had more time to read, but there’s always something going on.”
“I understand that. Well, come on in. My friend just bought this place, and we’re trying to figure out what needs to be done after the break-in.” She led him inside. “Addie? I’m here with the contractor.”
Addie came from the kitchen, drying her hands. “Hello.”
“Addie Murphy, Hal Kuckleman.” Mel introduced them and stepped back. It was Addie’s inn, she should take it from here.
They shook hands, and Hal glanced at the room full of marked up wooden furniture.
“This is lovely,” he said sarcastically, shaking his head.
“Isn’t it? They didn’t miss a piece. Oh, except one chair. I have one dining room chair, and a few those cowboys put back together for me. We’re careful when we sit on those.”
He smiled, still looking around. “I hate to tell you this, but you’re using the wrong stuff on this furniture. You don’t need paint stripper.” He pointed to the piece Addie had worked on. “That one there is ruined. The rest might be salvageable, but it’s pretty labour-intensive work. Not sure you’d think the price was worth it. You might be able to buy new stuff for not much more.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Addie nodded. “Forget about the furniture. The floors are my biggest concern. They did a number on the beautiful, wood finish.”
He scuffed his boot across a board. “Yeah, but nothing permanent. These can be buffed out and will look as good as new. I might be able to spare you a man to do that.”
“I’d be grateful.” Addie looked at him. “I’m trying to get the place usable. Money’s a little tight, because I’d counted on the income from the inn when I got here.”
Hal scratched his head. “We oughta be able to work something out. Let me look upstairs, see how much area we’re talking about, before I shoot you a price.”
“Of course.” Addie led him up the staircase.
Mel followed along behind. “When you’re done, there’s one more thing I’d like to show you, Hal. The attic.”
“That can wait,” Addie spoke up.
“I’d just like to get an idea,” Mel insisted. “It’s not finished, but it’s a beautiful space. I wondered how much it would cost to finish it off.”
“I’ll take a look.”
Mel grinned at Addie.
Addie rolled her eyes but couldn’t resist smiling back.
Hal and Addie settled on a price for refinishing the floors. He agreed to send someone to start work the following day. After examining the attic, he offered to write up a quote and get it to her soon.