Everything seemed quiet in the inn. Too quiet. It wasn’t a busy time of year, and with her dad out of town she couldn’t shake the loneliness starting to settle in. There was a time when Aly could remember when rooms at the inn were in high demand. It was becoming more and more of a faint memory, however.

St. Claire wasn’t much of a destination anymore. Most of the shops downtown had closed. There weren’t many restaurants other than the Skillet. They didn’t even have a movie theater. One of her favorite memories from when she was a little girl was going to the ice cream shop with her father. They would walk down every Saturday afternoon in the summer once the guests had all been checked in. She loved the feel of the cool air hitting her face as they walked through the door. Mr. Elliot, the owner of the shop, always greeted her by saying “Hello Ms. Aly. What’ll be, today?” Even though he knew her order by heart, one scoop of vanilla and one scoop of strawberry in a waffle cone with sprinkles on top, she would play along and pretend to contemplate all the choices. Her father loved the butter pecan and together they would sit and eat their treats at a two top table by the large window overlooking the street. Sadly the ice cream shop had closed a few years ago when the economy tanked and Mr. Elliot decided to move closer to his grandchildren in Seattle.

She sighed, feeling the cool air push through her nose. She turned off the dimming light under the counter and closed her laptop. She retrieved the marble sign that said the desk was closed for the night, and placed it at the edge of the counter.

She heard the familiar creak of the foyer stairs and turned to see Wyatt Lincoln making his way down the staircase. She had almost forgotten about him for the past few hours. Almost.

“Hi.” She waved, but his intense dark blue stare made it seem as if he had no interest in speaking to her. She shook her head. Why should she expect otherwise? They had spoken for less than ten minutes earlier.

He ducked out the front door and walked toward the Lucky Coin bar. Aly drifted closer to the window, watching his large form disappear inside. Something about him made her think dangerous thoughts. The kind she could never and would never admit out loud, like how hard his body looked even covered in clothes. How she would love to feel his muscles wrapped around her. How tiny she would surely feel in his arms.

She jumped when she felt the vibration against her back pocket.

“Mitchell, I was getting worried.” She held the phone closer to her ear. It was noisy wherever he was.

“I’m headed to dinner with a group of doctors. I can’t really talk, hon. It’s been crazy busy.”

Aly sighed, slumping into a nearby wingback chair. “Did you at least have a good day?”

“I’d say so. I landed five new accounts.” She could hear him smile through the phone.

“That’s incredible! We should celebrate when you get home.”

There was an awkward silence.

“So, how is the weather there”? She winced at how lame she sounded.

“What? Oh. It’s fine. Rainy.” He seemed to cover the phone and there was muffled voices.

“Were you able to see Jake, yet?” Speaking of his college roomate. “I know you said he was in town too.”

“Uh, no not yet. Maybe later tonight.”

She was really struggling to make conversation but he certainly wasn’t helping. She waited another second to see if he was going to ask about how things were going at home. No such luck.

“Well wait until you hear about-”

He cut her off. There was a garbled sound in the background as Mitchell started speaking in a rush. “Look, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“All right, but my dad—” The line went silent and Aly stared at the dark phone in her hand.

She had wanted to tell him her father was in the city for a few days, and was going on a first date. She still hadn’t sorted through how she felt about that. She also wanted to ask him if he had a preference on navy or black lettering for the save-the-dates. It might encourage him to finalize something on the calendar. She knew he was busy, but maybe when he was back home they’d have a chance to talk.

She glanced at the empty lobby and heard the distinct grumble of her stomach. Checking her watch she made a quick decision. There was only one place other than the pizza restaurant on the edge of town that was open at night. She grabbed her coat and walked outside toward the Lucky Coin.