Page 14 of Holiday Hideaway
George was still staring at the phone when Tilly came back with a fresh mug of coffee. “She hung up on me.”
She set the mug of coffee down, threw another log onto the fire, and poked the embers until they flamed up again, then sat back down.
“By the way, I think I spotted your tux. In the dry cleaner’s bag in the back seat of your Jeep.”
“You heard?” he asked.
“Not intentionally. You had the phone on loudspeaker.”
“Oh God,” he moaned. “I didn’t think I could feel any worse, but now I do.”
“Pardon me for saying so, but your fiancée sounds like a horrible person.”
He clutched his aching head with both hands. “She kinda is. But I don’t know what to do about it.”
Tilly gave him a sympathetic smile. “Believe me, I know what that’s like.”
With effort, George raised up on one elbow. “That guy Denny was always a jerk. Why’d you wanna go and marry him?”
Tilly shrugged. “My parents hated him. My friends hated him. I guess ... I thought I could change him, somehow. You know? If I showed him what it was like to be really loved, maybe that would make him kinder, more understanding. My advice? Get out now, before it’s too late.”
She jumped up, eager to change the subject. “Would it be all right if I took a shower? The water heater at my place is on the blink, and I’m feeling pretty grungy.”
“Make yourself at home. Isn’t that what you’ve been doing? For how long now?”
Her eyes widened, and she scooped Smoosh into her arms to cover her embarrassment at being found out. “When did you figure it out?”
“I was suspicious after the first night. But the bacon sealed the deal. Not even the aggressive, prolific rats you claim inhabit Piney Point can cook bacon. Plus, you kept leaving the toilet seat down. But I didn’t know it was you until I found the registration for the Kia.”
“Why didn’t you sic the cops on me?”
“Tell you the truth? I’m not sure.” He studied her so intently she had to look away. “Go take your shower,” he said. “Then you can come clean with me, literally.”
She took her time in the shower, letting it run so long the hot water ran out. Poor George. He’d need a new water heater, along with a roof. And probably plumbing.
“Feel better?” he asked, when she rejoined him in the parlor, dressed in her only clean pair of jeans and the red quarter-zip fleece Ruth had given her to celebrate her divorce from Denny.
“Amazing,” Tilly said, fluffing her damp hair. “Like a new woman.” It was strange how good it felt coming clean, literally and metaphorically, with George. She could really be herself with him, just as he seemed to feel with her. She sat back down in the armchair. “Two weeks.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been squatting here at the Crowe’s Nest for two weeks. My landlady found out I had Smoosh and evicted me. Couldn’t have come at a worse time.” She explained how she only got paid commission on vacation bookings, how expensive rents here had become. “I’m pretty much broke after paying the deposits on my new place.”
“What about your family? Friends? You were so popular in high school. Couldn’t any of them help out?”
“A lot of my old friends moved away because they can’t afford to live here. My parents retired to Florida, on a fixed income. I just ... couldn’t admit this is how I’ve ended up. To anybody. Because they told me so, you know? Everybody told me I shouldn’t marry Denny. But I wouldn’t listen.”
He nodded sympathetically, and for a moment, Tilly wondered what her life would have been like if ...
She banished the thought. “I didn’t think it would hurt anything if I stayed here till I figure out my next move. We keep the heat on so the pipes don’t freeze, and I knew we didn’t have any guests checking in. The place really hasn’t been rented out in over a year.” Tilly gave him a pleading look. “Collette? My boss? If she finds out what I did, she’ll fire me. I promise I’ll leave as soon as my car is fixed. And thanks for that, by the way. I swear I’m gonna repay you. So if you could just, you know, not tell her?”
“Snitches get stitches, or so I hear,” he said. “Besides, I’m pretty much helpless right now. If you leave, who’s gonna fend off these vicious Piney Point mice?”
“Smoosh and I are on it,” she pledged. “In the meantime, I can help get the house fixed up. My boss kept trying to get your uncle to modernize it, but ...”
“The old tightwad,” George said, his expression bitter. “He’d let the whole place fall in before he spent a nickel on it. Now, I’ve gotta do something about the roof ...”
“You’re probably gonna need a new water heater too,” she added, looking around the room. “It’s such a great old house, though. I honestly don’t think it would cost that much to fix it up. If it were updated with new kitchen appliances and some cosmetic stuff, you’d be surprised how much a house this size would rent for during the season.”
