Page 46 of The Sasquatch and the Hairdresser

I let go of the ladder and instinctively position myself to catch him.

When he lands in my arms, I heave a shaky sigh of relief and hold him close, burying my face in his chest.

“I think you took ten years off my life,” I whisper. “That was so scary.”

He lets out a tremulous laugh. “Fuck, I might have taken a few off mine, too. Almost had my life flash before my eyes.”

“Next time the gutters need cleaned, I’m going back to hiring professionals,” I declare.

“Agreed. Let’s not tempt fate a second time.”

Shaking, I clutch him close to me, my mind racing with what could have happened. We just found one another. I can’t lose him before we’ve barely even begun.

Skylar pulls off one of his work gloves and reaches his bare hand up to stroke my cheek. “Everything’s okay, Hal. I’m fine. You saved the day.”

“Thank the Light,” I whisper.

When I finally set him on his feet, I check him over just to make sure he’s truly okay, and he obliges me with a small chuckle. Once I’m confident all is well, we clean up and put away the ladder before heading back inside.

Skylar’s cheeks are pink from the chilly fall day, so I hurry to make some hot cider to warm him up. Then we sit together in the breakfast nook and enjoy our beverages while we each regain a sense of calm.

After a few sips, I notice Skylar studying me, a puzzled expression on his face.

“What are you thinking?” I ask.

“Can I be honest?”

My heart stutters in my chest and I hold my breath, unsure of what he wants to say. “Please.”

He takes a few seconds to collect his thoughts. “I’ve been here for a little over a month, and me and Astraea have been your only guests that whole time. I know Ryder had just moved on before I arrived, but you haven’t mentioned anyone else either. Is this a slow season or something? I would think the B&B would bring in a lot more business this time of year.”

I hunch my shoulders a little at that. “Honestly, it’s been a slow year. Several, really. I thought more folks would want to come for the Harvest Festival and need somewhere to stay, but I haven’t even received any inquiries in months. In fact, the whole town is a little sparse on tourists. Some folks are put off by the idea of a magical barrier that could keep them out.”

Skylar frowns. “Where have you been advertising the festival and the B&B?”

I blink at him. “Advertising?”

He gapes. “Please tell me you at least have a website and social media accounts.”

“N-no,” I stammer.

His eyes go huge. “How are you expecting people to find you?”

“Word of mouth? With the magic, advertising can be tricky. Selling people on a Sanctuary Haven isn’t as easy as you might think. Stigma still exists, particularly among humans, I’m afraid.”

He facepalms. “But still, no advertising. Hal, what were you and the committee thinking?”

I fiddle with my mug. “I do have business cards and some brochures for the B&B, but they’re probably almost ten years old now.”

He frowns. “What about the festival planning committee? What kind of outreach have you all been doing?”

I open my mouth and pause because I’ve got nothing.

Skylar gets a determined glint in his gorgeous eyes. “I am definitely coming to your next meeting, and I’m gonna bring you all into the twenty-first century whether you like it or not. Even with the magic being out of whack, I bet Astraea can come up with a plan to bring in tourists but still make sure everyone stays safe, too. More people deserve to experience how awesome Havens are, especially ours.”

His words warm me all the way down to my toes. It makes me so happy to know that Skylar is starting to love this town as much as I do.

“Everyone is grateful you’ve offered to help, and this will make them even more so. The committee serves on an entirely volunteer basis, and most folks have full-time jobs and other commitments. We’ve spent these past weeks focusing on the event details here in town, not so much on letting the wider world know about it. I’m not sure about the situation with the magic, but we can certainly talk to Astraea.”