The father of the group stepped forward and handed over a bit of paperwork. Meanwhile, the mother struggled with two little girls.
“They’re adorable,” I commented. “How old are they?”
“They just turned four.”
I smiled. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
“Tell me about it.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “But what I’m really worried about, is when they’re older and the boys start noticing them.”
“I’d suggest getting your shotgun ready.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” he said with a chuckle.
“If I could have your license.”
“Sure.” He reached into his wallet and pulled it out.
His wife joined us at the counter and leaned on her husband’s shoulder. She had a bright smile on her face, like she was the happiest woman in the world.
In many ways, I envied her.
I had hoped to start a family of my own one day and I had been foolish enough to believe that I could accomplish that dream with Ian by my side. Well, that all crashed and burned on me, didn’t it?
“Here you are.” I handed over their key cards. “Enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you.” The father nodded in acknowledgment, before rounding up his family and shoving them into an elevator. As that elevator door closed, another one opened and out came Homer. He was part of the cleaning crew but he spent a lot more time down by the front desk talking to me.
I really didn’t mind him all that much. He was nice and, on most days, he helped take the edge off all the boredom that accompanied the job.
He approached the desk but before he could say a single word, the phone started to ring. I held up my hand to signal that he should be quiet while I answered. “Hello, this is Crown Loch Resort. How may I help you.”
A moment later, I returned the phone to its receiver.
He raised an eyebrow in question.
“Wrong number. They were looking for Crown Pizza. It happens all the time.”
“Right. Speaking of which, are you doing anything this Friday?”
“This Friday?” I wondered aloud. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, there’s this new nightclub that just opened up in town and I was thinking of checking it out. But it’s kind of lame to go by yourself, you know? So, I was hoping that you could tag along.”
“I’m not much of a nightclub kind of girl.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. I can promise you that.”
I bit my bottom lip, contemplating his offer. As I did so, I noticed two people standing outside the hotel entrance. My heart instantly skipped a beat. No. It couldn’t be them, could it? What were the odds?
There was a glare in the glass, making it impossible for me to see if it was really them or not.
“Jane?”
“Huh?”
“So, do you want to go with me or not? I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure, I’ll go,” I answered, if only to get him out of my hair.