Page 5 of The Dangers of Daydreaming (Love Connections #2)

“Oh yes,” she said, lifting her hands to look across the counter at several different piles of papers. She moved some aside, grabbing a small paperclipped stack. She pulled one out. “I should have given you one of these already, sorry.” Her expression seemed so disappointed.

“It’s no problem at all, I’m just here on a work trip, so I know I’ll need the information.”

Her smile returned, and she gestured to the room to her side. “If you want, you can work in the lounge here. This used to be a working farm in the 1800s, and there are lots of fun trinkets and even pictures from its history. Plus, the Wi-Fi is way better down here than up in the rooms.”

“ Oh, awesome, I’ll do that. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

With my check-in papers in one hand and suitcase handle in the other, I headed for the narrow staircase.

The gable room was up two flights, and the walk was just as cute as everything else here.

Dark hardwood treads showed to either side of a red carpet runner down the middle of the stairs.

The stairwell wall was covered in framed photos.

I glanced at them as I went—there were landscape pictures and some cute little sayings, but mostly it was a compilation of tons and tons of different people.

Large groups down to individuals. Probably people who had stayed at the B I just needed to check on the coffee table.

Stephanie said one of the legs is wobbly.

” He crossed the room, coming to crouch beside the table in question and lifting it to examine the legs.

I didn’t feel like I could return to work with him only a few feet from me. “So, you shuttle guests and fix up stuff around the inn?”

“Yep.” He reached around one of the legs, twisting something. “Whatever my grandparents need. I also run the tours.”

My eyebrows lifted. “You must be busy.”

He looked up, nodding at my laptop. “You too. Work trip?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t expound; half his jokes in junior high revolved around my love of Anne of Green Gables. I didn’t need him bringing up the six months I’d spent painting freckles on my nose to look more like Anne when he learned I was here to plan an itinerary around the books.

“ So, how did you end up in Canada?” Last I remembered seeing him, it had been the start of fall break in eighth grade; he’d said nothing about leaving, but had never come back.

There had been rumors about his dad getting into trouble, but I hadn’t paid much attention to them because I really hadn’t liked Finn Harrison.

And I didn’t enjoy all the talk about the cute, popular kid.

It had been a bit of a sore spot how much everyone loved him when he was such a menace to me.

Even my friends had harbored crushes on him, though they’d tried to hide it.

“My grandparents live here.”

I jumped a little. What had I asked him? “Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning that a few times at school.”

His lips stretched at that, but he didn’t need to seem so pleased with himself that I would remember things about him.

After all, I recalled that tidbit because he’d made fun of my obsession with Prince Edward Island, stating that his grandparents lived there, he visited every summer, and it was nothing special.

He pushed on the table leg, and it didn’t move. Nodding to himself, he lowered it back to the ground. “And what’s your work trip for?” he asked.

I sighed internally. “I work for a travel agency. I’m here to build an itinerary. Go on tours and stuff.”

“Oh, so you have things planned?” He leaned a hip against the back of the couch as if settling in for story time. Another door opened and closed upstairs.

I, meanwhile, was ready for him to go. I didn’t know how to act around this guy that I had known, and severely disliked, for several of my formative years. “This was a bit of a last-minute trip. I’ll need to book everything here. That’s what I was about to do.”

Noise sounded in the stairwell; it seemed like the Hastings family was headed downstairs for something.

“ You should just join us.”

I lifted my brows.

“You know, on tours. We run tours with the B&B. The Hastings family is doing a two-week-long one starting…” He glanced at his watch, then up at me, smiling.

“Now. Come with us, you already know we have an extra seat in the van. If you call shotgun this time, you won’t be stuck holding the toddler’s used juice cups either. ”

I gave him a tight smile. He wasn’t being unkind at all—really, he’d been nothing but helpful all day.

I could have still been stuck at the airport if not for him.

But I was not exaggerating when I said he was my full-on nemesis in junior high.

Sure, it was just harmless teasing. But ask any twelve-year-old girl if she likes being made fun of every single day for things like being in love with books and big words.

It had left a lasting mark, and I think I liked Finn more like this.

Small talk and little contact. Then I wouldn’t have time to discover that a decade hadn’t actually matured him.

“No, thank you, though,” I said. “I’ve got it covered.” He probably wasn’t going on all the tours I needed to anyway.

He actually looked disappointed, but he pushed himself back to a standing position and nodded.

“Suit yourself.” Then he went to join the Hastings, who, by the sound of it, were almost to the entrance of the old home.

He stopped at the cased opening, though, glancing back at me.

I ignored the small flip my stomach did when our eyes locked.

“You look good, Sinclair,” he said. “It’s good to see you. ” Then he smiled and left the room.

Ugh. Why had that actually given me butterflies?

Thankfully, my phone buzzed, distracting me. Fingers crossed that it was the office.

My stomach dropped. It was a notice from my bank.

The charge for the B&B had been declined.

Embarrassment flooded me even though no one was there.

Quickly, I signed in and changed the charge from debit to my savings.

I honestly think it caused me physical pain t o do so.

The point of a savings account was for savings, but lately, between tickets to attend Mom’s wedding, a bridesmaid’s dress, and the amount of junk food I was purchasing to uphold my mental well-being, that number was going down, not up.

The company would pay me back though, it was only a temporary charge.

But the sick feeling in my stomach was reminding me of what was at stake here.

Sure, living out my bookish dreams might have been a big part of pushing me to take this promotion challenge, but ultimately it came down to the fact that I needed the security a promotion would give.

I needed to stay focused: get in and get out with the best tour itinerary planned.

So, I swiped out of my bank app and pulled up the phone. It was time to call some locations and get my tours planned.