Page 76 of The Haunted Hotel
The phone rings in the office, and Rosie’s hand drops from my back. “I’ll get it.”
I nod again. “Well?” I ask the others.
They all stare at me in various states of frustration and distress.
“I can’t believe it’s come to this,” Aggie says quietly. “I thought we’d be able to save it.”
“It’s not your fault,” a familiar voice says from behind me and I gasp and spin around.
There, standing at the foot of the stairs, a little pale and shaky, is Cedric. He looks around the lobby, refamiliarising himself with a room he hasn’t seen in decades, then turns his attention back to us.
“None of you are to blame,” he says sadly. “This is all my fault. Firstly, by locking myself away and not fighting for this place like I should have, then by hiding the court summons and keeping how dire the situation really is from you.”
“It’s okay, Cedric.” Aggie’s expression is the softest I’ve ever seen it.
“It’s not okay,” he says with a tremor in his voice. “And now we’re going to lose our home because no matter how hard I try, I can’t come up with a way to save it.”
I rush over to his side and offer him support as he crosses the floor towards the seated area. John the Maid leaps up and takes Cedric’s other arm, the huge, burly man guiding the shorter, more fragile one to the chair he just vacated and helping him to sit.
“Tea, Cedric?” Aggie offers, picking up the teapot on the low coffee table, and he nods.
“It’s what we do in a crisis, isn’t it?”
Aggie chuckles, and the sound’s tinged with sadness. Dilys, silent as ever, picks up the small plate of cookies with shaky hands and holds them out to Cedric and then John, both of whom take a cookie, although I’m sure neither of them have much of an appetite. Watching all of them, I’m filled with so much love for this quirky hodgepodge of people.
“It doesn’t matter,” I state firmly. “I love this place every bit as much as you all, but at the end of the day it’s bricks and mortar. What’s important is this right here.” I point to them. “We’re a family and as long as we all stick together, we’ll be okay.”
“Well said, Ellis.” John the Maid lifts his cookie in a toast. “We’ll be all right. I’ve got a sense about these things.” A smile plays on his usually austere lips as he looks over my shoulder towards the door.
I follow his gaze and my mouth drops open in surprise as Morgan rushes through, practically falling over the threshold and then skidding along the flagstone floor.
“Oh my god. Morgan?” I rush towards him in worry. “You’re going to miss your flight. Did you forget something?”
He takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly.
“Are you okay? What did you forget?”
“You told me to find a reason to smile every day,” he says in a rush. I stare at him in confusion. “What if I want that reason to be you?”
Warmth blasts through me as his words register, and my smile, no longer forced, becomes so wide that I’m sure my cheeks will start aching soon. “And,” he continues, “what if I want that smile to happen in person every day, not on the other end of a video call or during the odd visit to the UK. What if I want to be here—with you—each day?”
“Are you serious?” I whisper.
“As a heart attack.”
“I wouldn’t say that around here too loudly,” Cedric mutters behind me.
“Yes.” I grin even wider if that’s possible. “YES!” I jump into his arms, winding my legs around his waist as my lips crash against his.
His mouth lands on mine and it’s as if my world has righted itself again. It’s a comforting feeling, like coming home after a long, tiring journey. I clutch his pert little bottom as he wrapshimself around me like a monkey, and we kiss like we’re the only two people in the world. That is, until someone clears their throat.
We part and turn to look at my grandfather, who stares at the pair of us with his brows raised so high they almost disappear into his hairline. Ellis slides down my body and I set him gently on his feet, then give the old man my attention.
“Grandad,” I say softly. “I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”
“No, you were right, lad.” He shakes his head. “About a lot of things, starting with me needing to come out of my room. It’s not easy. Right now, I feel like my skin’s trying to crawl off my body. I’ll have good days and bad days, but I’ll try.”
“And I’ll be here to help you,” I reply, and his lips twitch.