Chapter 16 #3
Despite barely knowing Reggie and Francis, I struggle to keep my eyes open now that I’m tucked in the cosy back of their car.
At least the drive to The Dragonfly will only take a few minutes.
After this, I can sleep all I want. Until then, I should make an effort to talk to the couple, especially considering they’re doing me a favour.
“Thanks again for driving me.”
“It’s no problem. We’re only sorry you’re having such a rough night,” Francis replies earnestly.
“Still. I’m sorry for interrupting your date night.”
Reggie chuckles. “Relax. Date night was done. We’re still going to go home and watch old episodes of Bake Off. Besides, this is our chance to be nosy. Austin hasn’t showed interest in someone for ages.”
“Reg, leave her alone. She doesn’t need you grilling her right now.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Excellent.” Reggie cranes his neck to look back at me from the passenger seat. “So, where are you from? Austin said you’re from Nashville, but you sound English—mostly.”
I spend the next few minutes answering every question Reggie can think to pepper me with before Francis pulls up in front of the B&B.
Usually the drive wouldn’t have taken even that long, but the rain is still falling in heavy sheets, meaning visibility’s poor.
I appreciate Francis being such a conscientious driver, even if it has delayed me getting into bed.
“Thanks. Enjoy the rest of your night,” I tell them, opening the car door with a shaky hand.
“I’ll walk you in,” Reggie offers, pulling up the hood of his waterproof coat and hopping out of the car before I can assure him it’s not necessary.
Luckily The Dragonfly has a covered porch so I can fish out my key for the exterior door without getting completely soaked for the second time in one night. Reggie waits patiently at my side, chattering away about the work he did at Bowman’s for the refurbishment—apparently he’s an electrician.
“Found them,” I announce with relief, jangling my keys in celebration.
They’d fallen from the inner pocket where I usually keep them and into the main section of my bag.
I go to unlock the door, but between my exhaustion and the cold, I can’t stop shaking long enough to get the damn key in the lock.
“May I?” Reggie offers, holding out his hand.
I drop the keys into his palm, and he makes quick work of unlocking the door.
“You’ll want to go straight to sleep but make sure you drink some water and eat something sweet first. A warm shower would probably be a good idea too if you think you can manage it.
If not, at least change into something dry. ”
“Believe it or not, this was dry, but my hair dripped all over it,” I reply, tugging at Austin’s flannel shirt.
“Water and sugar.”
“I know the drill but thank you—you and Francis.”
He gives me a jaunty little wave before tugging his hood up again and running back to the car.
The Dragonfly is warm inside, and for a moment I’m tempted to curl up in one of the plush armchairs in the common area rather than tackle the staircase up to my room.
Fortunately, there’s just enough awareness left in me to remember the many reasons that would be a bad idea.
Holding onto the handrail for dear life, I climb the stairs one exhausting step at a time.
The journey that should take me under a minute stretches out to nearly five, but I finally make it to my room.
It takes a couple of attempts, but eventually I get the door unlocked and stagger inside.
My bed is right there. It’s so tempting to lie down and close my eyes, but as I told Reggie, I’ve done this before and I know I’ll feel even worse in the morning if I don’t eat and drink something now.
I rinse out the glass my toothbrush has been sitting in, then fill it to the brim and down the liquid in a few quick gulps.
After refilling the glass, I set it on the doily covering my bedside table, then search for something sweet.
I still have a few snacks left in my backpack, so I dig it out from the bottom of my wardrobe, pleased when I find a chocolate bar.
The wrapper crinkles, then I’m biting into the sweet treat, moaning when the taste hits my tongue. Fuck me, that’s good.
Making quick work of the rest of the chocolate bar, I toss my bag back into the wardrobe, my shoes following suit.
Knowing changing my clothes will finish me off, I go back into the bathroom to get ready for bed first. After doing the bare minimum—no way I’m bothering with my skincare routine tonight—I strip off my wet clothes, leaving them on the bathroom floor to deal with in the morning.
All except Austin’s shirt. That, I keep with me even though my hair and the quick trip from Francis and Reggie’s car to the B&B’s porch have left it in a bit of a state.
The back looks closer to navy than the light blue and dove-grey it was when Austin first put it on me.
I really should leave it in the bathroom too, but it’s soft, and it smells like Austin.
While I’m sure I’ll be appropriately ashamed of myself for it in the morning, tonight I’m not afraid to admit that I want to fall asleep with his comforting scent around me.
With one hand on the edge of the bed to help me balance, I tug on a soft pair of pyjama bottoms and a loose sweatshirt before burrowing beneath the covers.
Austin’s shirt is balled up on top of the duvet like some kind of security blanket.
I have the brief thought that I should drink some of the water in the glass beside me, but my eyes drift closed before I can do anything about it.
I listen to the rain hammering against my window, letting the rhythm soothe me almost as much as the lingering scent of bergamot and cardamom.