Chapter Two Meeting Meri Bennet
Aryn Levich
Meri Bennet had brown hair, a little longer than shoulder length, brown eyes, a soft sweater and leggings encasing long legs, and footwear that looked like it might be able to go outside but primarily was made for the comfort of slippers.
She looked around the room first, then at the desk, Jane, and finally me.
“I can take over," she said to Jane, her tone even.
There was no rush to her, no fluster, no quick adjustment of posture or expression the way most people did when they recognized me. She crossed the space with quiet efficiency and stepped behind the desk as though she had done it a thousand times.
Interesting.
“Thank you. I really do need to get back to the kitchen," Jane replied with an easy smile.
Meri nodded once and turned toward the computer. She did not look at me right away. She logged in, clicked through a screen, and only then lifted her gaze. “Name?”
She was direct with no small talk. I tried to unsuccessfully tamp down my grin.
“Aryn Levich." I watched for a pause or a flicker of recognition. The shift in posture that usually followed my name.
Nothing.
“Do you have a reservation?” Her expression didn’t change as she typed.
“I was hoping you might have something available," I casually mentioned. While I could have gotten a room at Hale Lodge nearby, I wanted to be here at the SnowDrop Inn. It fit better in my plans.
“We have limited availability. One night or multiple?” Her blue eyes briefly looked up at me before quickly resuming their study of the computer screen.
“Multiple, if possible."
Her fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.
I rested one forearm lightly against the counter, studying her without making it obvious.
She avoided unnecessary eye contact. Not in a nervous way.
It felt deliberate. She looked when she needed to and not when she did not.
Her posture was straight but not rigid, her movements controlled and economical, as though she had long ago decided there was no point wasting energy on anything unnecessary.
There was no adjustment for me.
Either she had no idea who I was, or she was very good at pretending.
I tilted my head slightly, curiosity settling in.
“Busy time of year?” I asked conversationally.
“Yes." Her eyes met mine for a millisecond before retreating to the screen. “How long do you intend to stay?”
“I would like to leave it open ended. I’m not certain of my departure date yet," I told her. Her fingers hesitated a moment before they danced across the keyboard again. I let out a quiet breath through my nose, something between amusement and appreciation.
I had spent years surrounded by people who filled silence as though it were something dangerous. Publicists, interviewers, fans, makeup artists, directors, even my agent. Everyone talking , always talking.
Meri certainly wasn’t a chatty person and for the first time I wondered if my plan might fail.
“I have a single occupancy for five nights," she said, still looking at the screen. “After that we are fully booked."
“That will work," I agreed, pulling my credit card out of my wallet and handing it over with relief. It was going to be fine, I assured myself. I already had my proverbial foot in the door by having a room for the next five days.
Meri slipped my credit card through the reader before handing it back. I made sure to brush her fingers with mine as I accepted the piece of plastic from her.
She jerked her hand away from me, a little awkward in her movements as she reached for a key from the rack behind the desk.
“This room is on the second floor," Meri mentioned , sliding the key across the counter. “Breakfast is served from seven to ten. If you need anything, the front desk is staffed during the day."
“Thank you." I picked up the key, the cool metal settling into my palm. She wasn’t entirely immune to me, I thought with satisfaction. I glanced toward the hallway, then back to her, turning the key once between my fingers before I spoke.
“Could you point me in the right direction?” I asked. I hesitated just enough to make it reasonable. “Or show me, if you have a moment."
Meri paused, not uncertain, but as though she was deciding whether the request required her time. It lasted only a second before she nodded. “I can show you."
She stepped out from behind the desk without another word and moved toward the stairs, expecting me to follow. There was no glance over her shoulder to check if I had understood, no attempt to slow her pace. She assumed I would keep up, which I did.
“The second floor," she said as we reached the base of the staircase. “The stairs are narrow."
I rested my hand lightly on the railing as I followed her up, the wood worn smooth from years of use.
The inn carried a kind of quiet activity that didn’t feel staged, something lived in rather than presented.
Voices drifted from down the hall, a door opened and closed somewhere behind us, and the faint clatter of dishes carried up from the kitchen.
“Breakfast is through the dining room," she continued, her tone steady, her attention forward. “Seven to ten. Coffee is available at the coffee cart from six until ten at night."
“That’s helpful," I said.
“There’s a sitting room at the end of the hall if you need a quieter space.
The password for the wifi is on the back of your key.
Your username is your room number. There is a library downstairs.
We encourage people to leave books and take books as they like," Meri informed me, trailing her hand along the textured wallpaper.
We reached the top of the stairs, and she turned down the hallway without breaking stride.
“Hale Ski Lodge is about ten minutes out," she said. “They’re open for the season if you like skiing. Maple Ridge is in the opposite direction. The small town has shops and restaurants."
I adjusted my pace slightly to keep a respectful distance as the hallway narrowed. “It sounds like a nice place. I will have to visit this week."
“There’s a winter festival," she added after a moment. “I’m sure Kitty has the details if you’re interested in going."
“Kitty?” I asked.
“One of my sisters," Meri answered without elaborating.
We passed a small sitting area tucked into the corner, a pair of chairs angled toward a window that looked out over the snow-covered grounds. The light coming through was soft, filtered by the overcast sky, and it settled into the hallway in a way that felt quiet without being dim.
“How long has the inn been here?” I asked.
“The Greek Revival dates the original part of the inn to between eighteen-twenty and eighteen-sixty. My parents recently purchased it. We’ve updated parts of it, but the structure is original. Most of the work is ongoing," Meri noted.
I glanced at the trim along the wall as we walked, noting where it had been replaced and where it had been preserved. The transitions were clean, deliberate.
“It’s held up well," I said.
She stopped at a door partway down the hall and gestured toward it. “Number twenty-eight. This is yours."
I stepped forward, sliding the key into the lock and turning it. The mechanism clicked smoothly, and I pushed the door open just enough to glance inside.
“Heat control is on the wall," she said. “If you need anything, the desk is staffed during the day. The room service number is by the phone if you choose to order in rather than do family style at the dining room."
I nodded. “I appreciate you showing me."
“Of course."
She turned as though the interaction had already ended, her focus shifting away from me with the same efficiency she had carried through everything else. I might have let it end there if not for the sound of footsteps coming quickly up the hallway behind us, followed by a voice that carried.
“Oh my gosh—” The words cut off abruptly, replaced by a sharp intake of breath.
I turned instinctively, and the girl standing at the top of the stairs stared at me as though she had just walked into something she hadn’t quite believed existed.
“You’re—” she started, then stopped again, pressing her hand briefly to her chest as though steadying herself. “You’re Aryn Levich."
There it was, the recognition and star struck look.
I gave a small nod, keeping my expression neutral enough to soften the moment without dismissing it. “I am."
She let out a short, breathless laugh that sounded half like disbelief and half like excitement.
“I knew it," she said, though it wasn’t clear how she could have. “I told Kitty you looked familiar, but she said I was imagining things because no one that famous would just show up here without, like, a camera crew or something."
Her words came quickly, overlapping slightly as she spoke, and I had the sense that if I didn’t respond, she would simply continue filling the space herself.
“Well," I said, “no camera crew."
“That’s amazing," she replied, her eyes bright as she took a step closer. “I’ve seen all your movies. Every single one. Even the early ones."
“I appreciate the commitment," I said, unable to keep a small hint of amusement from slipping through.
I glanced toward where Meri had been standing, but she was already gone. I blinked in confusion. She hadn’t gone past the girl who was currently fanning herself with an inn pamphlet while struggling to get her phone out of her pocket. Somehow, Meri had disappeared.
“My name is Lydia. I can’t believe you’re staying here," Lydia continued, undeterred. “Are you here for the festival? Or are you filming something? Because if you are, no one told me, and I feel like that’s something I should know."
“I’m just visiting," I said.
“That’s still exciting," she replied without hesitation. “Do you ski? Because Hale Lodge is supposed to be really good this year. Not that I go that often, but Kitty does, and she says—”
“Lydia." The interruption came from behind me, another voice layered with familiar exasperation. I turned and realized there was a smaller set of stairs, partially hidden at the end of the hall, probably a servants’ stairwell.
Lydia glanced over my shoulder. “What?”
“You’re talking at him . Let him breathe," Meri dryly told her.
“I am letting him breathe," Lydia replied, turning back to me with a quick smile. “He’s doing fine."
“I am," I agreed, trying to hide a grin. I had the feeling I had just met another one of Meri’s sisters and it would be smart to have her as an asset.
She seemed pleased with my answer, as though it confirmed something she had already decided.
“If you need anything," Lydia continued, “you can just ask. We’re all around somewhere. Well, most of the time. Except when we’re not, obviously."
“I’ll keep that in mind," I said with a smile.
She nodded, then hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Can I get a picture with you?”
From further down the hall, the other voice called her name again, more pointed this time. “Lydia, I’m sure you have other tasks to do."
“I’m coming," she said, though she didn’t move immediately.
“Sure." I posed with her for a moment while she took a quick picture on the phone with both of us. “Just don’t post it until after I’ve checked out. I would prefer some privacy if I could."
She looked back at me once more, her expression still bright with interest. “I would love to chat with you later about an opportunity to help our little inn."
“Later," I promised.
She gave a small wave before turning and heading down the hall, her energy trailing after her even as her footsteps faded. In the background, I could hear Meri’s quick steps down the back stairs.
The quiet returned gradually, settling back into the space they had both had filled so completely a moment before.
I stood there for a second longer than necessary, then pushed the door open and stepped into the room.
It was exactly what I had expected from the rest of the inn.
Clean, functional, maintained with care rather than decorated for effect.
I set my bag down near the chair by the window and closed the door behind me, the latch clicking softly into place.
The key was still in my hand. I turned it once between my fingers before setting it on the table, the weight of it grounding in a way that felt oddly reassuring.
Downstairs, somewhere out of sight, Meri Bennet had already moved on to the next task.
And for reasons I hadn’t fully sorted through yet, I found myself wanting to understand her more than anything else I had come here expecting.