Chapter Eight A Rough Day At The Inn
Aryn
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there," I said, keeping my voice easy as I leaned against the porch railing. “We can have lunch before the convention. That works. I’m excited to see you all in person again, instead of having to see your ugly mug through facetime."
“I got the confirmation for the hotel. Kory says he’ll bring his collection of dice. Don’t forget your character sheet," Brian admonished me.
“I forgot one time," I said, rolling my eyes. “Looking forward to tomorrow. I’ll text you when I get to the hotel."
“See you then," Brian agreed.
Ending the call, I stuffed my phone in the back pocket of my jeans.
It was quiet and cold outside. I looked over the peaceful scenery of pine trees and snow, listening to the birds sing. I hadn’t planned on staying out long, but I paused when I noticed someone at the far end of the bench.
Meri.
She sat tucked in on herself, her arms wrapped around her knees, her attention fixed somewhere out past the snow rather than on anything close by. She was only in her leggings, thin sweater, and socks.
“Meri?” I questioned gently, wondering if she was okay.
She looked up at me.
Up close, it was obvious. No coat, no hat, no gloves, and she was sitting on a frozen bench like it didn’t matter. I crossed the distance between us quickly, shrugging out of my coat as I reached her and settling it around her shoulders before she could argue.
“You’re freezing," I said, lowering myself onto the bench beside her.
“I hadn’t noticed it was cold. I’m fine," she replied, her voice steady despite the way she was shivering.
“You’re not," I said, keeping my tone firm but even. “If you were fine, you wouldn’t be sitting out here without a coat."
She pushed the coat back toward me and stood, holding it out like it was something she needed to return immediately. “Why do you care?”
The question caught me off guard for half a second. “I’m concerned."
“That’s not an answer," she replied.
I stood as well, watching her more carefully now. “You should put the coat on."
“You’re avoiding the question," Meri told me.
“I don’t think it’s a wise idea for you to be out here in the cold like this dressed the way you are. You’re bound to get sick," I responded, refusing to take my coat back from her outstretched arm.
“Why do you care?” Meri repeated.
“I like you and I don’t want to see people I like suffer if they don’t need to," I replied, deciding it was easier to be direct than to try to explain around it.
She stared at me like I’d said something that didn’t fit into whatever pattern she was working through. “People don’t like me."
I frowned. “Of course they do. Why wouldn’t they?”
“Experience has taught me that people don’t like me," she replied, putting my coat on the bench since I hadn’t taken it from her.
I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense. Everyone is liked by someone, even if it’s just their family."
“What doesn’t make sense is that you would like me," she answered, a puzzled look on her face.
I studied her for a moment, trying to figure out where that came from and coming up short. “Are you always this prickly?”
“Yes," she said without hesitation.
A quiet breath of amusement slipped out before I could stop it. “I like you anyway."
She shook her head, clearly unconvinced. “I don’t understand you."
“What is there to understand?” I asked. “I’m a guy who likes books, fantasy, acting—”
“You’re a famous actor who plays testosterone laden, empty-headed action heroes," she cut in. “That’s not a recommendation."
I stared at her for a second, then let out a short breath. “That’s not who I am. It’s what I do for a living. I’m someone else entirely."
“That’s what people see," Meri replied.
“That doesn’t make it accurate," I said. “People aren’t always what they seem."
She crossed her arms, her expression tightening. “You expect me to believe we have something in common?”
“I think we might," I insisted. “You like books. So do I. We even read the same series."
“That’s not enough," she said.
“It’s a start," I replied.
“I’m weird," Meri calmly stated, as though that explained everything.
“So? I can be weird," I told her.
She snorted and started heading towards the lobby door. I quickly grabbed my coat, using my longer stride to quickly open the door for her.
“You were probably on the varsity teams in high school. You might have been homecoming king or on student council. You were popular. You took drama because it was an easy class. You obviously live half your life at the gym to get that body. You’ve dated supermodels.
You are not weird, nor have you ever been weird," Meri said as she went inside the inn.
I followed her. “I wasn’t popular, or homecoming king."
She scoffed softly. “That’s difficult to believe."
“It’s true," I said. “In fact, I got picked last for any team sports. I have no coordination."
Meri gave me a disbelieving look.
“It’s true," I insisted. “You can ask my friends if you come to the convention. They will tell you all the terrible stories of my childhood. How I was tall but weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet until college. You can verify everything with them."
For a moment, Meri paused by the lobby desk, looking at me consideringly and I felt a spark of hope.
“Meri, there’s a guest refusing to leave. Can you come and help me deal with it?” Lydia asked, hurrying forward to grab her sister by the arm and I bit back my frustration.
“Yes," Meri answered, already moving past her, escaping once more.
“Don’t you think maybe your father, or someone else should deal with it?” I asked Lydia.
“Meri’s the best in these situations," she said, heading down the hall to follow her sister.
I hesitated for a fraction of a second, then followed Lydia down the hall. There was no way I was going to leave two young women at the mercy of a guest who was apparently argumentative about leaving.
It wasn’t my place, and I knew it. I was a guest, not staff, and the logical choice would have been to stay in the lobby and let them handle it. But Meri had disappeared again, pulled into something else before the conversation had ended, and I wasn’t ready to let it go.
Lydia glanced back when she realized I was behind her. “You don’t have to come."
“I think someone needs to provide backup," I replied.
She gave me a quick, assessing look, then shrugged and kept going. “Suit yourself. Just… don’t make it worse."
“I’m not planning to," I said.
“Maybe just stand out of the way," Lydia told me.
Voices carried from the end of the hall before we reached the room, one of them raised enough to cut through the rest of the noise in the inn. I caught the edge of frustration in it, the kind that came from someone who had already decided they were right and wasn’t interested in hearing otherwise.
Meri stood just inside the doorway of a guest room, the door open behind her.
Her posture was straight with her expression composed in a way that didn’t match the tension in the air.
The man in front of her was speaking quickly, his hands moving as he talked, his voice just loud enough to draw attention without tipping into a full scene.
“I was told I was getting a deluxe suite," he said. “This is not what I booked. I want a refund and two more nights' stay."
“You booked a standard room," Meri replied, her tone even and precise. “I remember checking you in and you didn’t complain about the room or the price at the time. I specifically told you it was a standard room. You are not getting a refund and extra nights when there was no error made."
“That’s not what I was promised," he insisted. “I demand a refund and two extra nights."
“Who made that promise?” Meri asked.
He hesitated, just long enough to break the momentum of his argument. “The listing implied it."
“The listing outlines the room type," she said. “Which you agreed to on your booking. I can bring up the booking receipt in the lobby."
“I have it here," Lydia helpfully supplied, holding out a tablet. “He booked a standard room. There are no complaints on his file and he’s been here for three days."
“You're telling me you stayed in the room for three days and only now are making a complaint?” Meri looked at the guest in disbelief.
“That’s misleading," he said. “I want a refund and two more nights for free."
“We are fully booked. Your stay ends now. You can vacate within the next fifteen minutes or I will call the local police," she replied.
“Oh, can you call Ephram ? He’s been working some overtime and I would love to see him," Lydia inserted brightly. She looked at me with a smile. “Ephram is my boyfriend and a member of the local police department."
I leaned back slightly against the wall, staying out of the way but close enough to intervene if things went sideways.
The man huffed out a breath, looking at all of us in disgust. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying."
“I do understand," Meri replied. “You’re unhappy with the room and your booking. However, that isn’t going to change things.
Waiting until the last day of your stay to complain gives us no chance of creating a resolution we would all be happy with.
Plus, demanding a full refund and an extended free stay is unreasonable. "
“Unreasonable?” his voice rose.
I stepped forward, straightening to my full height. “I think she’s already explained the situation. It’s time for you to gather your things and go."
He eyed me before abruptly grabbing his suitcase. “I’m going to give you a scathing review. Everyone is going to see it and know what kind of scammy place this is."
We watched as he gathered his things.
“The room key, please." Meri held out her hand.
“Fine," he said, the word clipped but no longer escalating. He pulled the key out of his pocket, putting it into her hand before brushing past us out the door.
“Well, he was a jerk. Can you imagine wanting a full week for free when he got exactly what he booked for?” Lydia broke the silence.
“You didn’t need to step in," Meri said as she passed me, going out of the room.
“I’m sure you and Lydia could have handled it," I replied diplomatically, falling into step beside her.
She didn’t respond to that.
Lydia closed the door behind us. “I knew Meri could handle it. People think they can argue their way into something better, but Meri doesn’t bend."
“He was trying to con us into giving him something for free. It wasn’t right," Meri muttered. “I’m going to flag him in our system so that he can’t book with us anymore."
“Can we do that?” Lydia asked in surprise.
“Absolutely," Meri replied, tapping away at the tablet.
“You are a genius. I mean, I know you’re super smart but that’s next level," Lydia complimented her sister. She looked at me in speculation. “Did you know Meri got all sorts of awards in school? She even went to college on a full academic scholarship."
“It’s not a big deal." Meri’s cheeks became a little flushed.
“She’s always got her nose in some book or is typing away at her computer. And her boss calls her at least once a week, that’s how important Meri is," Lydia continued.
“Tara isn’t my boss. She’s… She’s a sort of coworker. Although she is bossy," Meri murmured.
“My agent can be bossy too. He always seems to think he knows what’s best for me," I sympathized.
Meri sighed.
“So, I heard you asked Meri to go out with you on a date?” Lydia grinned at us. “Kitty might have overheard you and Jane talking."