The Village of Gerard's Cliff Read Free Page A

waiting
for his reply to a question he had not heard. She seemed
uncomfortable. "Would you like a carafe of coffee with your
breakfast?" she obviously was repeating the question, her eyebrows
still raised, as she stared down at him.
    "That would be great." he
smiled.
    "Oh, by the way, our maid,
Sarah, told me this morning, that you wish to take care of your
room yourself during your stay." She rested her right hand on the
back of the chair to his right. "While that's a bit unusual, we can
accommodate you. I'll tell Sarah to handle the details." She turned
to leave. "Oh, and no one will enter your room, I assure you," she
added. "Enjoy your breakfast, Mr. Garrison. It will be out
shortly." He turned his head ever-so-slightly to watch her walk
off, and out of the corner of his eye noticed that the maid, Sarah,
and a large lady in white, their heads together, were staring at
him from the kitchen. He turned his head back abruptly, sighed, and
resumed reading the pamphlet, hoping his breakfast would arrive
soon so he could get the hell out of there.
    After finishing his meal, Connor went back to his room to
grab his khaki jacket. He descended the stairs quickly, and as he
walked toward the front door, nodded to Mrs. Colborne as he noticed
that she had lifted her eyes slightly from whatever she was working
on at the desk to watch him.
    "I'm going into the
village to look around," he called to her. "I'll be gone a few
hours." She nodded. As he walked to his car, he hoped that her
promise was good - that no one would enter his room....that would
not be a good thing - not at this point anyway.
    What a difference daylight makes . Connor looked around him as he walked to
his car. While the morning was cold, the effect of sunlight on the
house was astounding. Instead of the bleak, forlorn feeling he had
gotten the night before upon first seeing the inn....well, now it
had transformed into a cheery, well-taken-care-of , homey place. He
was impressed. And, the landscaping was perfect...he could see a
path from the front of the house, that, he assumed led to the ocean
cliffs. He would have to check that out at some point, he vowed to
himself.

Chapter VI
    Allie sat on the stool behind the desk, and worked on her
monthly figures as she munched on an apple slice. Not too bad so far
this month, she thought, with satisfaction. Some inns in Gerard's
Cliff closed their doors from November until April, but she liked
to keep hers open as long as there were guests who wanted to
reserve a room. Tilda and Sarah both worked shifts at other
businesses when The Colborne Inn slowed down to a halt, and Allie
was appreciative of their loyalty in coming to work even when there
were few guests. Ben, the sweet, older widower who was her
gardener, was basically retired, and only worked there in the
warmer months because he enjoyed it, not because he needed the
income. They all must have known the situation between Patrick and
herself, she thought....how could they not, working in such close
proximity. But none of them ever let on, or said a word to her, and
she appreciated that. Overall, she was very content with her
situation. She even enjoyed the days alone, after Tilda and Sarah
finished their shifts, and the guests had left the inn to go their
own way; she had plenty to keep her busy and her mind
well-occupied.
    Not bad at all, she repeated to herself as she picked up
another apple slice and took a bite.
    She heard the crunch of
tires on the gravel, and peered out through the window next to the
desk. A short, stocky man got out of the driver's side of the
silver Lincoln Town Car, and pulled down on both sides of his
jacket. He ran his hand sideways over his thinning brown hair as he
strode toward the front porch, a determined look on his
face.
    Ethan...Allie slumped on her stool, her pleasant solitude
now forever ruined...she slowly placed the remainder of the apple
slice back on the plate. Why today ?
    She had never cared for
Patrick's brother, from day