Lucas’s fingers tapped harder. “Please tell me they’re wearing swimsuits underneath those towels.”
“I haven’t asked. Although they do go on about the nude beaches in Spain, so the possibility of no swimsuits is high.”
This was what he’d given up his police career for.This. Lucas went back to the computer but couldn’t pay attention to the screen. “You realize that the river is a public place. Nudity there falls into the category of public indecency. I’d really like it if none of my police officer friends stopped by to arrest anyone during my first week.”
“You and me both.” She shrugged again. “At this time of the year, not many people are at the river to see them and complain.”
Lucas felt a pressure behind his eyes that could quickly turn into a headache. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I was told things would be slow here until spring. Instead, our guests include a woman with an escaping wallaby, three homeless men, and six exhibitionists who may at some point need intervention to get them out of the river.”
“They might be wearing swimsuits,” Riley said brightly. “Just because we haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Of course, I’ve told myself the same thing about unicorns, dragons, and honest politicians. So, you know…”
He leveled his gaze at her. “Is all this craziness your way of getting back at me for becoming your boss?”
“You would think that, wouldn’t you? But the sad answer to that question is no.”
He swept his hand in the direction of the stairs. “All of this is normal?”
She had the grace to blush, and her voice dropped. “I ran a special with lowered rates to get more winter business, and this is the clientele that showed up. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake.”
“Yeah, make sure the manager approves the specials from now on.”
She sighed. “Yes, sir.”
The printer finally stopped spitting out papers. Riley gathered the stack and tapped the bottom on the desk to straighten it.
“What is all of that?” he asked. He was fully expecting her to tell him it was some horrible and tedious report that he would have to read.
“Mrs. Nickle, the guest in room five, needed something printed. Granted, I hadn’t expected it to be three hundred pages, but we’re all about serving our guests, especially when Carson is paying for the paper.”
Lucas eyed the stack. It was hefty enough to be used as a step stool. “The front desk doesn’t have limits on how much you’ll print for guests?”
“We do,” Riley admitted, “but I was worried about wallaby containment and forgot to ask her how many pages it was.” Riley’s gaze went to the stairs, and her voice dropped. “Here’s Mrs. Nickle now.”
An elderly woman descended the last of the steps and headed across the lobby to them. She was gesturing behind her to the staircase in blinking bewilderment. “Either a half dozen naked men are chasing a little kangaroo around the second-floor, or I’m having a nervous breakdown.”
“You’re not having a breakdown.” Riley picked up her phone. “We have a marsupial situation. I’ll let housekeeping know where they can find the wallaby.”
“Oh, good.” The woman stopped gesturing towards the stairwell but left her finger in the air. “And why aren’t the men wearing clothes?”
Riley punched in a number. “We’re all wondering that.” With the phone pressed to her ear, she handed the stack of papers to the woman. “I’ll have the manager talk to the men about the inn’s dress code.” She swept her hand toward Lucas. “This is Mr. Clark, the manager.”
Lucas nodded, resigned. “I’ll talk to the polar club.”
Mrs. Nickle tucked the stack of paper into her arms. “Thank you.” She held out her hand to shake Lucas’s. “Glad to meet you, Mr. Clark. You have a lovely inn, and when I say it’s the perfect place to kill someone, I mean that as the highest compliment.”
Somehow the comment didn’t even surprise him.
The woman turned on her heel and headed back to the stairs. Lucas watched her go for a moment, then walked around the desk to head to the second floor. “Are you going to explain her statement,” he asked Riley, “or just let me wonder if she’s a serial killer?”
Wendy must’ve answered her phone because Riley ignored him and began telling the housekeeper that the wallaby was spotted on the second floor.
Sure, Riley wasn’t trying to get back at him. She’d probably booked every criminal in Montana, and now he was going to have to do background checks on the lot of them just so he’d be able to sleep at night.
Ex-girlfriends.
Riley.
Heaven help them both. He laughed and shook his head. Man, he’d missed her.