The Girl That Got Away

Caught In Action

I sat behind the desk at the Independence Inn, the low hum of the phone system filling the otherwise quiet room. Michel had taken his break, and I was stuck answering calls, though, to be honest, I didn’t mind it much. It was better than being cooped up in the back office with Mrs. Larkin, who had an obsession with organizing towels by color and size.

I was half-distracted when the first call came through.

RING RING RING

"Independence Inn, where your dreams are probably my nightmares. How can I help?" I answered the phone with a flair, practically daring whoever was on the other end to respond. They hung up so quickly I could almost hear the dial tone fading into the distance.

I smirked, setting the phone down. "Well, that was a waste of my charm," I muttered to myself.

"Your mother would kill you if she heard that," Michel's voice came from behind me, his tone laced with the familiar edge of sarcasm.

I spun around to see him leaning against the doorframe, one eyebrow arched, looking all too pleased with himself. "She won’t know. Can’t hurt to have some fun, right? Besides, you’re not supposed to be on break anyway, and we both know I’ve been banned from answering phones. If you don’t snitch, neither will I."

Michel rolled his eyes, pushing off the doorframe with a heavy sigh. "And I thought I was the rebellious one. You’re lucky I don’t run straight to Sookie right now."

"Yeah, well, you wouldn’t do that. Not unless you want her to make you eat your weight in her ‘special’ mushroom soup, which I’m pretty sure is a form of punishment," I teased.

Michel crossed his arms, a small frown tugging at the corners of his lips. “I never thought I’d see the day when I’d have to babysit you.”

Before I could come up with a snappy comeback, the phone rang again.

RING RING RING

I grinned, already knowing what I was going to say.

Michel shot me a look that was equal parts annoyance and amusement. "You’re impossible," he muttered, clearly wishing I would just answer the phone like a normal person, then snatched up the phone.

"Independence Inn, this is Michel speaking," he said into the phone with a sigh, his voice turning smooth and professional. He gave me a sideways glance, clearly enjoying the little role reversal.

"What? Oh, whatever. It’s for you," Michel said, rolling his eyes and handing me the phone without another word.

I sighed, taking the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Pixie, whatcha up to?" The voice on the other end was warm and familiar, and I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips.

"Answering phones. How did you know I was here?" I said , my fingers fiddling with the edge of the desk.

"I tried your home phone first, but no answer. Then I remembered your mom works at an Inn, so I figured I’d try my luck," the voice replied, casual but with a hint of amusement.

I raised an eyebrow. "I never told you which one."

There was a slight pause on the other end before the voice responded, a little sheepish. "I may have called around a bit. And honestly, there aren’t that many near you anyway."

"Stalker," I muttered, though there was no real heat in my words.

"Hey, I was just being resourceful. Anyway, I’m bored, and you said you were going to buy me dinner sometime. How about lunch instead?"