Chapter 11

I pulled into the rear parking space at the Hillside Inn, but walked through to the main lobby before going up to my room. Mostly I was looking for a newspaper, but I was pleased to see the lovely and elegant Kelli Montoya on duty at the desk.

"Ahh, the lovely and elegant Kelli Montoya!" I said as I walked up.

"Why if it isn't the charming and handsome Cooper James!" she returned with the same feigned bombastic air and a grin that matched mine. "How was your day in Santa Rosa?"

"Productive, sad, promising, all of the above," I said, sighing through my smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry about the sad, but the rest sounds okay," she said sympathetically.

"Well, the sad is an inevitable part of clearing up your deceased parents' estate," I confessed. "They moved here four years ago while I was overseas, so I've never been here; never seen their home here. I have no idea if they had friends here or anything else."

"Oh, that is sad," she murmured, reaching out to pat the back of my hand where it rested on the counter.

"But, the house is beautiful, the lawyer who handled it for me is a great guy, and so far everyone I've met in Santa Rosa has been very nice." I patted her hand back.

"What are you going to do? You said you were overseas, are you in the army or something? Are you going to stay in Santa Rosa now?"

I laughed at her curiosity before I answered. "Well lets see – I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, I was in the Marines, but I've been honorably discharged and I'm going to stay in Santa Rosa for now at least, while I decide what to do."

"Oh," then she giggled and blushed a little. "Sorry to sound like the inquisition all of a sudden.

"No, that's okay, I'd be curious too, in your position. I am going to be checking out in the morning though and moving into the house."

"Oh, that makes sense," she blushed again, just a little. "I hope you'll stop in to say hi now and then while you're here."

"I will," I answered, only the old Harley in me keeping us from blushing back... "In fact, I'm hoping you wouldn't mind if I called you, once I'm no longer a client of the inn."

"I'd like that," she smiled, regaining some of her elegant composure now that our cards were on the table, so to speak. "Here, let me give you my number." she pulled a card out of her jacket pocket and flipped it over, writing a number on it.

"I have a cell phone now too," I said, suddenly remembering my new acquisition. "Let me give you my number." Kelli pulled out another card and I wrote my name and number on it. Kelli tucked the card in a shirt pocket inside her jacket and I slid the card she gave me in alongside my credit card in my wallet.

"Well, was there anything else sir?" she asked with a twinkle.

"Actually, I was hoping to find some local newspapers. Gotta have something to do, whiling away my idle time, all alone in my room. Stranger in a new town and all, ya know."