The Crossroads Inn

I stepped off the elevator and started for my room when suddenly I looked up and realized that I was on the wrong floor. Snugs had followed me—we were both carting heavy bags.

Whoops!

"Unh-uh, sweetie, back to the elevator! Wrong floor."

Poor bud looked confused, but he hustled back when he saw me pick up my pace.

We hopped back in the elevator right as the doors were starting to close.

Phew. This night had already been long enough.

A thousand and one things were always on my to-do list, and yesterday had been sucked up by putting out a thousand small fires and tripping over tiny things that had to take precedence over packing for this hotel stay and prepping for the art show this weekend.

I was tired and sore all over. Snugs was grumpy from dealing with both Grandma and Mama's anxiety over Grandma's upcoming cataract surgery.

That was the entire reason we were packing and staying at the hotel with her, so she could recover in relative comfort.

The singular thought had become a repetitive mantra that strung itself through my mind all through yesterday and today:

I wish I had one more day.

But I had managed to get everything packed for Snugs and me and had made it to the hotel before midnight.

I would take the win.

The elevator got to the right floor and we hustled out and into our room.

The young lady at check-in had been wonderful, and it was actually a really nice and clean place. Peaceful.

Probably why Mom had picked the Conroy Hotel in the first place. Well, that and it had a 24-hour urgent care within walking distance. We had been there a few times for Snugs and a few more times for me.

Good people and good places all around.

I pressed my keycard to our door—Room 7.

We got in the door and Snugs whipped past me, kicked off his sneakers, and began jumping on the bed.

I had to laugh. If my back didn't hurt so bad, I'd probably join him.

I got everything out and placed while Snugs worked off some of the stress from the last couple of days.

He was just as worried about Grandma as I was, even if he couldn't really express it, and he felt our stress.

Unlike his dad, Snugs was highly empathic, and it was rough when stuff like this came up.

His dad—Gene—had just told me all about how he planned to relocate for his new teaching internship and that Snugs and I were obviously coming with him.

He got the wind taken out of his sails real quick when I mentioned that I had accepted the probability of having to take care of both my mother and Snugs while still keeping tabs on my dad and my Aunt Norah in Tennessee.

His face had fallen.

He had let his aging and sickly family members attend to their own affairs or had other family members step in to take care of his share of the load.

He didn't do it consciously. He just never imagined actually taking care of his family in their twilight years beyond conjecture.

He was the same way with our son Billy, a.k.a. Snugs.

After a lot of fighting, I just quit asking Gene for anything and did it myself.

It worked out better that way.

Gene was too focused on Gene for anybody else to matter much beyond a conversation.

I was tired and just wanted a hot shower.

Packing and hauling when it's 85 degrees will turn a gal into a bag of sweat fast!

After I got Snugs settled with my mom, I went back to the car for the tech bag—no tablet, no chilled-out Snugs—and the oppressive heat wrapped around me like a cloak.

Bleech!

I made it back to the hotel elevator, and it felt off in the lobby... like it was holding its breath in anticipation.

Hmmm, or maybe that was the exhaustion talking.

I pressed the button for up. It lit up, and then, with a ding, the big brassy door slid open and I stepped in.

I watched the numbers for the different floors. They climbed slowly... and then went back down.

Hmmm.

The doors opened and a slip of a girl with jet-black hair pulled into a ponytail climbed on with a large towel cart.

Hunh, late for room service, but ehhh, okay.

She looked over at me and then handed me a water bottle and smiled.

"You look like you need some water. It's really hot outside."

I was taken aback, and my hand extended before I knew what I was doing.

I went to say thanks, and she was stepping out of the elevator and gone before I got the words out.

Hunh.

Well, that was weird... but nice.

I punched the button for my floor again. The numbers climbed again and then slowly went back to the lobby floor.

The doors opened, and I was about to get out and go look for a stairwell when the doors shut again.

What the heck?

This was odd, and I needed to get back to Snugs.

Mom had surgery in the morning and needed her rest.

Again, the numbers went up and then back down... no stops.

Now I was getting worried.

I needed to get back to Snugs.

Before I realized what I was doing, I had almost half of the giant water bottle down.

Odd.

I hadn't thought that I was that thirsty.

Well, I guess that girl was right.

Oddly, my back wasn't hurting either—normally it would be by now.

I pressed the button for my floor again and the numbers slowly passed, and then finally it stopped at my floor and dinged.

I went to hustle out, and then it was like somebody hit a reset button and the numbers slowly climbed again.

Okay, now I knew this was more than just weirdness.

The doors opened on the top floor and a maintenance man got in.

When I tried to get out, he smiled at me and informed me that the building didn't have a stairwell.

When I gave him a curious look, he pointed at my keycard with the room number on it.

I nodded.

"Don't worry, your floor is coming up soon."

He smiled and stepped off as the doors opened on the lobby.

The elevator went on like that for some time.

I didn't need to use the restroom. I wasn't hungry.

What was going on?

Was I dreaming?

This was a weird one if so.

It was actually kind of relaxing, but I still had responsibilities to see to.

I needed to get back to Snugs and my mom.

The doors finally opened on my floor and I jumped out.

I got to the room and Mom and Snugs were just hanging out.

"Sorry that took so long. The elevator was stuck or something."

I was ready to face Mom harping at me about dragging my butt.

But she just looked at me strangely.

"You were only gone a few minutes, honey. We were fine and he was really good. If you're okay, I'm going to get some sleep."

I nodded.

"Okay, sounds good. See you in the morning!"

Snugs was all jumped out and was just looking out the window peacefully as Mom closed the door.

"Hey baby, I'm gonna go take a shower. You want to shower?"

He shook his head.

"You sure?"

He nodded.

I nodded and said okay.

I locked the door to the room, handed him his tablet, which he immediately opened up his favorite show on, and went to the bathroom to get ready to clean up.

The shower was gorgeous, big and white with plate-glass doors and steel accents... amazing.

I stepped in and noticed it was a little slicker than at home but didn't think too much of it.

I soaped up and started to slide.

Then I realized there were no handholds.

Hmmm, short shower then.

Scrubbing up under the hot water felt amazing, and then I went to get face soap and went down on my ass, hard!

I screamed a curse as my toes and ankles took the brunt of my fall.

My right butt cheek took the rest.

I was thankful for having a big butt!

If it was any smaller, I would have definitely broken something!

I sat there under the water for a bit.

I had NEVER fallen before in the shower... over four decades and nothin'.

I sighed and crawled my way back up, finished my shower, and climbed out.

I'd taken the glass door off the frame and was barely able to get it open—thankfully it hadn't shattered or broken.

I dried off, took ibuprofen, and put the ice pack on my back.

Snugs was already asleep, and I drifted off soon after.

I suspected I would be sore when I got up.

As I drifted off, I once again thought it would be nice to have one more day.

I felt wind blowing across me and opened my eyes.

The hotel bed was gone.

Snugs was gone.

The room was gone.

And I was lying in the middle of a dirt road.

I blinked and tried not to panic.

I called for Snugs and nothing but wind answered.

I sat up and brushed the dirt off of my oversized bright red T-shirt and panties that I slept in.

Looking around, I realized I wasn't on a road.

I was in the middle of a four-way crossroads.

It was all dirt and had to be out somewhere in the middle of nowhere, as there was weird grass edging the roads.

It didn't look to have seen a mower for a while.

"Where am I?"

I scratched my scalp and tried to think if I had sleepwalked somewhere.

I wasn't a sleepwalker and I wouldn't have left Snugs.

Poor little guy would freak out if he woke and couldn't find me.

I needed to get back to him—wherever the hell I was.

A laugh sounded from down the road.

And now my panic was rolling into being pissed!

If this was a joke, somebody would find out quickly just how mistaken they were.

I looked toward the laugh and saw a form shimmering in the distance.

It slowly resolved itself into a tall woman in a black evening dress. She had her long dark brown hair styled in a 1950s way, her makeup, including ridiculously red lips, all reminiscent of the '50s. She even had a long cigarette holder. She blew through it and the cigarette lit and began to smoke. She took a drag and smirked at me.

"Where the hell am I, and where is my son?"

She pulled back a bit at my tone.

"Easy there, Sweetie. He is perfectly safe in his bed asleep, as is your mother. As to where you are, it's more a question of when than where."

She blew a lazy smoke ring.

I could feel myself frowning. I was getting more irritated.

"That's good. Now point me to how to get back to my kid."

She lifted her eyebrows.

"Quite single-minded. And you can't from here. Aren't you even a little curious about how you came to be in the middle of a road?"

I sighed.

"I have responsibilities. I don't care how I got here, I need to leave—NOW!"

She blinked.

"Not even a thank you for granting your wish?"

I gave her a long look.

"What are you talking about? I didn't make any wishes."

"Think back."

I thought for a minute and shook my head.

It was her turn to give me a look.

"Right outside the elevator doors..."

I opened my mouth and then blinked.

"Wait..."

She smiled.

"I gave you your one more day."

She ashed on the ground.

I had said that I wished for one more day when we got to the hotel elevators.

I sighed.

She must be pretty hard up to grant a far-flung one like that.

I growled.

"That was a private conversation. I didn't know that time-traveling entities were such eavesdroppers."

She looked confused and blinked.

"You're taking this quite well. And regardless, private conversation or not... you shouldn't make wishes at the Crossroads Inn if you don't want them granted."

I smiled.

"I am checked into the CONROY INN, not the Crossroads Inn. You have the wrong person. Now kindly send me back to my son. I need to drive my mother to surgery in the morning."

She waved her hand and a small rundown inn at a corner of the crossroads appeared. The sign over the entrance proclaimed it to be the Crossroads Inn and Tavern.

With another wave, everything around us shifted and grew.

Soon I was standing outside my hotel. The sign saying Conroy Inn & Suites wavered and became The Crossroads Inn & Suites.

I looked at the road I'd driven in on and, sure enough, it was a four-way crossroads, just with pavement.

I stared at the woman.

She lifted an eyebrow and took another drag, blowing out white smoke.

"You are back. Now, I granted your wish. I will take my payment."

She went to wave her hand.

I stopped her.

"No. I didn't ask you. You horned in on a private conversation. No, I'm not giving you my soul, years off my life, my kid, or anything else. Although... if you talk nice, I might hand over my husband."

I crossed my arms over my chest.

She blinked at me and then laughed.

"No thank you! I don't need a husband. But I do need a favor."

"What is it?"

I raised my left eyebrow, set to say a big fat no to that too.

She sighed.

"I need some front desk help. Emily is going on vacation, and I need someone to cover her shifts."

I looked at her.

"Why didn't you just ask a temp service?"

She sighed again.

"I need someone who is already familiar with this type of inn and the oftentimes magical beings that come here. Emily is over 400 years old and has been working for me for over half of that. Good help is hard to find."

I gave her a skeptical look.

"How long?"

"A month."

"A normal month?" I asked suspiciously.

"Of course!"

She sounded a little offended.

"Paid?"

My suspicion ratcheted up a few notches.

"Yes."

A note of annoyance laced her voice.

"I stay on site? My son will be with me and I would need my mom as well to help watch him if that's the case. And she will need time off of her job if that's so. And we will all need protected from any magical nonsense."

This was non-negotiable.

She blinked at me.

"You are ridiculously calm about all of this. And yes to all of it once you agree. I have a manager suite that you can have. Full kitchen."

"Okay, you know you could have asked."

I twisted my features a little in distaste.

She shook her head.

"You are a very unusual woman. Come on, I will show you around."

"What about Mom's job?"

She smiled.

"They are having a building fire currently and she will be on paid leave for two months."

Then she batted her eyes and headed in.

"Well, okay then."

I smiled.

I'd needed a break anyway!

I followed her inside, smiling.

I opened my eyes.

I was back in the hotel room in bed. Snugs snored softly beside me and I let out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

It was all just some weird dream.

I got up to splash water on my face and found my feet covered in dirt.

My eyes widened as I saw the old brass ring of keys set on the bedside table beside my watch and water glass.

The ring had a metal tag that was stamped with the words:

Property of the Crossroads Inn & Suites

A note with roses and thorns wound around its edges read:

To Olivia,

Your and your mother's things have all been moved to your new suite. Congratulations on the job!

See you in a month!

Sincerely,

Maeve

Pinned to the note was a nametag with my name and the title of Manager.

I blinked.

This was going to be one helluva month!