The Inn Between Read Online Free PDF

imagined. Two beds with crisp white sheets and puffy rose-colored quilts stood off to the side. The antique headboards were fancier than ones she’d seen in other hotels. So were the dressers and the desk. Thick velvet drapes hung heavy and straight, framing a large window. On one wall was a tapestry with a forest scene embroidered on it. A unicorn sat peacefully in a clearing in the woods. She used to love unicorns when she was little. She secretly still loved them—though she wouldn’t dare tell anyone other than Kara.
    Quinn turned on the old TV that was perched on one of the dressers. It exploded into a mass of black dots that fizzed and fought their way around a blue-white screen, like a great bug-battle. Quinn decided the TV was as old as the rest of the building. An antique that belonged in the secondhand store where Mrs. Cawston loved to shop.
    â€œNo TV?” Kara plunged backward into the feathery softness of the duvet. “I’m going to miss Math Wars .”
    Quinn rolled her eyes and then flopped down beside Kara.
    â€œYou watch too much TV as is,” said her mother. “Besides, we have to go to sleep. We’ll be leaving early in the morning—which reminds me…”
    Mrs. Cawston walked to the desk. The vintage phone resembled the one Quinn had seen in the lobby on Persephone’s counter. She picked up the receiver and dialed zero. “An outside line, please.”
    She said something that didn’t sound too encouraging, and then requested a wake-up call. She hung up and looked at Quinn and Kara with a curious expression.
    â€œNo outside lines,” she said. “The phones are for internal use only. No wonder they didn’t need a credit card. Not like we can run up long-distance charges to Mogadishu.”
    Quinn chuckled. Then she thought of her parents. “Mom and Dad will be worried.”
    Mrs. Cawston patted Quinn’s shoulder. “Remember, they’re not expecting a call tonight. I’ll charge my phone in the morning. We’ll call them once we’re on the road—just as soon as I get a signal.” She smiled reassuringly.
    Quinn nodded. Mrs. Cawston had warned her parents the drive might take two days. Plus, her parents were supposed to be spending the time alone together. The therapist had said it was a good idea. For them. And for Quinn. It was the only reason they’d agreed to let Quinn go. They weren’t supposed to worry about her. And she wasn’t supposed to worry about them. That was the deal. Quinn sighed. She wasn’t holding up her end of the bargain.
    â€œI love this place,” said Josh, bursting through the adjoining doors between the hotel rooms. He threw himself face-first onto the bed beside Quinn and Kara. He flipped over, stared at the unicorn tapestry, and frowned. “Our room’s way cooler.”
    Kara and Quinn walked through the open doors that now formed an archway between the two rooms. Josh was right—his room was very different. It had two queen beds as well, but the decor was modern, like the room had recently been renovated. The wallpaper had stars, moons, and planets. And there were two huge framed pictures of distant galaxies that looked like they were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
    Quinn sat down on the edge of a bed. The quilt was navy corduroy—soft but not silky.
    â€œTime for room service,” said Josh, swaggering in through the adjoining doors.
    â€œAll you think about is food,” said Kara.
    â€œPretty much.” He grinned.
    Kara rolled her eyes. Quinn shook her head.
    Josh dialed seven just as Persephone had instructed. He ordered a large pepperoni pizza—which happened to be available. Kara and Quinn asked if they had any sort of pie. Josh checked and said they had apple, blueberry, custard, and Key lime. Kara ordered apple. Quinn chose Key lime.
    Room service came almost immediately—another employee in a similar uniform.