Every night, when Rosie reviewed the hotel’s numbers, her heart sank a little. She wanted so badly for their plans to succeed, but so far, they hadn’t received a lot of additional bookings for December.
Charlie set another poinsettia next to the tree. “I don’t get it. We’re trying so hard to make the Duchess sound appealing. Did you see all the content Laurel’s intern has been posting on TikTok and Instagram? It’s super creative.”
“Yeah, and her posts have gotten a ton of views. The problem is—we started this so late. Most of the people who’ll be traveling in December probably made their plans back in the fall.”
“Maybe the weekday happy hours will help. Knox put together a list of holiday-themed cocktails, and they soundsogood.” Charlie rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “I can’t wait to try them.”
At six thirty, when they were almost done, Drew walked into the lobby carrying two boxes of donuts from Tim Hortons. “Good morning! I come bearing donuts.”
As tired as she was, Rosie brightened at his appearance. By now, they’d been “together” for almost four weeks, but she still lit up every time she saw him.
“Hey, there,” she said. “Isn’t it against your fitness rules to be bringing us donuts?”
“What can I say? I love a good donut as much as anyone else.” He glanced at the tree. “Whoa. You guys did an amazing job. Those old-school glass ornaments are so cool.”
“You don’t think they’re passé?” Charlie teased.
“Is that even a thing when it comes to Christmas? Not at all. They’re great.”
“Let’s dart into the breakfast room real quick,” Rosie said. “That way, we can enjoy some coffee with our donuts before we have to open the room for guests at seven.”
“Sounds good,” Drew said. “I’m gonna give the front desk clerks first pick.”
As he strolled over to the check-in area with his boxes of donuts, Charlie smirked at Rosie. “Speaking of going the extra mile, it’s sweet that your ‘boyfriend’ showed up early with treats for everyone.”
A warm flush crept up Rosie’s cheeks. “I didn’t expect it, but it’s very sweet.”
“Things are going well otherwise? With the fake dating?”
Rosie piled the empty boxes onto the luggage cart. “Really well. Every time I go to the gym, he seems pumped to see me. I flirt with him and call him adorable pet names, and sometimes we get smoothies after. Though last night, we went to Noodlebox and had a late dinner.”
“I love that place. Their kung pao box issogood.”
“It’s the best. We got into this intense discussion about the Bond movies. I still can’t believe he prefers Sean Connery when Daniel Craig is unequivocally the hottest Bond ever.” Seeing that Charlie was staring her down, she stopped. “What?”
“How can you not see how perfect Drew is? This is more than a faux romance.”
Rosie shook her head emphatically. “No, it’s not. We’re just friends, that’s all. Good friends who like the same kind of movies, and like to hang out together, and um…” She groaned. “I’m doing a crappy job convincing you, aren’t I?”
“Totally crappy. It’s okay if you like him as more than a friend. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t. If anything, work’s going to get more intense once our holiday activities start on December first. All the more reason I wouldn’t want to deal with the demands of a real romantic relationship. I’d feel so guilty about neglecting him.”
Even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t quite the truth. So far, Drew hadn’t complained about her schedule. He’d just been happy to see her whenever she could fit him in. Like last week, when she’d joined him at the gym for the surprise bridal shower that the staff had thrown for Jared and Evelyn. She’d expected Drew to struggle with it, but he’d made teasing asides to her the entire time. Afterward, they’d gone out for drinks at a nearby pub and kicked ass at the pub’s weekly trivia night.
Drew walked back to them. “Should we cruise over to the breakfast room for our donut break? Rosie, I got your favorite kind—Boston Cream. Actually, I got you two. One for now, and one for later, in case you need a sugar fix.”
“Aww, that’s so thoughtful,” Charlie said. “You almost make me believe that you and Rosie are really together.”
“I know, right?” he said. “Plus, we’re having a blast doing it.”
As he headed toward the breakfast room, Charlie lowered her voice and addressed Rosie. “Too bad it’s not real.”
Too bad, indeed.
Ten
24 Days UntilChristmas
