“What were you hearing just now?”
“Oh, just a song,” He answered, evasively.
“Ohhhhkay. I guess your head deserves some privacy.”
He chuckled as he led me back into the hotel and pointed across the golf course. “Is that PBD? And Megan?”
PBD was chasing Megan, staggering drunkenly, yelling, “Wait up! Wait for me!” and then singing We Are The Champions loudly and off-key. What a catch.
At the elevator he pushed the button for my floor. “Are we staying on the same floor?” I asked.
“Well, I couldn’t very well let you go to your door unaccompanied, could I?” I noticed that he hadn’t answered my question.
At my door I pulled my key card out of my clutch, nervously wondering if he would try to kiss me. That was generally how a date ended, right? A kiss at the door? But this hadn’t really been a date. He’d been my…escort? Fake boyfriend? So, there was no need for a kiss. He probably wouldn’t even want to kiss me. After all, what he liked best about me was that I cared. Not that I was beautiful or sexy or that I wanted to have his babies.
Boy, it had been a long day, and I was really tired. I needed to get a door between us and go to bed.
As I turned to say goodnight, he took the key card from my hand and opened the door. As he came nearer, I backed up into my room and he followed, closing the door behind him. So much for having a door between us. My heart pounded hard with the certainty of where he wanted this to go.
“Jack, what are you doing?” My voice came out as a strangled whisper.
“I’m going to get ready for bed. I’ve got a big day of travel tomorrow.”
“Um, Jack, that’s my line and this is my room.”
“So why is my bag here?”
He flicked on the light, and I looked where he pointed and sure enough, his bag was sitting right next to mine on the luggage rack
“What? How? What?” was all I managed to stutter out.
“I was chatting with Chanelle at the front desk, and she offered to put my bag up here. Inourroom.”
“What?” I was outraged. That broke every safety protocol in place to protect guests. That would definitely have to be written up.
“Eve, everyone knows we’re together. I told her you’d taken the key, so she offered to have my bag delivered while I went looking for you. She was just being helpful. Don’t get her in trouble.”
“What if you had been a crazy stalker and she gave you access to my room?”
“Well, I’m not, so you’re safe.”
“I’m not so sure,” I muttered.
“Look, it’ll be fine. I’ll just go brush my teeth and get changed.” He picked up his bag and headed for the bathroom.
“Jack, you can’t stay in my room!” I exploded.
“Why not? We stayed together last night.”
“Last night was different. No one knew. Now everyone will know and they will talk.”
“Isn’t that the point, Eve? That people, in particular PBD, think you’re attached? Scott seems pretty convinced we’re a couple and he seems just fine with it.”
“Well, it looks extremely unprofessional of me to drag a boyfriend along on a corporate trip!”
“It’s not on you, Eve, it’s on me. Remember, I’m the one that crashed your presentation. They’ll all just think I’m the impulsive, rapscallion of a boyfriend.”
I stopped and stared at him. “Did you just use the word rapscallion in a sentence? Who says that?”
