I laughed and handed our information to the representative. She pecked at the keyboard for a long moment before sucking in a breath and motioning another staff member over. Audrey and I shared a glance before I asked, "Is there a problem?"
The newcomer turned to us with a saccharine smile. "I'm afraid there was an incident in one of the rooms you booked," he said.
I rubbed my forehead. "What kind of incident?"
"An electrical matter," he said.
I cast another meaningful glance at Audrey. Her brows pitched up and the humor in her eyes was gone. She asked, "Is that a big problem around here?"
"It was an unusual incident," he replied. "Unfortunately, we're only able to offer you one room tonight. We expect the second will become available tomorrow after our standard check-in time of four in the afternoon."
I drummed my fingers on the desk. I didn't think we'd survive another night together. "You couldn't have notified us any earlier?"
"You have our deepest apologies," he said. "I can offer you complimentary breakfast for the duration of your stay."
Audrey's cheeks puffed as she blew out a breath. With that breath went the perfect posture and every last piece of the mask she'd worn to charm Mom, Gary, and Rita. The color in her cheeks drained and her eyes went heavy. Her whole body seemed to slouch. It had to be exhausting, being everything to everyone.
With a sigh, she asked, "What's the bed situation in this one room?"
He pursed his lips and I knew this wasn't going to work out well for us. "It's our signature select California king pillow top."
"I should've known," she muttered. "This better be a phenomenal breakfast."
"It's actually very good," the first representative said.
I shifted to face Audrey. "We don't have to do this. We can?—"
"No, Jude, we can't," she said, her voice cracking like she was about to cry. "I'msotired. I don't have the emotional strength to figure out a new plan because this place casually catches on fire sometimes. I intend on taking the longest, hottest shower of my life and then popping a giant sleeping pill. If you want to do something else, you're welcome to leave me here."
"Like hell I'm leaving you here," I said.
She shook her head. "Fine. We're doing this. Again."
The room was free of both ceiling leaks and reptiles, and Audrey spent forty-five full minutes in the shower while I talked to Percy. She stayed in the bathroom another half hour and I had to assume she just needed to be alone. After being the main attraction for Mom, Gary, and Rita, she had to be mentally wiped out.
When she emerged, she pulled some extra pillows from the closet and drew the boundary lines on the bed before climbing in. She didn't say much and, as threatened, fell asleep before the end of a sitcom rerun.
I flipped over to an F1 race when I knew she was out. I was exhausted but I was too worked up to let myself relax. I couldn't stop replaying a carousel of moments from the past few days. Then there was the pounding heat of last night. I couldn't get away from the memories of her hands on my skin, her lips pressed to mine. I kept feeling the weight of her against me, the way she'd leaned in without hesitation. So fucking reckless—but so right.
All I knew was that she'd kissed me back last night. She'd reached for me, she'dwantedme. And I was ruined for it.
chapter twenty-eight
Audrey
Today's vocabulary word: compensate
"Same botanical garden location, different season,"Janet said, setting another collage on the table. "I played around with the color palette here to give it more of a warm autumn feel. See what I mean?"
"It's lovely," I said, running my gaze over the designs. I'd come prepared to humor the hell out of her and fake all my enthusiasm. If it came to it, I'd pull her down an obscure rabbit hole—a cute quote for custom cocktail napkins, symbolic dessert options, fun table names with special meanings. So far, there'd been no need to dip into my bag of tricks. Not with everything she'd crammed into that binder. "The autumn one is really pretty."
The hard part of this charade was that I liked her designs. If we were actually getting married, I'd chain myself to a few of these looks. It left me with a bittersweet mix of longing and guilt. I didn't want to think that this could've been real. If things had been different and life hadn't been what it was for us—forme—this might've been ours. The thought was a fine shard of glass in my heart.
"If you get bored at the car dealership, there's a future for you in event design," I said.
"These are just ideas," Janet said for the fortieth time today. Always very careful to make sure I knew she didn't want to steamroll me. But at the same time, there were a few constants in every design and plenty of comments that made her priorities crystal clear. Suffice it to say, the cake would be frosted in buttercream, round, and three tiers. Five if we really thought it was necessary. And no "ridiculous" flavors like lemon. "I'm sure you have plenty of your own."
I reached for my drink, laughing. "You'd think so. All of my friends have been getting married over the last few years—one is getting married in Rhode Island next weekend, actually—but I haven't found much time to consider what I'd want."
