27
Suite-Life
ClaireandJaxonwerestill laughing as they pulled off the road and into the hotel’s underground parking lot, replaying Sara’s scavenger-hunt meltdown over the phone.
“I still can’t get over her thinking the key was under a rock,” Claire chuckled. “You really had her crawling around your yard like she was on Survivor.”
“She’s lucky I didn’t make her dig,” Jaxon replied, grinning as he cut the engine.
He popped the back door, grabbed their luggage, and nodded toward the elevator. “Let’s check in.”
As they stepped through the lobby doors, the mood shifted.
The space opened up around them like a cathedral of polished stone and soft light. The black herringbone tile beneath their feet shimmered beneath the glow of massive chandeliers. Each one was a starburst of crystal and gold, suspended like frozen firework displays, casting perfect geometric shadows that danced across the glossy floor.
Claire slowed, eyes wide. “I think we’re a tad underdressed.”
“If they have a problem,” Jaxon said without missing a beat, “tell them to wait and see how we look when we come down for dinner.”
Claire blinked. “Dinner? Here?”
He gave her that smug, Jaxon grin. “We’ve got a reservation. Seven o’clock.”
She stared at him, head shaking. “You really had this all planned out, didn’t you?”
“I like to leave room for chaos. But I don’t wing everything.”
As Jaxon made his way to the front desk, Claire stood at the center of it all, taking in the kind of luxury that felt like something out of a movie.
She tilted her head back to admire the chandeliers—each crystal twinkling like it had its own heartbeat. Even the floor looked freshly buffed, glowing beneathher sneakers like it knew it was better than her jeans. Her eyes wandered to the wallpaper—elegant, three-dimensional, textured like carved stone.
She leaned in closer.
Then leaned again.
Rotated.
Bent a little.
That’s when Jaxon returned, room key in hand, watching her with raised brows.
“If you’re done with your yoga poses, we’ve got a room.”
Claire straightened up, cheeks warm. “It’s the wallpaper. It has depth.”
“I would’ve stuck with yoga. More mysterious.”
They headed to the elevator, the soft chime announcing their ascent to the 18th floor.
“They always book you places like this?” Claire asked, watching the numbers light up above the doors.
Jaxon shrugged. “Corporate doesn’t play around. I keep telling them, all I need is a clean room with a bed and a decent bathroom.”
“At least they take care of you.”
“Sure. But the money they spend on suites could probably fund a scholarship or three.”
When the elevator doors opened, they stepped into a carpeted hallway lined with abstract art and gold sconces.
