‘Choose whichever room you want,’ he said, interrupting her introspection.
When she looked at him, it was to see him disappearing towards the open adjoining door.
Flora was in a deep sleep. Through the door, Georgie could glimpse a suitcase in Flora’s suite, along with the garish Disney pull-along she had had at the airport.
Instinct would have propelled her to follow him, to make herself useful, because she was so accustomed to dealing with children. The ski resort ran a kids-only camp for a month over the summer holidays.
She knew all about tucking kids into bed, making sure they had their showers, often reading them stories even though the kids who stayed there for maybe a week at a time would have been older than Flora.
Kids were kids and who didn’t like a good story read to them?
He half shut the door behind him and Georgie gazed around her, her light dimmed.
It was beyond luxurious.
For the guy who had come from nothing, this was the top of the ladder he had climbed when it came to hotel suites. She didn’t think anything could surpass it.
It was simply enormous.
The living area, in which she now stood, was a canvas of soft pastel tones and the walls were adorned with large, framed Disney posters from way back when. The atmosphere, drenched in the whimsy of the age-old cartoon characters, was still sophisticated, elegant and tasteful.
Off to one side, there was a separate, spacious area, a TV zone with plush seating and a sideboard, which she guessed would always be laden with snacks.
She could have carried on staring but, instead, she took her case, which had been brought up and spent a couple of minutes shamelessly gaping.
The entire area was larger than most people’s apartments. Georgie didn’t know that a hotel suite could actually have such an enormous footprint.
If she’d had any apprehension about sharing space with him, then that would have been instantly dispelled.
Her quarters included a sitting area as well as a massive bathroom and a walk-in dressing room in which she had precious little to put.
There were also facilities for making hot drinks and baskets of fruit.
She would have to have something to eat but, first, she would have to at least say goodnight to Alessandro and find out what their plans would be for the following day.
She emerged from her rooms to find him prowling through the living area, still frowning.
The second she walked in, he looked at her but before he could say anything, she rushed into nervous chatter.
‘Is Flora asleep?’
‘She barely opened her eyes when I settled her into bed.’
‘Poor thing. Long day for a small child and when you add the excitement in…’ Georgie laughed a nervous laugh. ‘This is an amazing place, by the way!’ She made a wide gesture with her arms. ‘A person could get lost in here! And you’re not going to believe the size of the bedrooms!’
She didn’t want to dwell on how she looked because that would have returned her to the place of thinking that he was embarrassed to be seen with her.
She didn’t want her insecurities to stamp all over common sense.
They weren’t going to be here for very long and she mustn’t forget, she told herself, thatshewas doinghima favour. In a manner of speaking.
But she couldn’t help but register that, even after an equally long and tiring trip, he still managed to look cool and elegant and sophisticated.
Her eyes were compulsively drawn to the way the dark hairs on his wrist slightly curled round the matte gold of his watch strap.
The breadth of his shoulders pushing at the shirt and the length of his muscular legs.
‘I… I just came to say goodnight.’ She plunged into a bit more nervous chatter and dragged her eyes away from him. ‘I think I’ll order some food to eat in my room and…and…you can tell me what time you’d like me to join you tomorrow morning. I know you sent that email with everything laid out but it’ll save time if you just tell me when I should surface.’
