“Oooohh, I know,” Lottie says excitedly, bouncing up and down on her seat “You can come and stay with me! Chica, we’d have a blast.”
“She’s staying here,” Denham quickly interjects.
“Says who?” Lottie replies indignantly.
“Arianna, can you afford to stay here?” Mom inquires gently. “You can stay with us, or like Lottie says, you could stay with her.”
“Thanks, Mom. You too, Lottie, but I can’t come back to Boulder City. You know why. There’s just too many bad memories there and once I’ve gotten everything sorted out, I want a fresh start. You know?”
“I understand,” Mom says while Lottie pouts like a child.
I turn to her and laugh. “Babe, you’re always here anyway visiting Spike. I’ll see more of you here than I would at your place.” She nods resignedly. “Besides, you should see my new room.” I give her a nudge like an excited teenager, knowing that she will freak when she sees the penthouse.
“You have a new room? Why do you have a new room?”
My stomach drops. Just another situation that turned bad. I don’t want to explain it all. “I kinda got moved,” I say quietly, so quietly that the whole tables hushes.
“I moved her to the left penthouse,” Denham says confidently. “That way I’m just across the hall, so she can shout if wants anything.” I watch him as he handles the conversation then slides his eyes to mine and adds, “Anything at all, just ask.”
I want to kiss him. I actually want to get up from the table and kiss him full on the lips in front of everyone, but Lottie bounces excitedly next to me, veering my mind off the track it was taking.
“The penthouse! You’re going to be living in the penthouse suite? Ari, that place is awesome! The bed is so—” Lottie squeals and Spike interrupts, shoving her with his elbow.
“Lottie,” Spike hisses through his teeth.
“Uh, I mean…oh shit.” Lottie flushes a shade of pink and hides her head in her hands as the whole table starts to laugh. Spike glances nervously at Denham.
“Spike, relax. You think I don’t know? I live across the hall and your girl is not quiet.” He emphasizes this with a small shake of his head.
“Oh god…” Lottie groans and buries her head behind my shoulder. Spike has turned almost the same color as Lottie. They really are like a couple of teenagers. I glance at my mom and Brent who are trying to hide the fact that they are finding this funny too.
“Sorry, man,” Spike says sheepishly.
“No problem, just don’t do it again. Arianna is living there now so the penthouses are off limits, okay?”
“You got it.” Spike’s shoulders relax and he affectionately pats Lottie’s knee, signaling that it’s safe for her to come out of hiding from behind my shoulder.
“Arianna,” Brent says quietly, leaning over to me. “I don’t want you to worry about money. Your mother and I will take care of your hotel costs if it makes things easier for you.”
The offer makes me choke up a little. He doesn’t have to do that, he doesn’t even have to offer, but the fact that he did makes me feel like I have him as part of my supportive family.
“That won’t be necessary,” Denham says harshly.
What was meant as a sweet gesture has created a suddenly very tense atmosphere. Brent tries to make his point. “Mr. King, your kindness is appreciated, but Alice and I can take care of Arianna, I wouldn’t expect you to—”
“I know it’s not expected. Arianna and I have an agreement regarding her stay,” he says before looking at me pointedly.
I know what they are doing. It’s the alpha challenge, a pissing contest. Even though I don’t know Brent or Denham particularly well, I know them enough to say that Denham would win. It warms my heart that a few days ago I had no one fighting my corner, now I have a whole table full of people ready to argue over who gets to help me out.
“Guys, it’s okay,” I say, trying to diffuse the situation. “Thank you, Brent. If I need anything, I won’t hesitate to call.” I turn and look at the stern handsome face I have grown very fond of. “The same goes for you, Mr. King.” I treat him to the same sexy wink as he has given me many times this evening and his expression softens.
My mom clears her throat. “So, Arianna…” She looks between Denham and I. “What are your, uh…plans?” I know what she’s subtly trying to ask, but I can’t reply because I don’t have an answer for her just yet.
“Well…” I look over to Denham who is waiting for my answer, and I smile. “I’m just going to see where things take me,” I say without breaking his gaze. Seemingly happy with that answer, he flashes me his dimple. “There’s a lot to be sorted out, finalized.” I think about Aaron and my throat closes over. I swallow noisily, it’s like someone flicked off the happy switch. “I have a lot to tell you about, Mom, but not tonight, okay?”
“All in your own time, my girl,” she says softly and I rest my head on her shoulder.
Not wanting to bring the mood of the evening down, I straighten up, push up a smile and change the subject. “What I would like to do is get a job, earn some money and have some fun.”
