‘Fair enough,’ said another guest.
‘Oh, and here’s your completed Love Passports,’ Sammie said. ‘It has all of the memories and photos from your week here.’
‘Thanks so much,’ I replied.
‘And your playlist should be complete now too, but feel free to add to it during your stay in the South of France.’
‘We will,’ Gabriel said.
‘Follow me and I’ll fill you in on all the deets,’ said Sammie, leading us over to a quieter area of the rooftop, where Gabriel and I sat down. ‘So, your flight to Nice will leave this afternoon, so if you can get yourself packed ASAP and be down in reception by noon, that’d be great. Once you arrive, you’ll be driven to the resort where you’ll be staying together in a luxury villa.’
‘Together?’ I asked.
‘Yep!’ Sammie confirmed and my stomach tightened. ‘It’s standard procedure at the Love Hotel. During the second week the couples always stay in the same villa to give them a taste of what it’d be like to live together in real life. Well, if you were loaded and lived in a fancy house, of course!’
Sammie laughed. I didn’t.
I was still trying to get my head around what she’d just said.
Hooking up with Gabriel was one thing. Butlivingwith him twenty-four seven would be intense.
I wasn’t ready for that.
It was too much, too soon.
‘I—’
‘Don’t worry,’ Sammie jumped in. ‘It’s a two-bedroom villa, so you don’t have to share a bed. Although something tells me you’ve already tickedthatbox…’ she grinned. ‘Sorry! Was that inappropriate? I’m just so happy for you two!’
‘Merci,’ Gabriel acknowledged, whilst I wondered how Sammie knew.
Then again, the way we raced into the lift together, it would’ve been obvious to anyone who spotted us what we were about to get up to.
‘Yeah, so anyway,’ Sammie continued, ‘you’ll get settled into your villa and in the evening, there’ll be a swanky launch party for the new resort.’
‘Where is it based?’ Gabriel asked.
‘I think it’s called something like Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat? It’s between Nice and Monaco. You’re gonna love it! It’s super-glam and everything’s brand new! And there’ll be a celebrity performing at the party tonight!’
‘Who?’ I asked.
‘My lips are sealed. You’ll just have to wait and see. It’s gonna be amazing. I’m so jealous!’
‘You’re not coming?’ I said.
‘Nah. I have to stay here. But my friend Jasmine will be there. She’s a Love Empress at the Love Hotel in Spain, but she’s working at the resort with her partner Alejandro who’s a Cuisine King. Jasmine’s in her forties too and Alejandro’s several years younger than her and they’re crazy in love…’ A mischievous grin spread across Sammie’s face.
‘That’s nice,’ I said. I knew Sammie mentioned that because she thought it’d stop me from worrying about getting involved with Gabriel, but it wasn’t the same. The dynamic between us was completely different. I was pretty sure that Jasmine wasn’t best friends with her boyfriend’s mother.
‘It is a shame that you and Romeo will not be there,’ Gabriel said.
‘I know, but hey, can’t complain! Staying in Paris is pretty cool. Anyway, you two have a lot of packing to do, so I better let you get on! Congrats again and I’ll see you later before you go to the airport.’
‘Thanks for everything,’ I said.
‘You’re welcome! And don’t forget to invite me to your wedding!’ Sammie grinned and before I had a chance to tell her that was never gonna happen, she was gone.
‘So we won!’ Gabriel said as we got up and headed to the lift.
