Cece swallowed her laughter, but her cheeks hurt from trying not to let it out. “They thought of everything.”
“You can laugh. I had a good chuckle when I saw the additional luggage. Apparently, Grant isn’t the only one who thought I needed a vacation.”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Isn’t that how the phrase goes?”
“Something like that. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of surprises, this trip is already showing me there can be good ones.”
“I don’t care for surprises either. In my experience, the negative ones tend to have bigger impacts.”Like discovering your fiancé has been cheating on you.
“Agreed.”
“Did you decide if you’ll join me and Anya at the café?”
“I will. Goodness knows I’ve eaten enough meals alone the last few years.”
His statement piqued her curiosity, but she couldn’t give it much thought because her phone vibrated with a text. “Anya wants to know if we’re on our way.”
“She didn’t mind the intrusion?”
“I’m almost positive Anya would welcome a tarantula.”
James’s forehead crinkled. “Are you calling me a venomous spider?”
Heat warmed her cheeks. “That’s not what I meant, only that Anya seems an incredibly welcoming, the more the merrier, type of person. For the record, it’s a common misconception that tarantulas are deadly. Their venom is weaker than a typical bee’s.”
“Really?” His eyes brightened with genuine surprise. “You learn something new every day. Dare I ask how you know that piece of helpful trivia?”
“My ex-fiancé is a biology professor, and also had a pet tarantula.”
One of his dark brows quirked. “Ex-fiancé?”
Too late, she realized she’d let too much information slip out. “Don’t ask.”
“Point taken.” He pointed inside. “Let me grab my wallet off the dresser, and I’ll be ready.”
Since they’d already kept Anya waiting, they took the elevator again for quicker access to the first floor. She was admiring the artwork spread throughout when they arrived. When she spotted them, she hurried over.
“I feel like such a tourist,” Anya exclaimed. “Every building, every piece of art, my entire room for the week is amazing. I can’t stop gawking. I’m convinced royalty has stayed in my room. It’s how I always picture the upper echelons must live. Do you think it becomes commonplace to them at a point?”
Cece smiled at Anya’s exuberance. Her new friend’s zest for life had no end. “I remember growing up in an older house that didn’t have central air conditioning. When I was in middleschool, my parents had the home remodeled, including putting in central air. By the next summer, we couldn’t remember life without it and it was as though it had always been there. Until a few years later, a summer storm took out the compressor and we had to go back to window units for a month until the backordered part came in.”
Anya looked at her with a confused expression.
“You took the central a/c for granted until you no longer had it, which made you appreciate it even more,” James finished.
“Exactly.” She smiled his way. “I think that’s how it is for most people with creature comforts, no what (I have no clue how to fix this sentence) where that luxury falls on the spectrum.”
“That’s a deep thought to contemplate on an empty stomach.” Anya looked at Cece. “Are you going to introduce me to our clan’s newest arrival?”
“Oh, I get to be part of a clan now,” James said in a hushed tone. “Do I get a secret membership card?”
Cece shook her head. James was an entirely different man than he’d been at the airport. “Anya, this is James Warren. James, this is Anya…” She trailed off with the realization she didn’t know Anya’s last name.
“Anya Hayes.” Anya reached over to shake James’s hand.
“Nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me join in your fun.”
“The more the merrier.”
