Her appreciation of the room struck a chord in him. “Yours is different?”
“Equally magnificent, but yes. I don’t know if it’s coincidence or planned, by my room has a feminine appeal where this has a masculine draw with its dark stained woods and rich colors.”
“I do enjoy the aesthetics.” He grabbed his wallet and pulled out the top card. Sure enough, he’d accidentally grabbed her credit card. “Found it.”
“Thanks.” She took the card after he crossed the room and handed it to her.
“You’re welcome. Sorry about the mix up.”
“No problem. Both of our cards are red. I’m sure that didn’t help.”
“You should have used my card to book your excursion though.” He cast a wink her way. “It’s a company card and would have been on Grant’s dime. He still owes me.”
Cece laughed. “I’ll remember that if we mix up cards again. Do you have any excursions booked for the week?”
“You know what, I have no idea.” He flipped his palms upward. “Who knows what Grant planned out.”
“If he prepaid for anything, the information should be in your welcome packet.”
“I meant to check that before dinner, but then Grant called, and you stopped by. After that, it slipped my mind.”
“You should probably check before morning. There is an art tour that leaves at nine tomorrow, and also a ruins tour that takes you through the country with a tour guide specializing in Finlovian history. Both sound amazing, but you’ll have other chances through the week to join one of them.”
“Did you sign up for either?”
She held up the credit card. “I held off booking for my first full day until I arrived. I was trying to book the ruins tour when I discovered our card mix-up.”
He offered another apologetic smile. “I hope you’re still able to make the accommodation.”
“If not, there will be other days. I’m here for two weeks.”
A wild idea popped into his head, one he might regret, but suddenly, playing chess by himself didn’t hold the same appeal. “Would you like to help me choose activities if Grant hasn’t already? You’ve had time to research, and I wouldn’t mind benefitting from that. If I had known about this, I would have every day planned out to the minute, but alas, the control was taken from me.”
“Sure. I can get my notebook and come back.”
“It doesn’t have to be tonight if you’re too tired with jetlag and all. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot,” he said, second-guessing his invitation already.
“No, it’s fine. I’m too excited to sleep, and my body still things it’s early afternoon.”
“Do you travel often?”
She shook her head. “This is my only time traveling overseas. I’ve barely even left my state.”
“The time difference will hit you for a day or two, but most people adjust fairly quickly. Do you have any tea in your room? I’ve found drinking a hot cup of herbal before I go to sleep helps me adjust better.”
“Thanks for that advice.” She glanced toward the door. “I should get my notebook.”
An overwhelming regret that had been building the last few minutes took hold of him. He told himself to get over it, but the words slipped out. “Actually, would you mind if we reschedule for the morning? If you don’t have time with whatever you plan, I completely understand. All this talk of jetlag made me realize how tired I am.”
She blinked with surprise but appeared otherwise unfazed. “Yeah, sure. I plan to eat breakfast in the courtyard at seven. Come find me if you’d like.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“No problem.” She gave a short wave. “Have a good night.”
“Same to you.” He watched her walk to her room and made sure she entered safely. Then he closed his door and leaned against it.
“Why’d you have to leave me Crystal? Life was so much simpler with you by my side.”
