Warm feelings of tenderness washed over her. She told herself she was overly tired and reading into his kind gesture. “Thank you. I love it.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good night. Get some rest.”
“You too.” She entered her room and closed the door behind her, reluctantly leaving his company.
Her level of tired reached the point where she didn’t remember walking to the bed, but when she fell asleep, she had fairytale dreams of a cartoon fox couple falling in love and living a happily ever after.
Chapter Twelve
Thursday meant James’s forced vacation was more than half over. Five days ago, he never imagined that thought would make him anything but happy. The strange reality was this trip had changed him and given him a chance to step outside of the stagnant life he’d been living.
In a few minutes, he’d drop by Cece’s room and they’d pickup Anya from her room before attending a fencing lesson. He had no idea what to expect other than concern that he’d had to sign a waiver. Sure, it was standard fare for many activities these days, but theagree to not hold Ellington Castle and it’s trust liable for injuries, up to and resulting in death.
The concierge assured him no one had ever been injured by fencing lessons during the property’s commercial existence. An Olympic medalist taught the class, and safety was an utmost concern.
Anya of course, had signed up without any reservations. She was, by far, the most outgoing and adventurous of their little friend group they’d formed. Cece had joined in with the promise of a latte afterward. He’d only put his name on the list after a final assurance that no stranger would be after him with a weapon,
So, what if he were overcautious. That wasn’t always a bad thing. He dressed casual in jeans and a sweater, completing the outfit with a pair of comfortable dock shoes. After the fencing lessons, the three of them planned an afternoon on the town. They’d end the day watching a performance at Finlovia’s National Theatre.
Once he was ready, he walked down the hall and knocked on Cece’s door, as had become a habit this week.
Cece answered the door quickly. She also wore a pair of jeans and a powder blue sweater that made her ivory skin glow. Her lips contorted to a frown, however. “Anya sent me a strange message. She said she needed to talk to us, and the message had none of her usual exuberance or overuse of punctuation.”
“That is odd. Anya loves her questions marks and exclamation points.” He could look at their group chat right now and probably count over a hundred. “Are you ready? We’ll go see what’s going on.”
“I’m ready.” She slipped a leather crossbody purse over her shoulder and they walked to the stairwell.
Anya opened the door for them a few minutes later. “Come in while I finish.”
Cece entered first, scanned the room, and sent him a questioning glance.
He had no clue what was going on. “Why are you packing your bags?”
“There’s been a family emergency. I need to get home.” Anya dropped a stack of folded shirts into her suitcase.
“I’m so sorry. What can we do?” Cece asked.
“Say a prayer for my father please. He’s had a heart attack and in surgery as we speak.” She bit down on lip as she continued packing her bags. “There’s a flight out in ninety minutes. If I hurry, I’ll be able to make it on that one.”
“There’s not another shuttle to town until eleven. I’ll reserve you a rideshare.” He pulled out his phone and began the task.
“Thank you. I didn’t even think of that.” Anya’s lips trembled. “I’m sorry to drop this on you guys like this, but I wanted to make sure I could say bye before I left. Both of you have made this trip infinitely more enjoyable.”
“No apologies needed. You focus on getting home and being there for your family.” Cece helped Anya zip her bag when her hands shook too much.
James completed the rideshare reservation. “Your ride will be here in ten minutes. I made sure there was enough room that Cece and I can go with you to the airport. We can support you up until then at least.”
A quick glance at Cece told him he’d made the right decision. “Friends stick together.”
Anya stopped and looked at them both with tears glistening in her eyes. “I cannot thank you guys enough. I appreciate you both more than words can say.”
“Does the front desk know you’ll be leaving early?” James asked.
“I spoke to them minutes ago and explained what happened. Because I had travel insurance, I’ll be able to complete my stay at a later day, but that doesn’t matter right now. I just want to get home and see my dad and know he’ll be okay.” She sighed. “I guess I do need to turn in my key and sign paperwork.”
He caught Cece’s gaze again. When she gave him a quick nod, it was as though she could read his mind.
“I’ll go down while you finish so they can be getting all the papers together,” he offered, sensing Anya was on the brims of more tears and could use a few private moments of girl time with Cece.
