“You took him on the plane?”
“No, he swam. His canoe broke,” Charlotte deadpans.
“Can I say hi? I missed him too! Can’t believe you didn’t tell me he is here.”
“Too?”Charlotte smirks. “I mean, you didn’t ask. And he has abandonment issues. But sure, if you two promise not to gang up on me again, come in.” She looks over her shoulder to gauge whether it’s safe to open the door wider.
“Uhm… Charlotte, wait,” Riley says, suspiciously shy. Charlotte looks back at her and is intrigued when she watches Riley nervously suck in her cheeks.
“I— I’d rather not come in,” she says, rubbing the sole of her shoe over an invisible stain in the carpet. “I don’t want to put myself in a room with a bed and you as the only other person in that room.”
Charlotte lifts an eyebrow, unsure if this is another flirtation attempt, or if Riley is genuinely concerned.
She doesn’t need very long to read the other woman’s body language. This is definitely a respectful way to keep them from crossing any boundaries.
She scolds herself for feeling the tiniest bit disappointed.
“Oh. Yeah, good call,” she nods. “Wait here.” She turns back around, scooping Shaky up from where he’s gnawing on one of her shoelaces, and carries him to the door.
“Shakespeare!” Riley calls out excitedly, but she’s immediately shushed by Charlotte.
“Keep it down,” she hisses while placing the wriggling ferret into Riley’s arms. “The hotel staff doesn’t know he’s here.”
Riley chuckles as she adjusts him in her grip, gently rubbing the spot between his ears.
“¿Te acuerdas de mí? Soy la futura novia de tu mamá,” she coos with rapid tongue, a sly smirk on her face.
“What are you telling him? Unbelievable. Not even reunited for three seconds and you’re already planning to take over my reign.”
Pressing her mouth to one of his ears, Riley leans in and stage-whispers: “You’ve been such a good spy forme, Shakespeare. Y has cuidado muy bien de tu madre mientras yo estaba fuera.”
He gratefully starts chewing away at a loose strand of hair.
“Alright, I think that’s enough,” Charlotte says sternly, but she can’t hide an endeared smile. “When I wake up with him holding a gun to my head, I know who to blame.”
As she takes him back from the other woman’s arms, Riley asks: “Doesn’t he get hot in there? Does he have food?”
“No, I took bets on whether he will overheat or starve first.” Charlotte rolls her eyes. “Obviously. I keep the A/C on all day, and he has more food and toys than he could ever dream of. I might occasionally even steal some chicken nuggets for him. Besides, he’s no stranger to screaming at me if he actually needs something. But we appreciate your concern, don’t we Shake?”
She lifts his paw and uses it to wave at Riley before returning him to the room. Next, she takes her phone, handbag, and keycard, and walks out into the hallway, closing the door with a soft click. As they walk down to the elevators, Riley shakes her head, smiling incredulously.
“I still can’t believe you brought him,” she snickers.
Charlotte scowls at her from the corner of her eye. “Are you laughing at me, Ri?” She shortens her name on purpose.
“I would never!” she replies, throwing her hands up in innocence. “No, I’m not laughing at you. I just can’t comprehend how adorable that is.”
“If you call me adorable one more time—”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Charlie. I’m talking about Shaky.”
“Sure you are.”
When they find a secluded spot on the outside deck of the bar to look at their to-do list, Charlotte is pleasantly surprised to see how much of it is already crossed off by Riley.
“Really?” she asks, eyebrows shooting up. “You’ve taken care of all the decorations already?”
Riley smirks as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course, darling. I knew you would hate it, so…”
