“What are you doing here?” I hissed.
“What am I doing here? Darling, you should bethankingme. I’m the one who got you this job.”
I felt the colour drain from my face, and his laugh in response made my blood turn cold.
Placing his hand on the small of my back, he guided me into a nearby conference room. “Come, let’s talk somewhere private before you make a scene that will only embarrass us both, shall we?”
As he shut the door and locked it behind us, I felt little tingles of anger starting to course through me. That was a new feeling. Before I would have cowered in shame and believed everything he was saying. But now I knewit wasn’t me who would be making the scene. He was the one who needed things to be said behind a close door so he could save face in front of everyone else.
“I knew you’d have to come crawling back eventually.” Amusement laced his tone. “After you sent me your car, it was only a matter of time before you ran out of money and had to work again. Did you think one of the hotels I do business with wouldn’ttell me when thefiancéeI had been heartbroken over emailed them to say she was starting up work inCanada?”
His eyes started to darken, and it reminded me of a sight that used to frighten me to my core, but I could only focus on one thing he let slip in what he was saying to me.
He didn’t know.
He didn’t know I hadn’t run out of money.Not even close. He thought I was here because I had to be, and not because Iwantedto be. He thought he’d outsmarted me, but he had no idea about my savings account. Judging by the way he startled and his eyes grew wide when a loud pounding started on the door, he also didn’t knowI wasn’t alone.
“Excuse me, I just need a quiet minute alone with my—” Nick started as he opened the door.
“Yeah, no,” Melody cut him off, shoving her hand into his chest and pushing him back with a force that surprised even him. I guess you didn’t grow up with two big brothers without being able to hold your own. “We will be taking our friend, thank you very much.”
She grabbed my hand and led me toward the open doorway when Nick tried to argue.
He didn’t even get a full word out before she whipped back around toward him, her flaming red hair smacking him in the face in the process, her nose inches away from his. “And if you even so much as sayone word, Iwillpunch you right in your pretty face. What a shame it would be to get blood all over that nice little suit, wouldn’t it?” She flicked the collar of his shirt to emphasize her point. I couldn’t wrap my head around the feeling I had, to see someone stand up against Nickfor me.
Nick threw up his hands and took a few steps back. Admitting defeat for now, but the look in his eyes told me this was far from over.
“Who the hell was that?” Olivia asked as we walked back to our rooms.
“Nick.” His name felt like lead in my mouth.
“Fucker! Ishouldgo back and punch him!” I swear Melody’s anger could be more fearsome than both her brothers combined.
“Please, don’t,” I begged her. “He’s not worth getting in trouble over.”
“Maybe he’s not, butyouare,” Olivia added, but Melody stayed put and didn’t try to fight anybody, thankfully.
“Wait a minute, why did you come if you didn’t even know who he was?”
“Are you kidding?” Melody asked. “We saw that look on your face switch like night and day. Plus, I didn’t like how he led you into that room. That was creepy.” She made an exaggerated shivering movement, and I finally cracked a smile.
“Thank you for coming for me.”
“Of course, you’re one of us now,” she replied as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders.
We spent the afternoon in the spa, determined to still make the most of our weekend and not let Nick ruin things, but also to get out of the hotel for the rest of the day. Our flight didn’t leave until the morning, so one more night and we’d be out of here. Next week I’d email Voyager Hotels and tell them I couldn’t take the job. No way would I come back here or risk working for a company that might have me crossing paths with Nick. I would have to find something else.
My mind was running circles for the rest of the day, barely registering our time in the spa or the meal we ate afterward, just ready for this day to be over and go back home to Calvin.
Home.That is exactly what he felt like, and I was beginning to realize it more and more.
What felt like moments after I closed my hotel door that evening, there was a knock, but before I could even feel the slightest bit of worry, I heard the sweet voice of Olivia.
“It’s just us.”
I opened the hotel door to my friends, all their bags packed in hand as they waited to come into my room.
“What are you doing?”
