“Chloe, Inés,” Calvin called, and I realized the queue ahead of us had cleared. “Let’s go!”
We waved goodbye to the family, who looked as thrilled as if they’d met royalty, and stepped up to the desk.
“Hi, can we get three rooms, please?” Calvin asked, his hands gripping the desk as if he were clinging to it for dear life. He’d always been a stressed traveler, every little change in a plan sending him into a tailspin.
I was surprised he hadn’t broken down in the airport.
“Let me check our availability.” The receptionist’s fingers began to fly across her keyboard. She offered a polite smile as she looked back up at us. “I’m sorry, but we only have two rooms left. One has a king bed, and the other is a twin room.”
Calvin’s face fell. “Is there any way you can check with other hotels nearby?”
Her expression softened with sympathy. “I’m afraid most of the hotels in the area are fully booked due to several conferences this week. That’s why we’re so packed today.” She glanced back at her computer, tapping a few keys before adding, “I could call some of our branches in the city for you if you’d like?”
I grimaced at the thought of heading back into the city. On the way to the airport earlier, traffic had been a nightmare thanks to an accident. Now, at 6 p.m. and in the thick of rush hour, it’d take ages to get anywhere.
Calvin shook his head. “We’ve got an early flight tomorrow. We should stay nearby.”
Relief should’ve settled in, but it didn’t. That still left us one room short. I turned around, my gaze landing on Inés.
Two twin beds.
“I don’t mind sharing with Inés,” I offered, keeping my tone casual even as the idea stirred an uneasy mix of tension and exhaustion. Sharing wasn’t ideal, especially afterthatmomentin my hotel room in DC.
My hand on her face. Her body next to mine. Those deep-brown eyes.
I shook the thought away. We had a few weeks more on the roadtogether. What was the point of avoiding her foronenight? She was going to come watch a film anyway.
“Plus, two twin beds,” I added with a teasing grin, “means Inés gets that sleepover she’s been hinting about.”
“In your dreams, Murphy,” she shot back. But then she sighed, her reluctance giving way to practicality. “If it means we get a bed for the night, fine.”
“Perfect. Problem solved.” I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips. “And we can practice those drills together.”
Inés shook her head, but the smile on her lips told me everything I needed to know.
“We’ll take the rooms,” Calvin said, the relief in his voice clear.
“Excellent,” the receptionist said, before beginning to book us in. “Thank you for choosing to stay with us.” She slid two key cards across the desk. “The king bed is on the third floor, room 305, and the twin room is 510, fifth floor.”
Calvin took the keys, passing the key marked 510 to me with a look of warning. “Behave,” he warned, his eyes flicking between Inés and me.
“What do you think I’m going to do?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Raid the minibar?”
“I wouldn’t put it past you.” He shoved the key into my hand before grabbing his bag.
As we stepped inside the elevator, I could feel the weight of Inés’s presence beside me. The warmth of her shoulder hovering near mine, the way her dark glossy hair caught the light.
Who had suggested this idea again? Oh yeah, that would be me. Fucking genius.
The elevator chimed as it reached the third floor, and Calvin turned back to us, his expression already exasperated. “We have to get up early, so I suggest you both get some sleep. I’ll meet you in the lobby at five a.m. sharp,” he added, pointing a finger at us. “If you’re late, I’m sticking you both in economy.”
“Goodnight,” Inés and I said in unison, sharing a glance as the doors slid shut. The elevator whirred softly, carrying us up to the fifth floor.
“This feels like the start of a terrible sitcom,” Inés muttered, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.
I laughed. “Absolutely. Two rival players, forced to share a room. One’s a control freak—”
“The other is a walking disaster,” she shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t forget, I’ve seen your room before.”
