She looks a little nervous, and it’s kind of cute. She’s usually so confident, so I wonder what is about to come out of her mouth.
“This was really nice, just you and me,” Vienna says, giving me a sideways look. “I really, really want to hold your hand, but I know you don’t want to be seen with us in public like that, so just imagine I am. Also, I’m sorry about last night. I was tired and emotional from worrying about the boys. I should have known you had a reason for leaving those people in that warehouse. Please forgive me.”
I give her hand a squeeze, the most affection I can afford to show in such a public place. “It’s okay. I probably would have felt the same if I had been in your shoes, and I like the idea of holding your hand, I’m just sorry I can’t make it a reality.”
She nods, and we continue toward the guys.
Sage catches sight of us first and jumps to his feet, a huge smile on his face. “Ah, my eyes! How can I look at such beauties of radiance without being struck dumb from the sight?”
I roll my eyes at his ridiculousness, but Vienna giggles and gives him a little kiss on the cheek before skipping around to the other three. I stay where I am. This is way too public for displays of affection, but I can’t help feeling a little jealous. I want to do the same thing, but for their sake, I’ll restrain myself.
“Hey, what do you want to do now? There are still a few hours of daylight left. We could go to the beach or the amusement center and go skating or bowling,” Tristan suggests, and my heart starts to race. That actually sounds like fun, and now that Lorenzo is dead and I don’t have such pressing issues, I could take a few days to have some. Before I can answer, though, I hear someone call my name, and I turn around to find Bryce heading toward me.
“Can I speak to you for a moment?”
I feel my bottom lip drop in a pout. “What’s wrong?” I ask him, and he wrings his hands in worry, side-eyeing my guests before replying.
“One of our guests trashed their room, and we need someone to deal with it.”
“Why? You’re the manager. You deal with it,” I tell him with a scowl. Dealing with unruly guests is most definitely not in my job description.
“He’s demanding to see one of the owners,” Bryce replies as something occurs to me.
“Is Gio here? I was under the impression he stayed here last night.”
Bryce bites his lip before nodding. “Yes, he and his lady friend checked in last night and asked not to be disturbed.”
I growl. “I don’t fucking care. Disturb him. Don’t even mention you saw me. It’s time he started carrying a bit of his weight.”
Bryce nods. “Okay, it’s just that the room is Penelope’s,” he says quietly, and I frown before something occurs to me.
“Is her gentleman friend with her?” I ask, and once again, he nods. A wide smile crosses my lips. I guess Mario has heard of my uncle’s untimely demise, but then I remember something else. “Does she have her little friend from the other day with them?” I ask, instantly worried about Addi, but I release a small sigh of relief when Bryce shakes his head.
“No, thank goodness.”
“Is Penny okay? He didn’t beat on her, did he?” My fingers itch to reach for my gun. Despite all the issues between us, I hate men who beat on those who are weaker than them.
“I think so. I considered calling the cops, but he calmed down and demanded to see one of you.”
“Okay, well, you have your instructions. Go disturb the owner. Technically, this is his empire anyway,” I say bitterly and turn my back on Bryce.
“I’m sorry,” he mutters, sounding hurt before hurrying away to do as instructed. I’ll make it up to him later.
“Is everything okay?” Xavier asks, watching as Bryce departs. I force a smile onto my face and wave toward the exit.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. We can decide what we want to do on the way.”
I don’t wait for them to respond and head in the direction of the valet. I hand him my keys and listen absently while the others decide what they’d like to do.
“Paintball,” Colton suggests, and my ears perk up. “I bet Tori would love to get out some of that excess energy she built up while relaxing.”
I spin and stare at him, feeling my mouth drop open. “How did you know I was feeling twitchy?” I ask him, admitting the truth. It’s been a long time since I had idle hands, and I hadn’t even realized I was starting to feel anxious. It’s like I don’t even know how to relax anymore. I’ve been busy since Dad died. I don’t even remember the last time I took a day off.
He tilts his head. “Since I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you relax. Even in our... sessions, you’re like this tightly wound bunch of energy, always moving and talking. Your brain doesn’t ever switch off. Even when we are talking about something mundane, I can tell you have a million and one things going on inside your head.”
Sage whistles quietly. “Damn, man, you really pay attention. Even stoned, she’s always thinking. I’ve been trying to convince her to try some X with me, hoping it will help get her out of her head.”
Colton shrugs. “I may be quiet, but I pay attention, and to be honest, Xavier is exactly the same. He has all this pent-up energy but holds onto it like he’s an unlit ball of dynamite.”
