“How much is the deposit to hold it?”
“Fifty percent of the total fee. Non-refundable.”
I winced. I couldn’t approve that expense without talking to the finance department first, but I doubted they’d say yes anyway. Not until I could guarantee this was the actual event venue.
“That’s fine.” Sebastian came up beside me. “We already made up our minds. We want to go ahead with this booking.”
My eyes flew to his face.What?
“Wonderful.” The coordinator beamed. “I’ll gather the paperwork and email you the details later today.”
We gave her the necessary information for the paperwork and walked out to our car. I didn’t speak until we were safely ensconced inside.
“What the hell was that? We still need to tour your place in North Carolina,” I said. “If we put a deposit down and don’t go through with it, finance is going to have our heads.”
“They won’t because wearegoing through with it,” Sebastian said calmly. “We’re not touring the château. You were right. The lodge is perfect, and there’s no point wasting more time when we’re already behind schedule.”
I stared at him. “Who are you, and what have you done to Sebastian Laurent? Tell me now, and no one gets hurt.”
The real Sebastian would never admit I was right about anything, and he’d certainly never surrender like this. The whole thing reeked of fishiness.
“Not everything is a conspiracy, Sal,” he said dryly. “I meant what I said. You picked a great location. That’s it.”
I should just accept the win, but it felt empty. What was victory without a good fight first?
We lapsed into silence again, and I made it ten minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore. We had too many unaddressed issues, and if we didn’t clear the air soon, I might suffocate beneath their weight.
“Um.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Aboutwhat happened in the woods… I don’t want it to make things weird between us. Since we still have to work together for the next few months.”
Sebastian’s expression didn’t flicker. “What, exactly, do you think happened in the woods?”
I blinked, startled by his cool tone. Was I going out of my mind? Had I imagined our near kiss, or was I being gaslit? Uncertainty crawled beneath my skin.
“Nothing,” I said. “That’s the point. I wanted to make sure you didn’t think we’d trauma bonded or anything.”
“We didn’t.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“Me too.”
We didn’t talk again after that.
But later that night, when I tried to fall asleep, I couldn’t shake the sense that he’d canceled our North Carolina trip because he didn’t want to travel with me again.
It was for the best. Given our recent luck, we’d end up in a plane crash or something.
Nevertheless, a twinge of disappointment crept through me before I fell into a fitful sleep.
CHAPTER 14
Maya
“LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU WERE STRANDED INthe woods with your hot nemesis, forced to cuddle for body warmth,andhe saved you from a potentially venomous snake?” Priya said. “Ugh. You get to experience all the good stuff.”
I gaped at her. “Are you joking? It wasn’t goodat all. I thought we were going to die.”
“But you didn’t. Now you have a great story to tell for the rest of your life.” She sighed. “You’re so lucky.”
