“Is this your floor?” I asked.
“I never sleep below the waterline,” Finn replied, tilting his head at his cabin door.
Huh. He’d been three doors down from Cooper this whole time.
“What are you doing up here?” Finn asked.
I decided to go with a partial truth. “My roommate kicked me out.”
“Who’s your roommate?”
“Our cousin Harmony,” I said, and when he showed no recognition, I added, “The girl with all the hickeys.”
“Ah,” Finn said, likeOf course. Then, putting it all together: “Sounds like you need a place to sleep.”
How astute. “That’s true.”
“You can use my room, if you like.”
I hesitated. “How do you mean ‘use’ it?”
“Sleep there,” Finn said, likeDuh.
“With you?” I finally had to specify.
“Oh!” he said. “No. I’ll be joining a new friend I made at the bar. Just as soon as I pick up some—toiletries.”
Yes. The whole shipwasfornicating.
But I got to the point: “You’re not using your room tonight?” I asked.
“Not unless my luck takes a nosedive.”
I can’t say it was a good idea to sleep over at Finn’s, given the whole context. But I also wasn’t sure that I saw another choice.
So that’s how I wound up sleeping in Finn’s cabin.
I spent the night in my dress, on top of his covers, studying my blistered feet and cursing the man who’d invented high heels. It was not exactly relaxing, but it was better, I kept telling myself, than sleeping outside.
Small blessings.
When I finally conked out, I slept until Finn showed back up in the morning.
He knocked politely with a knuckle, and we greeted each other pleasantly with big-brother, little-sister energy. He somehow seemed a lot more likable now that I wasn’t trying to force myself to fall in love with him.
And maybe he felt the same way about me.
He even let me use a spare travel toothbrush and invited me to breakfast. Which I was more than happy to agree to. Since if I never went back to Cooper’s cabin, it would be too soon.
Did I want to strap my terrible sandals back on and go to breakfast in my dress from the night before with an unshaven, bed-rumpled Finn?
Why not, right?
Cooper was probably ordering room service right now with Sock Girl.
Like a gentleman, Finn opened his door for me, and I stepped out into the hallway.
And there, just three doors down, standing at our cabin door, alone… was Cooper.
