Page 11 of Styx’s Storm

I rubbed my face. “Let me grab a towel or something?”

“Certainly.”

I hotfooted into the bathroom, put a towel around my waist, and headed back to the door. When I opened it, Aaron nodded kindly.

He held a tray with three silver domes.

I stepped back so he could come in and put the tray on the table by the window.

He stared out the window and a soft look came over his face.

“It’s fading.” I grabbed my phone. “Do you want to see?” Right, because some random hotel manager wants to see your pathetic photos of a sunrise.

“I’d love to.”

So I scrolled until I found the best one and thrust the phone into his hands.

“That is stunning.” He squinted. “I must’ve been in the kitchen to have missed this. Thank you for capturing it.”

I wasn’t certain why he was thanking me. “Oh, what’s that mountain?” I pointed.

“That’s Mount Baker. It’s a dormant volcano down in Washington State. Darn thing’s so big that you can see it for hundreds of miles. On a good day. On a bad day, it’s invisible.”

“Uh, wow. We didn’t have anything like that back home.”

He handed me the phone. “Where’s home? If you don’t mind me asking—”

“Oshawa. Ontario. I left there almost a week ago.”

“And you’re just passing through?”

“Something like that.” I longed to confide in him. He seemed to be a really nice guy, and I wanted…to pour my heart out. To ask for advice. To demand to know more about my mystery dude Charlie. Hell, I even wanted the dude’s phone number. Somehow, contacting him again through the app just felt…dirty.

“Your food’s getting cold.” Aaron offered me a sympathetic smile. “My card is on the tray—if there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

I blinked. “Will you tell me his real name?” Because in no way was his name Charles. Although, technically Steven was my real name. Only my family got away with calling me that, though.

Aaron shook his head. “Sometimes it’s better to just walk away.”

But I don’t want to. I can’t explain it. Something about last night— I swallowed the thought. Last night had just broken a dry spell. That was all. Nothing special. Nothing magical. Nothing life altering…on Charlie’s part, anyway. “Thank you. For the food and the card. Will you thank him for me?”

“That I can do. Enjoy your morning. Call if you need anything.” With that, he was gone.

I dove for the tray.

Pancakes, toast, scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and bacon. Heavenly smelling bacon. Plus, coffee and orange juice.

I gobbled the meal and barely stopped for breath as I inhaled it. I hadn’t realized how damn hungry I was.

When I was sated, I flipped on the television and found a cartoon channel. Then I organized myself to take a luxurious bath. God knew when I’d have access to a tub this size again.

I dried my hair, put a bit of gel in it, got dressed, and then stood in the center of the room. I have to go. He’s not coming back. There’s no way to reach him. This is…the end.

Telling myself and being able to move on were two different things, though. It took fifteen minutes of making myself face facts before my feet unglued from the floor. After I packed my bag, I did a sweep to ensure I hadn’t missed anything, and headed out. When I exited the elevator, Aaron was nowhere to be found.

A nice woman was at the desk to take my key card. She nodded as I stood there like an idiot, wishing I had one more chance to see a sympathetic face.

Okay. Time to go.

I headed out into the brilliant sunshine and put my glasses on. Yesterday’s rainstorm was a thing of the past, and now I had to move on.

Tracking down Baxter—even if he didn’t want to be found—made the most sense. Yeah, but if he doesn’t want to be found…

Hitching a ride to Vancouver seemed less painful.

Probably could’ve asked Aaron if you might stay until Monday when the commuter train leaves.

Yeah. But I didn’t have the guts. And I wasn’t Aaron’s problem.

You could go back to The Owl’s Nest and finish that book on Mission City history. That idea had merit. And if Dickens offered the apartment above his shop for a night or two, that would be okay as well.

Decision made, I plastered a smile on my face and headed off into the bright morning.