Page 52 of Spring Break Fling

The street on the other hand was eerily quiet.

Both of us looked around. It was strange to think someone might be targeting us. None of the other storefronts were broken into, even though they must have had more cash on hand than we did.

Whoever had done this was screwing with us. We were the target.

“Watch your back,” I said to Marcus.

“You, too.”

By the time I got home, it was nearly two in the morning. I flopped onto the couch, too wired to sleep but too exhausted to do anything else. My mind raced with possibilities. It was eerie to think someone was pissed enough to break in. It could have been a disgruntled client with a bad tattoo. Or drunk Spring Breakers.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. I grabbed it and checked the screen. It wasn’t Marcus.

Hannah.

We had exchanged numbers earlier. She told me she didn’t want mine, but the second she gave me hers, I called her. Mostly, I was just checking to make sure it wasn’t a bogus number. And then she had my number. I never expected her to actually use it.

Hannah: Can’t sleep. Are you okay?

I stared at the message for a moment, the knot in my chest loosening just a bit.

Everything’s fine, I typed back. Go to bed, princess.

Her reply came almost immediately. Only if you promise to get some sleep too.

I chuckled despite myself, the weight of the night lifting just enough for a smile.

Deal.

As I set my phone down, a thought crept in. It was impossible to ignore.

This girl had a heart of gold. And me?

Well, I was in trouble.

17

HANNAH

The clock on my laptop read ten-fifteen a.m., but I was pretty sure it had been stuck there for the last decade. Or maybe that was just my brain, fried from trying to revise this damn pitch while I simultaneously tried not to think about Nikko.

Spoiler: I was failing miserably.

I was in this internal battle with my own brain. I wanted to not think about Nikko. But the more I told myself not to think about him, the more I thought about him.

It was the quiet. It was practically screaming his name. I got up from the small desk in my hotel room and grabbed the remote. I flipped through the channels, settling on a trashy reality show that was loud and chaotic enough to drown out my thoughts. I thought about texting him again, just to see if he was okay. But that seemed clingy, and if there was one thing I wasn’t, it was clingy. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. And it wasn’t like I was his girlfriend. I was no one to him. I was just some chick he hooked up with once. And then went out with a couple of times.

I tossed the remote onto the bed and paced around the room. The boring walls felt like they were closing in on me. Maybe a walk would clear my head. I grabbed my room key and slipped out before I could change my mind.

It sucked to be in Miami and not be able to enjoy the beauty of the beaches. I told myself a ten-minute break was all I needed to release the frustration Nikko caused. Technically, he didn’t cause the frustration. That was on me. I needed to hate the guy but he was making it very difficult.

I walked outside to the pool area. It was packed with young people wearing next to nothing. They were laughing and splashing around. I found a spot on the patio to simply stare out at the ocean.

The cool breeze mixed with the salty air was instantly calming, a sharp contrast to the chaotic energy of the pool. I leaned on the railing, letting my mind wander. Despite my attempts at distraction, Nikko kept creeping back into my thoughts. It was irritating how someone I barely knew had found such a comfortable spot in my head.

Just then, a couple nearby started arguing loudly, their voices slicing through my reverie. I rolled my eyes and decided that enough was enough. This wasn’t clearing my head at all. It was time to get my ass back to work. My career was on the line.

I stopped to get myself a tropical smoothie in the lobby before making my way back up to my room. I put my game face on. It was time to fix this pitch and make the clients happy.