Page 24 of The Heartbreak Hotel

“Just don’t tell Senhor Arenoso,” Riley joked, her mouth pulling up at the corners. She led Ella away from the tree and towards some stone stairs leading further up the hillside. Ella’s mind was too overrun with everything to speak, so she just focused on Riley’s back.

Riley held back the overgrown branches covering the path, and Ella thanked her as she hurried past. The steps opened up into a small, lush garden. A blue, striped hammock hung between two large strawberry trees at the bottom, with more steps leading up to another cabin, pink oleander shrubs blooming on either side. Ella’s eyes darted at all the colour around her, and she breathed in the sweet, fresh scent, trying to calm her sniffles.

When she hesitated, Riley led the way, encouraging her like someone trying to round up a stray dog.

The wind tousled Ella’s hair as she reached the last step, and she turned around to take in the sight. Wow. She’d thought the view from the courtyard was impressive, but this was something else entirely. The elevated height gave a god-like view over Sandy Springs. The white slats of the cabin roofs disappeared into the green canopy, and she could just make out the tiny people gathering in the courtyard. The endless, unruly ocean stretched beyond them to the blue sky, sunlight glinting off the waves. She could see for miles. Her gaze followed the land as it curved, spotting the dock at the bottom. Is this where Riley saw us on that first night?

She cringed at the memory, then cringed even more at the state Riley had found her in just ten minutes ago. Fuck’s sake.

She glanced back at Riley, standing tall in the doorway. Now that her initial panic had passed, the reality of the situation was starting to sink in.

This was Riley’s cabin. Her own personal cabin.

Ella’s eyes were drawn to the large wooden dreamcatcher hanging over Riley’s bed. The soft blue duvet and decorative pillows, including an adorable “bee happy” one. She tried not to let thoughts about Riley and her bed spiral into anything else. She cleared her throat, not knowing where to look.

“The phone is in here,” Riley said, holding the door open for her. “It’s a landline, plugged in behind the sofa there. Call whoever you need to. I’ll give you some privacy.” She smiled, dimples forming in both her cheeks, then ducked back out the door, leaving Ella alone in her cabin.

Ella couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t normal procedure for Riley—but then, what did she know? Riley was probably just being nice. It’s her job, Ella. She shouldn’t read into it.

Although…

Riley’s space sucked Ella in as her gaze roamed over her belongings. Embroidered artwork brightened up the wooden walls, along with a variety of paintings that Ella wondered if she’d created. A covered canvas rested on an easel, with pots of paint gathered underneath. Large wooden shelves overflowed with books of all colours, and every corner or shelf had another green plant soaking up the sunlight that was pouring through the windows.

Ella briefly thought of the plants in Maeve’s office before pushing the thought away. She didn’t want to cry about Maeve ever again. Or think about her here. Riley and Maeve were nothing alike.

She ducked behind the yellow sofa and picked up the landline phone. Luckily, she’d known Winnie’s number by heart since they were teenagers. She dialled it and took a seat on the sofa, sinking into the soft cushion.

Winnie didn’t answer. Ella sighed and called again, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder.

She answered on the fifth ring. “Uh, hello?”

“Hey, Winn. It’s me.”

“Ella! Hey… How’s it going?” There was a muffled sound on the other end, and a deep voice mumbled in the background. “I’m sorry, Cal, but this might be important.”

Winnie’s heavy breathing was suspicious. “Am I interrupting anything?” Ella asked.

“Nah. It’s fine… Oh, Calvin, grow up.” Winnie blew out a breath. “Men. And they like to say that women are the dramatic ones.”

Ella bit her lip, shaking her head. “Were you…?”

“Yeah, but it’s fine. A break in the middle will just make it last a bit longer.” She laughed. “But enough about me. How are you? What phone are you calling me on?”

“I’m… Winn.” Ella swallowed. “I… It’s…so difficult here.”

“Have you given it a chance?”

Her accusatory tone made Ella sit upright. “Yes, of course—”

“Ella, you can’t bullshit me. You need to listen to what they’re saying. Focus on you for a change.”

Ella rolled her eyes. “God, you sound just like Senhor Arenoso.”

“Just call me ‘wise one’ from now on.”

She snorted. “You’re stupid.” Then she remembered about Maeve and Annabelle. Her smile quickly soured. She told Winnie.

“Ah, fuck. Ella, I’m so sorry. That’s never nice to see. But you deserve better. You know that. You do.”