Page 6 of The Heartbreak Hotel

Riley turned to her with a grin. “Your spirit guide. They told me.”

A little shiver ran up Ella’s neck. “Really?”

She lifted up Ella’s suitcase. “No. Your name is written on here.” She grinned wider, and Ella’s neck tingled.

Must be the cold seeping into her bones.

“I’m Riley, by the way,” she said, with far too much joy. “Normally we wouldn’t meet until tomorrow, but…you know, Romeo, he often gets lost.”

Sounded like he and Blake from the office would be two peas in a pod.

Ugh. Ella didn’t want to think about her job or lack thereof. She tried to respond, but it came out as a sort of grunt. It’d been a long day.

When they walked under the giant welcome sign, and Ella saw other indications of human life, she released a chesty sigh. Soft torch lights guided the pathways, and her eyes roamed over the white wooden beach huts as the rain slid off the slanted roofs.

“How you doin’ back there?” Riley jogged back to check on Pauline.

Ella strode in front, hoping they’d hurry up, but when another wail echoed behind her, she knew Pauline had snagged the poor woman in her web. For god’s sake.

“Are we nearly there?” she asked through gritted teeth, as they passed several more huts without stopping. She’d take a flea-bitten hammock at this point, anything to stop walking.

“Actually, yes.”

Thank the lord.

“Pauline, you’re right up here.” Riley guided her up the path, unlocked the door, and then stopped to chat with her on the doorstep. Ella couldn’t make out their conversation from her point on the path, but it wouldn’t take a genius to guess it was about Albert, Pauline’s ex-husband.

She gritted her teeth. Why is this taking so long? Fucking Pauline. She spun to glare at the two of them. Riley’s sleeveless vest was soaked through, rippling with every movement and showing off her lean arm muscles. How she could still be smiling and talking to Pauline at the same time boggled her. And why wasn’t she wearing a coat? Ella decided she must be on drugs.

Finally, Pauline was gone, and Riley rejoined her.

“So, which cabin is mine?” Ella asked.

“Yours is just a little further up this hill.”

Ella groaned, seriously contemplating throwing herself down the cliff again just so she wouldn’t have to walk any more.

“Nearly there. I promise.”

“Define nearly there.”

“See that tree with the creepy fingers? It’s right next to it.”

“Fantastic. Creepy fingers cabin.”

Riley let out a breath of laughter and, uninvited, the edges of Ella’s mouth curled.

True to Riley’s word, they reached the cabin in only twenty-eight extra steps. Ella knew because her feet throbbed in time with each one. They paused outside, the smell of rain mixing with the colourful flowers planted by the doorstep.

“Here you are, Ella.” Riley placed her suitcase down and slipped a key out of her pocket to unlock the door. “Your journey begins.”

“Is all that stuff really necessary? I can’t wait for the journey to be bloody over at this point.” She slipped off her shoes, letting out a moan at how good the cool stone floor felt against her sore feet.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

Ella glanced at the woman, ready to tell her where to shove her voyage of discovery, but when they locked eyes, the words caught in her throat. Riley was studying her carefully, her irises a lighter blue now that Ella could really see them. Her skin was bronzed by the sun, but the freckles coating her nose, cheeks and arms pointed to an otherwise fair complexion.

She’s actually pretty cute.