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“Oh,” I said, startled out of my thoughts. “Uh, this is me.”
I reached for the handle of my suitcase, well aware that I didn’t answer his question. The slight suggestive tone in his voice made my desire surge, and I wasn’t sure what would come out of my mouth in response. But he didn’t hand over my luggage.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” he said, nodding toward the doors, which were starting to close. I shot my arm out to keep them open, and he walked out into the hall with me.
We headed to room 812, which ended up being right next to the ice machine. I was a light sleeper, so I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of hearing people come collect ice or use the vending machine that was also in the little alcove at all hours of the day and night, but the woman that checked us in told Bowen that he was lucky to have gotten the last room they had available for the week, so I didn’t have any other options.
When we reached the door, I hesitated with my room key in my hand.Should I invite him in?That seemed...awkward. I didn’t even know this guy, and what if he took that as an invitation to do . . . more? That idea might have been intriguing, but I wasn’t really the type to have a hookup so soon after an introduction.
Iwasthe type to overthink things, though. And that was exactly what I was doing right now.
Bowen put an end to my indecision by finally sitting my suitcase down by the door. I opened my mouth to thank him, only for the words to get caught in my throat as he reached out and brushed a strand of hair off my forehead, tucking it gently behind my ear. His fingertips barely touched the shell of my ear, but a shiver ran down my spine at the contact.
“It was nice running into you, Marlee,” he said, his sexy, teasing smile reappearing. “I’ll see you around.”
He turned and walked away. He had a swagger that I couldn’t look away from, projecting a confidence with every step, which was probably his most attractive feature. This man knew what he had going for him, but he wasn’t a cocky jerk.
I didn’t go into the hotel room until he turned the corner to head back to the elevator. At that point, I felt a little pathetic, staring after the man with stars in my eyes. So, I went into my room to get settled in and forget all about the gorgeous movie star, because chances were I wouldn’t see him again.
That evening,all of the wedding party had arrived and the bride-and-groom-to-be threw a party in the banquet hall of the hotel to welcome everyone to the island. The space was large and there were people everywhere, talking and drinking, when I arrived downstairs.
I didn’t know anyone here, but I’d never had trouble making small talk with strangers. First, I lingered around the table of hors d’oeuvres for a while. That gave me the opportunity to meet everyone in the wedding party and before long, I was chatting up Faith’s best friend and maid of honor, Tatum. I was unsurprised to find that we had plenty in common. I had once been Faith’s best friend myself, after all.
“I know that Faith is happy you’re here,” she said as the two of us watched Faith sipping champagne while she chatted with her future mother-in-law. “She’s told me tons of stories about the two of you over the years.”
“Oh, God,” I cringed. “Nothing too embarrassing, I hope.”
Tatum grinned. “Well...Ididhear about a time that you face-planted at a football game.”
I laughed at the memory. “It’s worse than that. I fell down five bleacher rows in a moment of truly mortifying gracelessness. It was the homecoming game, so there were probably at least five hundred people there.AndI landed right at the feet of my crush.”
“Wow.” Tatum’s eyes sparkled humorously. “That’s tough to come back from.”
“You get over that stuff eventually.” I shrugged and took a bite of the stuffed mushroom on my plate.
“How long does it take?”
“I’ll let you know.”
Tatum slapped my arm playfully. “I can see why you and Faith used to be so close. But why haven’t we met before?”
“Friends growing apart is just one of those things that happens when people leave high school,” I said honestly. “I think we would have stayed close if we’d gone to college together, but my mom was diagnosed with cancer right around that time, and I put that on hold to take care of her.”
Tatum’s expression turned sympathetic. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay.” I smiled. “That story actually has a happy ending. She went into remission after a couple of years, and I’m going to college now, taking online and night classes in business administration.”
“That’s great. And I know that Faith is happy you’re here.”
A karaoke machine was wheeled in then, and there was a flurry of excitement among the party guests, especially the women. I was swept up among the group of them, but there was no way I was going to participate in the activity. I knew my strengths and singing wasnotone of them. Basically, I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. I was okay with my inability to belt out a tune and kept my singing in the privacy of my shower.
But I enjoyed listening to the others. The groom’s little sister, Summer, was one of the first to get on the little stage, belting out the lyrics to a love ballad. Her voice was hauntingly beautiful, and most of the party guests had quieted down as they listened.
Of course, that was the moment that my cell phone rang in my pocket. Wincing and shooting an apologetic smile to the people around me, I pulled it out as I walked across the room, seeing my sister’s name on the screen. I accepted the call just as I reached the door and stepped out of the room.
“Hello?”
I was standing in the lobby, which was mostly empty at this time of the evening. Only a few people were walking through as they came and went. The only employee in sight was a single woman working behind the desk.
