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She stifled a laugh, swiping the card across the lock to our room. “He never said he ‘sold drugs.’”
“Why not? That’s the coolest way of explaining the job.”
“You know what? Fine. Be Chase. I’m really interested to see how you pull this off.” She smiled, reason enough to continue the charade. At least she wasn’t bummed about the breakup.
Thea pushed open the door, revealing a sea of red. A bouquet of red roses sat on the coffee table, red drapes hung over the canopy bed, tiny hearts littered every flat expanse of furniture.
“Wow.” My eyes widened at the intensity of the room. “They really went all out, didn’t they?” I ran a hand over the king size bed, rose petals splayed over the white covers. “Or is this their normal decor?”
She rolled her eyes, pushing open the red curtains to check the view. “Oh! Come look at this.”
She pushed open a sliding glass door, and I followed her onto the balcony. A thick cloud of fog obscured the view, but Thea had her attention fixed firmly on the hot tub on the far end of the porch.
She unlatched the top, throwing open the cover and releasing a cloud of steam, exposing the clear, warm water. “We’re going to get drunk and hang out in a hot tub.”
“Isn’t it a little cold to hang out outside?”
“Don’t be lame, Benny. Besides, according to that itinerary, the bar closes at ten. We’ll have nothing else to do.”
“Other than hanging out in the hot tub?”
“Other than getting drunk in the hot tub,” she said enthusiastically. “Honestly, if I wasn’t starving, I’d say screw dinner and let’s get in, but I paid a lot for this fancy meal so we’re eating it. If you’re hungry, crack open that snack basket while I take a shower and get ready for dinner.”
“You’re not ready for dinner?” I asked with a frown.
She looked ready for dinner. Even coming straight from the thrift shop, she had a full face of makeup, hair curled, and wore a pale rose-colored dress with little heart-shaped buttons. One of my favorites, not the least because she made it.
She shook her head. “Not even a little. This place is Michelin-star fancy.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means it’s special, so I need to look special for it.” She gave me a pleased smile. “We both do.”
I groaned. “I’m guessing that means you packed for me.”
Thea loved nothing more than to dress me up like a doll. I’d been her first mannequin. Her first model. Her first guinea pig for French seams, arm scythes, and darts. She knew my proportions better than she knew her own, and she had lovingly stitched every single suit I ever owned. Hell, most of them lived in her closet.
“I might have grabbed a couple of things. Something other than plaid.”
“Hey,” I said. “I didn’t just pack plaid.”
I’d shoved a pair of cargo pants into my backpack along with a plain white polo, fancier than I normally dressed, but clearly not up to the hotel's high standards.
“I didn’t go overboard. No suits, though trust me, I considered it. I packed that button-down shirt from Nora’s wedding and I sewed another pair of those brown pants you liked.”
I immediately knew the pair. I liked them so much, I turned them into work pants and last time Thea caught me in them, she’d taken them away to repair the worn pockets and frayed edges. At least I would get a second pair out of this weekend.
“What did you think would require flannel around here, anyway?” she asked, leading me back into the room to unpack our bags.
I glanced back at the mountains.
Thea followed my gaze and groaned. “Did you think we’re going on a hike?”
“I just thought maybe, if the weather held out, we’d have time for a quick walk. We don’t get up to the summit often and there are a few interesting trails.”
Her bottom lip puffed out and she sighed. “Maybe. Or maybe there’ll be a snowstorm and a hike would be too dangerous.”
“The weather looked good,” I said with a grin.
