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“I made an appointment for Saturday.”
“It’s Tuesday.”
“I know, but I figured you didn’t work on the weekends. I shouldn’t have assumed. Do you work on the weekends? I can reschedule.”
“No, it’s fine. I can do Saturday. Does your mom know you’re here?”
“I’m twenty-three. I don’t need to tell my mother where I am.” Though she said the words, they weren’t very convincing. “Garrett knows, and that’s all that matters.”
“Okay, so you’re staying here.”
“See, that’s the thing. I really should have planned this out more. I talked to the guy at the front desk, and he told me you don’t have any rooms available. I thought maybe you could pull a few strings. He seemed nervous, so I didn’t want to throw the wholedo you know who my sister isat him.”
“If I could, I would, but we have a conference here this week, and all the rooms are booked.”
“Oh.”
It had been part of one of my initiates to increase revenue. Rent the rooms out at a discounted rate to companies to hold team building events and other sorts of meetings, taking advantage of the several conference rooms we have throughout the property and are barely utilized.
This week we had the East Coast Hookers, a crochet club taking part in one of the team building events.
“You can stay in my room.” There was only one bed, but I could sleep on the couch.
“You don’t stay at Laurent’s?” she asked.
“Not always. I mean, sometimes I work late, and it’s just easier for me to crash here than to drive over to his place.”
“That makes sense. Garrett sometimes sleeps in his office.”
“Huh?”
“He’s trying to impress his bosses by showing he’s one hundred percent committed. Show them he’s willing to go above and beyond.”
“He’s twenty-five. Doesn’t he want to… I don’t know? Have some fun.”
“That’s what I say, but then he tells me fun won’t pay our bills.” She shrugged, but I could see sadness flash across her blue eyes. “He’s right.”
“You have your whole life to pay bills. Have fun now while you can still wake up the next morning without feeling like you were hit by a Mack truck.”
“Is that why you traveled all over?”
“Kind of.” I wasn’t about to tell her it was easier for me to run from my problems than face them. That traveling wasn’t me having a good time but hiding from the source of my misery. “Look, I’d love to keep chatting, but I have somewhere I have to be. Can we catch up later?”
“Of course.”
“Great. Lewis at the front desk will give you a key to my room, and you can get yourself settled, okay?”
“Perfect.”
I hugged Parker and called over to Lewis. He nodded and then I took off running. I already wasted too much time. I needed to get to Laurent before this thing got legs.
After securing another distribution deal and signing off on acquiring another thirty acres of property, I tossed my pen down and leaned in my chair. A slight headache was forming at the base of my neck, shooting up through my forehead—a combination of stress and being hunched over my computer and phone all day. I needed to get up and stretch, maybe have a glass of Pinot Noir in the tasting room.
I thought about calling Phoebe again, but I was not prepared for another straight to voicemail rejection.
Rose appeared in the doorway of my office. “Did you plan on telling me you were getting married, anyone in the family, for that matter, or were you going to elope and surprise us all?”
“I’m not getting married. What the hell are you talking about?”
