Page 26 of Married Into Love

“IfAlessia’s—”

“Car starts,” I finished for my sister. I dug in my purse and tossed her the keys. “She volunteered to drive it over to the hotel for me ifitdoes.”

“Yup, that’s exactly what I did,” she laughed before heading over to where my car wasparked.

Alec opened the passenger door of the truck and helped me inside. “Can we wait for my sister? Just in case my car doesn’t start? It’s been acting up lately, and I haven’t driven it since Friday so I’m not holding out much hopeforit.”

“Then we’ll wait.” He shut the door and rounded the truck. After he climbed in, he started the engine and drove around the lot to pull up behindmycar.

My sister got out, shaking her head. I scooted over and made room for her next to me. “Sorry,” she said as she joined us and handed me the keys to my car. “It might just be the battery since it didn’t turn over when I tried tostartit.”

“Do you want me to take a look at it?” Alecasked.

“Maybe later. We’ve got all this stuff to finish moving, and the car isn’t going to get any worse than it already is if it waits a dayortwo.”

“Listen to my sister,” Ariana suggested. “Or better yet, call one of those places that buys junk cars because it’s a lost cause. Another five years wouldn’t make itworse.”

She was exaggerating, but not by much. I wasn’t too disappointed that it wouldn’t start. My old junker would have stuck out like a sore thumb in the hotel parking lot. Thinking ofwhich...

“This isn’t the way to the hotel.” I pointed behind us. “You should’ve taken a left at the light instead of aright.”

“We’re making a pit stop at a storage place I found. While you and Ariana did your final walk-through, I called them up and rented a small unit so you guys would have somewhere to put all the stuff you won’t need at the hotel,” heexplained.

“I wonder if that dinner theater place, the one where you eat with your hands and the guys put on a show with the horses and full suits of armor, is hiring. I bet your hubby could get a job there in notimeflat.”

"I'm pretty sure jousting would violate my team contract, even in the off season,” Alecchuckled.

“Shit, there goes that plan,” Ariana laughed. “I forgot you were a hotshot hockey player. But hey, at least we have a teamherenow.”

I zoned out as Alec and Ariana joked back and forth. It was nice to hear my two favorite people in the world—and it was one heck of a shock to realize I was already thinking of Alec that way—getting along so well. Although it was a sad day because of the reason why we were moving, I decided to focus on the good instead ofthebad.

When we walked into the owner’s suite of the hotel about an hour later, I realized how stunning those positives were. Suite was too tame a word for the luxurious space which was about five times bigger than the apartment we’d just movedoutof.

“Holy shit,” Ariana breathed. “This is where I’m staying?Forfree?”

“Maybe we should have swapped rooms and let my sister stay in yours while we took this place.” I twirled around in a circle, takingeverythingin.

“Too late. No take-backs,” Arianalaughed.

But then the bad just had to rear its ugly head when Alec’s phone rang. “AlecRourke.”

I couldn’t hear what the other person said, but I watched as the happy expression wiped from Alec’s face. “Thanks for taking care of this soquickly.”

He listened for a moment and then rattled off an email address. “It’d be good if you could send it over now. Don’t bother with a courier service. I’ll handledelivery.”

“Who was that?” I asked when he ended the call and shoved his phone back in hispocket.

“One of Alison’slawyers.”

“Lawyer?” Ariana repeated. “Why do you guys need a lawyer? And if you say it’s so you guys can get a divorce, I’m going to have to kicksomeone’sass.”

“Someone’s ass is going to get kicked alright,” Alec muttered. “But it’s not going to be mine or your sister’s. And you’re not the one who’s going to be doing the kicking. That’llbeme.”

Crap. That was definitely not agoodsign.

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