Page 44 of The Dangers of Daydreaming

My plan to win her over was off to an awesome start.

Chapter 13

Only One… Hotel Room?

Lucy

Iknockedonthebathroom door. “Lily? You okay in there?”

The sound that reached my ears then was not one for polite company. I suddenly felt terrible for even asking. I was drawing attention to the fact that her insides clearly wanted to be on her outsides.

Sure enough, a completely mortified voice called back. “I’m so sorry. I just feel—” It was cut off by the sound of her heaving.

I had to check myself to stop the sympathetic barfing that was about to occur. I’d already had a close call fifteen minutes before when we’d been chatting about books and work and what life looked like for each of us, and she’d suddenly grabbed her mouth and run for the bathroom. “Can I get you anything?” I called, my voice a little mangled. I really should just leave. Sleep in the lobby or something. Hit up Gemma’s room. Anything to be away from poor Lily and her even poorer stomach. For her and for me.

“No. No, I’m fine, just g—” She didn’t get to finish the sentence, but I got the picture. She did not need an audience right now. I swiped my key card and phone from the top of the dark wooden dresser, then grabbed some crackers from my bag and a water bottle from the fridge and set them next to the bathroom door without a word. I should have just done that from the beginning.

A knock sounded at the door. Still clutching my things, I peeked through the peephole. Finn. Crap. I kind of wanted to avoid him after yesterday. Between him asking me out and me turning into a puddle about my mom’s marriage, I was feeling a little exposed and hoping some distance would create much-needed amnesia.

But I couldn’t stay in this room. The sounds from the bathroom agreed with me.

So, pulling the door back, I slipped out.

Finn’s eyes were wide when I essentially jumped into his arms. But I was just trying to get around him, and he was in the way. I shuffled awkwardly to the side, meeting his laughing gaze.

“I came to check on you guys,” he said. “I’m just going around making sure everyone is good and knows the plan for tomorrow.”

“Yes,” I breathed. “Green Gables. Eight a.m. I couldn’t forget.” My eyes slipped back to the door, grateful the sounds hadn’t followed me out here. Poor Lily.

Poor me getting to spend the night with her. Or…

“How are Gemma and Hank?”

“Gemma was already asleep when I went by. Hank was getting in bed, too.”

Dangit. I couldn’t wake them up.

“You look disappointed by that. Are you judging the old people for getting to bed so early?”

“No… I…” I heaved a sigh. I knew what I had to do. “Lily is sick.”

His brows lifted. “She okay?”

“She thinks it's just a resurgence of the food poisoning. And she says she doesn’t need anything…”

“You can’t stay with her.” He said it decisively, almost like an order. Little did he know, I needed no convincing.

“It’s probably not contagious,” I said, in a halfhearted attempt to not look desperate.

He shook his head. “I don’t care. You can’t stay with her. Get your stuff and come with me.”

I gave him a little salute and didn’t even pretend to fight it. I just walked mutely back into my room, closing the door behind me for Lily and Finn’s sake, gathered up my stuff, wrote a little note on the back of a takeout menu, and escaped into the hall.

Finn was waiting, hands in pockets, leaning against the far wall. The second I appeared, he pushed off and reached for my bag.

It would be easier to ignore this man’s charms and pretend he was still the junior high tease I’d known if he stopped acting like a fairytale prince with all this chivalry. Michael had never opened my car door—sure, he’d open the door we were walking through, but he didn’t cross around the entire vehicle just to open my door. He never offered to carry my stuff. He also didn’t watch me like Finn was right now.

And it made me feel all warm in my midsection, which was a serious problem, since I was about to stay the night with the guy.

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