Page 5 of When Forever Comes

“Your name is on the reservation. I heard you call her Dana, which left Olivia.”

“What a clever boy,” Dana says, and sends him an uncharacteristic wink.

“I aim to please.” W’s words are directed at me and I can’t fight the blush burning my cheeks. When he steps out from behind the desk and motions for us to follow him, his cologne invades my senses and ignites a memory that’s just out of reach.

TWO

OLIVIA

The manager loads our luggage on a cart and leads us to the elevators.

Despite being dressed in an expensive suit, he takes on the job as our bell boy. Maybe he wants to overcompensate for his resort’s mess-up.

We follow him to a sleek silver door and he swipes a card over the reader. It beeps and allows us entry.

“Where exactly is this room?” Dana asks as we walk down a mirrored hallway. Motion sensor lights illuminate our path.

“I may have pulled some strings to make up for your misfortune.” From the reflection in the mirrored hallway, I see that his once expressive face is now impassive.

W halts and presses his hand against one of the mirrors. A white light scans his hand and the wall opens into an elevator.

Dana leans over and whispers, “Is it just me or do you feel like we’re being lured into a supervillain’s lair?”

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing.

“After you.” W motions for me and my sister to enter and doesn’t hide his smile. Dana never has been a good whisperer.

He pushes our luggage in and then presses the button marked PH.

“Wait. There has to be a mistake,” I say.

“No mistake, Miss Swann.”

“This is the penthouse.”

“That’s correct. You will be in the penthouse for the duration of your time here. I want to make sure your accommodations match the quality of my—this resort.”

I catch my sister’s stunned expression in the glass as W tells us about the amenities that will be available to us: a jacuzzi, private infinity pool with a gorgeous view, three bathrooms with a large array of soaps and shampoos, and a butler on demand who will do anything from shining our shoes to tucking us in at night.

The doors open to the most lavish entryway I’ve ever seen.

A crystal chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling. A sweeping staircase off to the left leads up to the loft. Straight ahead is the living room, surrounded by tinted windows showcasing a gorgeous view of the beach.

“This is way too much,” Dana says as she steps out of the elevator.

I go over to the windows and look out, but take a few steps back after suddenly realizing I’m in a fishbowl.

W must sense my unease because he says, “It’s mirrored glass, so no one can see in. It may not look private, but I can assure you it is.”

I eye the people below warily and make a mental note to check the validity of his statement later.

“Why go to all this trouble for us?” I ask, feeling overwhelmed at this generosity.

He stares at me for a long second. No one has looked at me this intensely since high school. I can’t look away.

“It’s no trouble at all.”

“Are you kidding me?” Dana interjects. “This place is the definition of boujie.”

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