Page 72 of As a Last Resort
“Looking for a place to move to for the weekend, actually.”
“What’s wrong with the Starfish?”Austin had somehow refilled my coffee without me noticing.“I thought Josie had you down for the whole month.”
“She did, but the rest of the rooms are sold out for the weekend for the showcase, as well as every other hotel on the island.With Robby coming down today, the assumption is that he would crash with me.”
“You’re kidding.”Austin sounded kind of pissed.“Isn’t that against some HR code or something?”
“Not when you work for Glenn.And I’m sure Pugster did everything in his power to convince our boss it’d be no big deal.”I could see it now, Robby telling Glenn he’dmake it workfor the sake of the company.
“Who’s Pugster?”Lexi asked.
“Her coworker who sounds like a pug when he laughs,” Austin chimed in.
“He kind of looks like a more attractive, younger, less creepy brother version of Perez Hilton,” I added.
“Who’s that?”Austin asked.
“Pop culture is not his forte.Don’t hold it against him.He doesn’t even know who J.Lo’s married to this year.”
“Yeah, I do,” he argued.“One of her dancers.”
“See?”Lexi chuckled.“So, assuming your mom’s place is out?”
“Considering our fight yesterday morning, and well, the last twenty-six years of my life, not an option.”I rested my head on the cool granite of the kitchen countertop.My mind replayed the argument again.That, along with the tequila shots I’m pretty sure we had last night, made my head spin.
“And he’s getting here today?”Lexi asked.
I nodded.An awkward silence filled the space.“For the record,” I blurted out, “we didn’t sleep together.”Lexi coughed into her coffee mug.“I just had too much to drink and Austin let me crash here.”
“Okay.”She gave me a small smile once her coughing fit passed.
“Why don’t you just stay here?”Austin said.
A spoon hit the counter.I peeked my eyes up just in time to catch Lexi’s deer-in-headlights look at Austin.
“What?I have a spare bedroom.And didn’t you say it was only for a couple nights?”
“Just the rest of the weekend,” I confirmed.
“Okay.And it’s not like I’m here much anyway.”
“Yeah, he’ll be gone… working,” Lexi repeated, clearly not loving the idea.“Hey, maybe she can pick out some throw pillows too, while she’s here.It’s all gray and manly and mopey in here.”
“It is not gray and mopey.”Austin nodded to me for some confirmation.
I looked around.“It’d be super cozy for Eeyore.”
He pulled my empty bread plate across the counter.“That’s the last time I butter your toast like that.”
Lexi’s eyes went wide.This was clearly too much for her to handle.“I’m going to go for a run.I’m assuming you don’t want to join me?”she asked me as she filled her water bottle.“I’ll let you two get back to your morning chatter.”
I watched her flutter out the door.“She just poured coffee into her water bottle.”
“Yep,” he nodded.
“She definitely thinks we slept together.”
“Definitely.”
