Page 2 of Mine This Time
My eyes landed on a clock above the doorway into the kitchen. It wasn’t even six a.m. yet. It made no sense for Brett to be gone. When we’d gone out to dinner last night, I’d wished things had felt more stable with Brett and me. Because, long before this morning, I’d been harboring doubts about us. Yet I couldn’t have imagined he’d abscond during the night.
“We have sugar and cream right over there,” Hannah said, gesturing toward a sidebar against the wall in the dining area as she returned to the room with a cup of coffee in hand.
“Neither,” I replied, marveling at how manners could get me through this awkward moment when I didn’t know where my boyfriend had gone, and his phone was disconnected.
Hannah handed me a mug, one with Creek’s End Inn written on the side in a whimsical script. I curled my fingers around it, realizing then my hands were ice cold. I took a sip of coffee, the rich dark brew grounding me slightly. Swallowing, I met her eyes.
“Thank you. This is delicious,” I said, quite honestly.
“Glad to hear it. If I can get you anything this morning, please let me know. We serve breakfast within the hour. If you need, I can check to see if anything is ready a little early.”
“Oh no, I don’t want to be a bother. Is it okay if I carry my coffee up to my room?”
“Of course it is! Do let me know if you need anything else.”
I managed a nod, still too shocked to even cry. Although I didn’t even know if I needed to cry. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding.
After I climbed the stairs and closed the door to the room I was supposed to be sharing with Brett, I sank my hips onto the edge of the bed and took a gulp of my coffee.
“Riiiight. Brett just took all his stuff and left and turned off his phone by accident,” I whispered to the room.
I wasn’t quite sure what was happening. I swung between poles of anger and crushing humiliation. Glancing around, I found my phone where I had tossed it on the bed before my mad dash out of the room. I lifted it, once again tapping on Brett’s number.
My gut was telling me Brett was long gone, but I still tried to call him. And I got the same automated message. It felt as if the computerized voice on the other end of the line was mocking me.
Although I was frazzled and in shock, I went through the motions of getting ready. I had no idea what to do if Brett hadn’t paid for our stay here. If he hadn’t, I was thoroughly screwed.
After a shower, I dressed in a pair of lightweight capris and a flowy cotton blouse, the kind that wouldn’t stick to my skin in this humid Louisiana weather. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I stared at myself. My dark hair was still damp from the shower, but I didn’t have it in me to bother trying to style it. My blue eyes stood out against my rather pale skin. Considering the state of my mind this morning, I supposed I didn’t look too bad. With a sigh, I turned away from my reflection.
In between wondering where the hell Brett was, I contemplated how to tactfully ask if he’d paid for the room. I did not want to humiliate myself further in front of Hannah, but I had to find a way to ask. Of all the people to be so embarrassed in front of, I didn’t want it to be Hannah. She had a fairy-tale life with her two children and her professional basketball player husband—a man who had plenty of women drooling over him—but whose eyes remained fixed only on her, if the occasional gossip reports had it right.
If I was beyond desperate for money, I could always call my brother—Max Channing. Max was my older brother who I adored, but who also drove me slightly crazy with his overbearing ways. He was a wealthy tech investor. He could buy this inn and then some if the fancy struck him. Yet my pride was not going to let me call him. I sure as hell didn’t want to tell him he was right about Brett.
Don’t panic. Maybe Brett’s coming back.
Riiiight. That’s why he took everything with him, left in the middle of the night, and disconnected his phone.
I could battle inside my head all day, but it didn’t change the facts of my situation. Brett appeared to be long gone, and I was damn close to broke. With a sigh, I mentally swatted at my always willing-and-ready-to-be-critical voice. Standing from the bed, I steeled myself. I might as well find out if Brett had paid for the room. Then I could problem-solve.
Moments later, I was relieved to discover Hannah had left to take care of some errands. It was quiet downstairs, and I figured the other guests would soon be making their way down for breakfast. I would be humiliating myself to Hannah ’s staff, rather than her. It still sucked, but it was a little bit better.
Approaching a woman carrying a tray of food to the sideboard in the dining room, I said, “Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
I smiled tightly, feeling like my face might crack from the effort. “Um, my boyfriend had to leave unexpectedly.” Okay, I wasn’t totally lying there. Seeing as I didn’t expect it, Brett’s departure could count as unexpected even if he’d planned it. “I didn’t have a chance to check with him to find out if he had already taken care of the room for the weekend. I didn’t want to let that detail get away from me.”
All true. Little did she know my boyfriend had fled during the night, and I didn’t know where the hell he was.
The woman smiled warmly. “Give me just a sec.” She set down the platter in her hands before waving for me to follow her down the hallway to the reception desk.
She tapped on the screen of a laptop, her eyes scanning for a moment before she looked up. “It doesn’t look like it. You can take care of it when you check out,” she said, gesturing carefully with her hand. “We hope you’ll stay through the weekend even though he couldn’t. We’re around if you need anything.”
I swallowed. Finally, I thought I might cry. I knew I was well and truly screwed. Now, I had my choice of humiliation. Either I called my older brother, or I revealed the situation to Hannah. The idea of leaving today and not coming back flitted through my thoughts. I couldn’t do the inn equivalent of dine and dash, though. That was just not okay.
Chapter Two
Nash
