Page 20 of Kissing for Keeps
Comprehension dawns in their eyes, then their gazes move to me.
“I’m Jack Allred, brother of the bride.”Whoa. Madi’s been engaged for a while now, but referring to her as the bride makes it feel so much more real. My little sister is getting married.
The hosts look at us, then at each other, then back to us. “You are… together?”
I’ve barely opened my mouth when Siena says, “No.” It’s a very firm use of the word. Offensively so. “Is there a problem?”
“No, no, no,” says the vicomtesse. “It is only that we did not know two of you would be coming. We have only the one place reserved.”
Even in my peripheral vision, I can see Siena’s eyes widening. She’s really doing her best to keep me humble right now, isn’t she? And here I thought we were having a good time.
“Do you have any other vacant rooms?” I ask.
She inclines her head like she’s got a heavy crown she has to keep on top of it. “We do, and, given that you are holding the wedding here, you would receive a special rate.”
“That’s really generous.” I pause, realizing I have no idea what a room in a chateau costs. “So… what would a regular room cost with that special rate?”
“With the discount, it would be 150 euros per night.”
“Oh,” I squeak. Like a mouse. A mouse who’s doing the math of what 150 euros multiplied by fourteen is. This is a very intelligent mouse. But unfortunately, this is also a mouse who did not plan on spending thousands of dollars to stay at a chateau. I probably should have thought things through a bit more before changing my flight, which, by the by, wasalsoexpensive.
Apparently, my rodent response didn’t go unnoticed, since the vicomte smiles at me kindly. “Of course, the suite Miss Sheppard has contains two separate rooms.” He and his wife glance at her, and so do I.
I really don’t want Siena to feel obligated to let me stay in the same place as her, so I search for signs she’s uncomfortable.
“It’s a suite of some sort?” she asks.
“A chalet. Two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.”
Siena looks at me, and I can’t quite tell what’s passing between us, but it’s something.
“You can discuss it together and let us know what you prefer,” the vicomtesse says. “For now, we will show you to your suite, Miss Sheppard.”
I grab a couple of the suitcases to help the bellhop, who, unfortunately for him in this scenario, only has two arms. That’ll really affect my tip.
Or maybe not. He clearly has the dragging-suitcases-over-gravel gig down pat, whilst I do not. Siena glances at me a couple of times, barely able to hide her amusement as I wrestle with the two suitcases I’m dragging along like tantruming two-year-olds.
We reach the suite, which is, to put it in lingo I hate, totes adorbs. Flowering vines climb the gray exterior walls and latticed windows. Over the door, wisteria hangs like icicle lights.
After a quick tour of the inside, which is cozy but not as small as I thought, the vicomte and vicomtesse head for the door. “We will leave you to settle in and discuss what you would like to do. Would you like to have a tour of the chateau and grounds? In, say, half an hour or so?”
“That would be wonderful,” Siena says.
My eyes are fixed on the bed I can see through the nearest door. I’d much rather take a nap than go on a tour—ifSiena will grant me permission to stay in this little cottage. Based on how she’s acted since our arrival here, I’m not particularly hopeful. Maybe I can convince her to let me stay for a night while I look for a vacation rental in the area. There’s gotta be a room that’s less than 150 euros a night.
Siena shuts the door behind the Vidals, then turns and grabs her suitcase. “I call the bedroom next to the bathroom.”
I’m not speechless very often, but this is one of those times.
She looks at me blankly. “What? You came to help, right?”
“Y-y-yeah,” I say, sounding like a thirteen-year-old whose crush just talked to him. I’m surprised my voice didn’t crack.
“Then having you here makes more sense.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. It’ll be nearly impossible for you to escape helping me. If you’re in some random room in another part of the castle, I’ll probably never see you again.”
