Page 55 of Lies and Lullabies
“Please come at five,” I said, making myself pull away.
Kira nodded swiftly, her eyes on her shoes.
“Goodbye for now, sweetness.” It was an effort to open the door and leave.
Fourteen
Kira
The next text I’d received from Jonas instructed me to go to the check-in desk at the hotel and give them my name.They’ll be expecting you, he’d written.
Gotcha, I’d replied.
I got a room for you and Vivi, he’d added.
No need, I’d quickly tapped out.We’re 20 minutes away.
I want us to have breakfast together in the morning, he’d argued.The bus leaves at 9.Please stay?
I had not replied to this message, but I’d packed an overnight bag, anyway. If I changed my mind, I could always grab a taxi and take Vivi home after the show.
At the hotel, I gave my name to the desk agent. The suite that Jonas had booked was on the club-level floor. “You’ll need to insert your key card into the elevator slot, or the doors will not open on the club level,” the woman at the desk explained in hushed tones.
“Gotcha,” I said, thinking that it sounded silly. Making something exclusive just for the sake of exclusivity. Vivi yanked on my hand. “Just one more minute, sweetie.”
“There is a complimentary buffet of snacks and beverages on the club level,” the woman added. “It’s quite useful with kids, actually.”
Hmm… Maybe I would need to revise my opinion of the club level, after all. “Thank you.”
The moment we stepped off the elevator, Vivi made a beeline for the snack table. “Cookies!”
“Don’t touch,” I said automatically. “Let’s get into Jonas’s room, and then we can come back out here and get a snack.”
When I found the right door, the plaque above it readThe Harbor Suite. There was a creamy envelope taped to it, addressed to “K.”
I removed a note from the envelope.Kira—if we’re not back from sound check, make yourself at home. The double room is for you.
Instead of swiping the door open, I knocked, then waited nervously. I wished I didn’t feel this way.Hey, I tried to tell myself.It’s no big deal to walk into your rock-star hookup’s hotel penthouse.
Right.
Nobody came to the door, and I heard no voices. So I tapped my card against the lock mechanism, and the lock gave way. I opened the door onto a decadent living room.
“Wow,” Vivi said, marching past me as if she owned the place. “I want this apartment.”
Hotel room, I nearly corrected her. But really, was there a difference? At one end of the room, in front of a floor-to-ceiling view of Boston Harbor, was a gleaming dining table set for six people. Behind that, a kitchen stood ready. It was as big as the one in our apartment.
Through one doorway I spotted a king-sized bed with a duffel bag resting on it. The other open doorway led to a room with two queen-sized beds.
Wow, I thought, echoing Vivi. Somebody liked to throw his money around.
“Can I have a cookie now?” Vivi asked.
I set my overnight bag down beside a sleek leather sofa. “Sure. But just one, because it’s almost dinner time.”
* * *
After a cookie(and a five-minute unsuccessful plead-a-thon for more), I pulled out the book that I’d been reading to Vivi for the past week. I gave myself a mental high-five for packing a distraction good enough to interrupt her survey of the suite, where she’d opened nearly every drawer and cabinet.
