Page 46 of Letting it Ride

“I, um.” I clear my throat. “What’s the price for a night in each of those?”

The woman looks at her computer screen. “The Presidential Suite is a thousand a night. The—”

“We’ll take the room with two queen beds,” Cam cuts her off as he slides a credit card across the counter.

“Very good, sir,” she replies, typing on thekeyboard in front of her. The tap-tap-tap of the keys echoes in the expansive marble lobby.

I elbow Cam in the side, glad he’s standing on my right.

“Ow! What?” He looks down at me.

I give him a death glare.

“What?” His brow furrows. “Do you not want to share a room? I figured it would be okay since we’ve been sharing the room on the ship. If not, we can get two rooms.”

God, men are clueless. “I can’t afford this place,” I hiss, darting a glance at the woman who’s clearly pretending she can’t hear us.

He raises a brow and shrugs like it’s nothing. “So? I’m paying for the room. And that’s why we’re sharing. It’ll be fine.”

I’m going to murder him. Forget the whole crush I’ve had on him for, oh, thirteen years.

“Here you are!” the woman says brightly, handing two cards to Cam. “Breakfast is complementary. The outdoor pool and lounge are open until 11 p.m., but the bar out there closes at nine. After that you’ll have to visit the bar in here.” She gestures to the bar across the lobby.

“Thanks,” Cam says, pocketing the keys.

“Enjoy your stay!” she beams with a practiced wave.

I hold my anger in until we’re in the elevator. The second the doors slide shut, I whirl on him. “What the hell, Cam?”

He looks unconcerned. “What, Addie? We need a place to stay tonight. I got us one. It’s fine. Calm down.”

He didnotjust tell me to calm down.

“Camden Allen, you fu—”

The elevator doors open, and the curse dies on my lips as a family with two small children hurry in. I clench my jaw.

The family gets off on the same floor as us—fuck, I need to yell right now—and they disappear into a doorway close to the elevator. Cam uses the key card to open a room further down the hall, and as soon as the door shuts, Hurricane Addie unleashes.

“You fucking asshole! Do not tell me to calm down. We’restrandedin a foreign country, and we don’t have extra clothes or toothbrushes or pajamas or a hairdryer. This is adisaster. My arm hurts like a motherfucker. My boss is trying to get me to be the senior class advisor because whoever has been their advisor for three years isn’t up for planning prom. My sister is trying to rope me into something when I getback. I forgot to water the plants in my house. Rudy is going to fail his SATs, and his mother is going to blame me. I don’t have extra shoes. Or makeup. Everything is amess.” I stop to take a breath, realizing I’m about to start hyperventilating.

Cam sits on the edge of one of the way-too-luxurious beds. “Okay. What else?”

“I—” This takes the wind out of my sails. Whatelse? No one has ever responded to Hurricane Addie that way. They just want the crazy lady to stop yelling.

I study him, but he’s nodding in a sincere way.

“I just… I feel like everyone wants something from me lately. And I can’t say no, because then I’m not happy, agreeable Addie, and Iwantto help, but sometimes it’s too much. And I feel really out of control right now, and I don’t like it. And…” I pause. “That’s it. I think.”

“You sure?” Cam asks. Again, he doesn’t look like he’s mocking me, the way my sister used to. He’s not wincing the way my mom does when I go on a rant like this.

I breathe out, slowly nodding. “Yeah. That’s it.”

“Do you want advice? Or just to vent?” he says, startling me.

WhatdoI want? “I… I think I just needed to vent.” I look at him. “Thank you.”

He gives a short nod and stands, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Okay. Let’s see what you packed in your bag and what’s in the bathroom, then we can see what the hotel will give us for free. Fancy places like this sometimes give you free toothbrushes and shit like that.”

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