Page 89 of Places I've Never Been

“Adam’s better than that,” Mattie interrupted. “Hank was rough and in too much of a hurry. Besides, that was years ago.”

“Tim the Tool?”

“He isn’t a tool, he’s a tailor.” She glanced at the closet. One of her favorite dresses had Tim’s label on it. “He makes great clothes.”

“Yeah but did he make you scream more than Adam?” Piper wiggled her eyebrows.

Mattie huffed in exasperation. “Your mind is always in the gutter, you know that?”

“Just answer the question. Was Adam better than your last five hook-ups?”

Mattie thought about the massage Adam had given her and couldn’t stop the sly smile. “Not just better. Best. Ever.”

“Oh really?” Piper’s wicked grin was half hidden behind the pillow. “Do you like him, or is he just good for a romp or two?

Happiness wrapped around her as she thought of him. “He’s really sweet. A little too enthusiastic sometimes, but yes. I like him.”

“Enthusiastic?” Piper looked confused. “Like a puppy?”

Mattie laughed. “No. I mean, he jumps into things with his whole being, you know? Like this room.”

She picked up the phone and showed all the vases filled with pink and white hibiscus. “The whole villa is filled with these because I said I liked the petals on the cabana bed.”

Piper whistled. “Nice touch, Romeo. He really goes all out when he wants someone, doesn’t he?”

“I don’t think he had to pay for these flowers. He just had to ask the butler to bring them over.”

“Not the flowers, silly.” Piper flicked her hand out in an isn’t-it-obvious gesture. “He rented the whole damn island just to have some place to be alone with you.”

“No he didn’t. He didn’t even know me when they planned this trip. He told me they do these writing retreats all the time.”

“Uh-huh. Sure they do.” Piper’s voice and face dripped with sarcasm. “Do you have any idea how much those villas cost per night?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Take a guess.”

Mattie glanced around at the room. White marble, rich wood, and fine sheets gave the impression of understated tropical elegance, but she knew that kind of look cost a lot of money to achieve. She’d experienced a taste of that expense when she renovated her bathroom.

The villa wasn’t small. Hers had three bedrooms, threebathrooms, plus the living spaces. She assumed the others were the same. The band could have shared one villa and had plenty of room to spare, but they each had their own. She hadn’t thought about how much it cost to take over that kind of space at a resort until Piper mentioned it. “A thousand?”

“Try five. Each.”

Mattie gaped at her. “Five thousand for a week?”

“A night. There are eleven or twelve of them, do the math.” Piper nodded knowingly. “I looked it up when you said you were going there. Not to mention what it must cost to keep the main house empty. Plus all the staff.Andyou said you have exclusive access to the entire island for a month.”

“Oh my God.” Mattie ran through the numbers as Piper spelled them out.

“My best guess is this little work retreat is costing somewhere around one and a half million. That’s a lot of money even for a band as successful as Delusions of Glory. If they did this every time they put out an album, they’d be flat broke.”

“What are you trying to say?” She felt a little sick.

Piper propped her chin on the pillow in her arms. “I’m saying there’s a possibility Adam might have planned this little vacay as an excuse to get to know you.”

Mattie stared out the window, thinking through every conversation she’d had with Adam. “He’s careless with money but surely he wouldn’t spend that much just to get me alone.”

“Why not? You’re worth it.” Piper tilted her head. “You’re a Bellamy Babe. We were famous before Adam and his glory boys had their first hit.”

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