Page 27 of Coach Sully

Stepping off the elevator, she walks with purpose to her door.

“This is a boutique hotel, there is no sofa in my room. Even if there was, you’re, what, six-four?”

She unlocks it and enters, holding the door open for me to pass by.

“Six-five.”

“Exactly. There’s not even a sofa in the lobby big enough for you. Take my room, I’ll find a bed, and we’ll reconvene tomorrow.” The room lights up, and it’s smaller than I thought it would be, but the bed is big enough.

“Kendra. It’s fine. It’s a king-size bed, we can share. Let’s stop making it more awkward than it has to be.”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re both adults, I think we can handle it. Are you comfortable with me sleeping next to you?” I shouldn’t assume just because we’ve slept together that she’ll be okay with sharing a bed tonight.

She furrows her brow and looks at me like I’m being ridiculous. “Of course! I just, you know… we can’t—”

“I’m not going to try anything. I know where you stand.”

She nods, then grabs clothes from her suitcase and enters the bathroom, locking the door behind her. “What time is it? Are they still doing room service?” Her voice is muffled through the wall.

“Uhh…” I turn around and scan every surface until my eyes catch on a menu. I check my phone. “Yeah, you’ve got thirty-five more minutes. Want me to order you something?”Finally. I’m pleased she’s getting something else to eat.

“Yeah.”

I wait for her to give me more information, but she seems to be done with that sentence.

“What do you want?” I spin around.

“I like everything. Surprise me.”

“Allergies?”

“No.”

I pick up the hotel phone, press the button with a server icon, then sit on the edge of the bed waiting for someone to answer. When Kendra exits the bathroom, she somehow looks as beautiful in her baggy T-shirt and boxers as she did in the gown and stilettos from earlier.

I vaguely register someone talking on the other end of the phone.

We’re supposed to be just friends… but friends don’t look at each other the way I’m looking at her.

“Hello…” the hotel staff repeats, for the second time.Focus.

“Uh, shit. Yeah, um. Can I put in an order for room service?” I order a calamari pizza, remembering the way she was eyeing it at Micky’s launch party. Next a grilled pineapple cucumber salad with a peanut dressing, a couple bags of kettle chips, a side of tzatziki sauce, a slice of chocolate cake, and a slice of cheesecake. Hell, I could eat.

Kendra listens with bright eyes, dancing more enthusiastically with each item I rattle off to the person on thephone. By the end, she’s waving an invisible lasso around her head. I chuckle through the last of the order. It’s so ridiculous I’m tempted to read off the rest of the menu.

“Room number?” the person asks. I was too busy staring at her ass in that dress to remember what number was outside the door when we arrived.

I tilt the phone away and confirm with Kendra, still grinning at her antics. “Room number?”

“844,” she says, doing the cabbage patch. I chuckle. She wasn’t even alive when that dance was invented, which is exactly what I’d expect from her. At this point, I wouldn’t even blink if she jumps up and does the foxtrot when the food arrives.

“844… Yes…” I refocus my attention back to the caller. “… No, I’ll pay over the phone.”

She waves her hands in front of my face to get my attention. “Bill it to the room!” she stage-whispers. “Sully!”

I shake my head and pull out my wallet. She tries to snatch it away from me, but I hold the credit card above her head as I finish reading off the numbers. They give me a time estimate, and I hang up the phone.

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