Page 39 of Colton's Last Resort

She shook her head. “I don’t believe in making a scene.”

He shot off a half laugh. “You enter a room and it’s a scene, regardless of what you say.”

She propped her chin on her hands. “I believe you’re trying to give me a compliment.”

“I’m telling you the truth, Pearl.”

Her nose wrinkled. And even that looked pretty on her. “‘Pearl’?”

“You said I could call you whatever I want.”

“It makes me sound like a member ofGolden Girls,” she complained.

“What’s wrong withGolden Girls?” he countered.

“Nothing,” she said. “But I am still three months shy of thirty.”

A woman passed their table. She did a double take and skidded to a halt. “Laura?”

Laura beamed. “Alexis! Noah, this is our amazing concierge, Alexis Reed.”

He dipped his head to her. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Reed.”

“And who’re you?” she asked, skimming her gaze over his torso.

“This is Noah Steele,” Laura said. “He’s my...boyfriend.”

Alexis slowly turned her stare on Laura, her shock plain. “Girl, you’ve been holding out on me.”

“Noah’s in a band called Fast Lane,” Laura said. “We’ve been keeping things quiet because he’s been touring.”

Brows arched high, Alexis turned her stare back to Noah. She offered him her hand. “Is this your first time at Mariposa?”

“It is,” he granted, taking her hand in his. He squeezed it lightly.

“How long are you staying for?”

“As long as it takes to make sure Laura’s okay. The last week has been tough on her.”

“I’ll say it has,” Alexis seconded. “Well, I’ll let you two get back to it.” She sent Laura a meaningful look. “You owe me a long talk over white wine.”

“I do,” Laura agreed. “Are there any problems I need to see to this morning?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Alexis answered smoothly. “Enjoy your champagne. I’ll check in later.”

Noah waited until Alexis walked away before speaking. “Fast Lane?”

“It’s an actual band,” she said. “If I’d given her a fake name, nothing would pop up if she googled it.”

“Let’s hope she doesn’t google Fast Lane and Noah Steele together,” he said. “That may blow my cover.”

Laura shook her head. “I hate lying to the people I care about. This is going to be harder than I thought.”

“Relax,” Noah advised. “Once I find out who’s responsible for Allison’s overdose, you can tell everyone the truth.”

Laura didn’t appear to be consoled. Billy came back, setting a bottle of champagne and glasses on the table. He popped the cork, let the champagne breathe as he set a plate before each of them with a fruit medley and a croissant that smelled incredible. Then he poured the champagne into a pair of crystal flutes. “Can I get you anything else?” he asked.

“This is perfect,” she complimented him. “Thank you, Billy.”

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