Page 49 of Crazy in Love
Before they left, he popped a pain pill. His leg had been killing him since the book thief shakedown, but he hadn’t wanted to take anything in front of Faith.
“I must be desperate for something to do,” Nick said from the passenger’s seat.
“I have to admit,” Tess said. “I’m surprised you agreed to come. Why did you?”
“Max called and begged me to. Said if I didn’t, he’d be the only guy there.”
“Ah, yes. Poor Max.”
Tess pulled into The Three Bears parking lot, and they got out. Faith’s pink Beetle wasn’t here yet. Not that he cared.
Nick hadn’t been to the inn since before he left over ten years ago. The thing was as old as the town and more or less falling apart.
Max greeted him. “Thanks for coming, man. I could use another Y chromosome around here.”
“You bet. So, you bought this place, huh? You have plans for it?”
“Oh, yeah,” Max said. “A total remodel is in the works, starting at the beginning of next year. We’ll do the lobby and common areas first, then start on the rooms.”
“You gonna have to close?”
“Hopefully not, but we’ll see. Things get pretty slow after the holidays anyway. Come on in. I figure you and I can just drink in the back and let the women do their thing.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Faith’s laugh caught his attention, and he glanced toward the door as she glided in.
“Sullivan turned into quite a looker, huh?” Max pointed his chin in Faith’s direction.
“Hadn’t noticed.” Nick looked away and shrugged.
“If you say so,” Max said, clearly doubting Nick’s sincerity.
The main lobby mimicked a log cabin—no actual logs, but a lot of wood. A giant fireplace at one end and a big screen TV at the other. Ancient leather couches and chairs formed multiple sitting areas. Coffee tables were piled with books, magazines, and board games. Everything was dated—the light fixtures, wallpaper, and pictures—but Nick could see the potential.
Max handed Nick a beer, and they settled into comfy chairs near the fireplace.
“I’ve got plans to carve out a chunk of the lobby for a proper bar,” Max said. “More seating, more TVs, and more drink options.”
“You plan to do the work yourself?”
“Nah. That would take too long. We’ll hire a crew to get it done as quickly as possible.”
At the other end of the room, all the women hushed, and the TV’s volume went up ten decibels.
“Guess it’s starting,” Max said.
“I’ve never seen Maddie’s show. What’s it about?”
“Better not say that too loud.” Max looked over his shoulder. “Small-town girl makes it big is a huge deal around here. Almost as big as when the girls won that state championship.”
“People still talkin’ about that?” Nick chuckled. “I was away at college for the actual game, but I remember teasing Tess over Christmas break about how everyone in town treated them like royalty.”
“Nothing’s changed. Eight years later, and to this day, all six of ’em still get the red carpet.”
Nick shook his head. “Crazy.”
“Anyway, Maddie’s show is calledChance of Rain, and she plays a hot, mean girl named Tiffany. It’s a sitcom about six twenty-somethings living in LA. It’s actually pretty funny.”
