Page 57 of I Could Be Yours

Rix tips her head. “Meems?”

“My grandma,” Connor explains.

“That’s so sweet,” Rix replies.

From the other side of the lobby, I spot Flip with Hollis and Roman, wearing a frown.

Connor and Flip do not get along, thanks to old beef from their Hockey Academy days. But they’ve been at each other’s throats less since they had a come-to-Jesus talk at the end of last season. I wouldn’t call them friends, but they tolerate each other.

The gentleman and the woman return, both wearing awkward smiles. “Mr. Stiles, we have a small issue.”

“What kind of issue?” Connor asks.

The gentleman startles. “Mr. Grace, I’m so sorry. How can I be of service?”

“It’s Connor, and I don’t need anything right now. I’m just welcoming my friends.”

“Your friends.” The man smiles and swallows compulsively. “There seems to be an issue with the booking. We have some important guests with us.” The guy looks like he wants to sink into the ground as his gaze darts to Connor for a moment. “And we won’t have rooms for you until—” He clicks on his screen. “—Friday.”

“That’s three days from now!” Rix looks like she’s two seconds from crying.

“It’ll be okay, Rix. We’ll get it sorted out.” Essie rubs her arm.

“What if it isn’t, though? What if we have to find another place to stay?”

“There are plenty of hotels around here, Bea. Palace on the Beach is right next door.”

“But it’s so expensive,” she whispers.

Essie sidles up next to me. “What are we going to do?”

“Give me a minute.” Connor touches my shoulder, then nods at the slightly manic guy behind the counter.

“Doesn’t Connor’s family own a bunch of hotels?” I ask.

Essie nods. “Maybe he’s pulling some strings?”

“Here’s hoping.” I glance around the lush, opulent space. Tristan has mentioned that Connor comes from money, but I don’t think I realized exactly how wealthy they were until this moment.

Connor whispers something to the woman. She smiles and nods. He then ushers the very nervous man into a room.

The woman turns her attention back to us. “Just give us a few minutes. We’ll bring you some complimentary champagne while you wait.”

She rushes off, and I fully expect her to never come back, but she returns a minute later with a server in tow, a tray of glasses, and two bottles of expensive bubbly. I know it’s expensive because I bought a bottle for my one-and-a-half-year anniversary with Lisa. She broke up with me a few weeks later.

“See, Rixie? Everything will be fine. Look how beautiful it is here. We can sleep on the beach, if we need to.” Essie passes Rix a glass of champagne.

“Everything will be fine,” Rix repeats then takes a hefty gulp.

They’ve just finished passing out the champagne when Connor and the gentleman come out of the office.

Connor approaches Tristan. “My Meems is waiting on me, so I gotta run, but Harold here will take care of you. I’ll touch base later, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Tristan frowns as Connor rushes off, then turns back to Harold.

“We’re so very sorry for the misunderstanding. We’ve upgraded your stay, and you’ll be at our sister hotel next door. You’ll have all the amenities included in your original package with the addition of butler service, access to a private pool for you and your guests, and daily in-room massages or other spa services, if you prefer.”

Rix’s eyes look like they’re about to pop out of her head. “You don’t mean the Palace on the Beach, do you?”

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