Page 50 of Not That Complicated

“No, he—”

“Great. Thanks.” I hung up.

After the shitshow of a day I’d had, I didn’t want to talk anymore, which was a bad sign for me. I was a talker. And I knew for sure that I couldn’t handle Adam.

Checking to make sure he wasn’t there and then booking a room online took care of both of those things.

I got the room cheap because it was late by the time Liam let me go, and once again I booked it for two nights rather than one. I didn’t know how long it would be before I could get back in the house, but I could tell by the way Liam had taken me to the station and kept me there for six hours of uncomfortable conversation that the situation was more complicated.

At least I knew the deal now.

I packed an overnight bag, my running kit, and my laptop. I remembered my toiletries so I didn’t have to use the hotel stuff again. I even remembered ear plugs, in case of honeymooners.

I had a plan, and it looked like sleeping as long as I wanted, eating crappy room service, and deleting Liam Nash from my contacts list.

And Grindr.

I marched into the Premier Lodge as night was falling, made a beeline for the front desk, and stutter-stepped to a dismayed halt when Adam looked up with a professional smile.

“Oh,” I said, and glanced around crossly. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Adam leaned his elbows on the desk and said in his deep voice, “I work here. And I was on a break when you called. I’m assuming that was you? Prank-calling an hour ago, asking for me then hanging up? I was on a break. But I’m here now. How can I help you this evening, Mr Underwood?”

This family really knew how to weaponise surnames.

I felt guilty, okay? Yes, I’d called to see if Adam was there for the sole purpose of avoiding him. I was feeling emotionally fragile and very much not up to going head-to-head with Adam. Mano a mano. Any body part to any body part.

“I’d like to check in, please,” I said politely.

“You’d like to book a room?” Adam said. “Of course. Let me check availability. Although I warn you, I suspect we are fully booked.”

“Yes, and one of those bookings is me. I’m all paid up. Gimme the key card, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Adam slanted me a distracted smile, eyes on the computer screen. “No,” he said. “No record of that, I’m afraid.”

“Ha ha.” I poked the counter with a forefinger. “Not tonight.”

“This does happen from time to time,” he said. He sat down in his spinny chair and turned it toward me. Slow and deliberate. Like a Bond villain.

I growled. “Check again.”

Eyes on mine, Adam reached out and tapped the spacebar. “Nope. Nothing.”

I popped my jaw. “I hate your entire family,” I said.

“That’s a bit much, Ray.”

“Is it? Is it? Ha ha, no.” I stabbed at my phone, bringing up my online banking app. “You know where I’ve been for the last six hours?”

“No, but I sense that you’re going to tell me.”

“I have spent the last six hours with your demanding beast of a cousin, completely at his mercy, while he did nothing but work me over. Hard. See if I ever accept an invitation to ‘go somewhere quiet’ with him again.”

“What?” Adam snapped. “I didn’t think you were dating? And he was doingwhatto you?”

I wished ithadbeen a date. Even though Liam was a dick. “To be fair, he let me have a break for a snack and a bottle of water about halfway through the whole ordeal. Otherwise? He wasonme. That man is relentless.”

“Then youaredating?” Adam’s expression darkened, eyebrows pulling low and lips flattening to a hard, tight line. “What did he do to you?”

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