Page 64 of Between the Lines

“We, uh, I mean—I only knew him a couple weeks. Not even that.”

“So? My dad proposed to my mom after their third date. They’ve been married twenty-seven years.”

“Wow. That’s cool.”

“Yeah, isn’t it? Dad said he just knew. Like, when he met Mom, something clicked. Not saying it was like that with you and your boy, only that it’s not impossible to fall for someone fast. And for it to be real.”

“Itwasreal.” It felt good to say it out loud, to acknowledge it to himself. “It just got complicated, I guess. And now it’s over.”

Ashna rubbed his arm. “Plenty more fish in the sea, then?”

She didn’t sound convinced, and it wasn’t much comfort. Truth was, he didn’t want another fish. He wanted Theo. But since when had wanting things made a difference? He’d wanted to save the Majestic, too, and look how that had ended. “I’ll survive,” he said, with a smile he hoped looked more genuine than it felt. “I’m planning to numb the pain tonight. Care to join me for a shot or ten?”

“As a premed student, I feel obliged to warn you about the dangers of alcohol abuse...”

He snorted at her pious expression. “As if premed students aren’t the worst.”

“We like to call it ‘research.’” Another squeeze of his arm, and then she was turning her bicycle around to climb on. “See you later, Luca.”

He watched for a moment or two as she cycled away, impressed by how she balanced the board on the side of her bike, then headed into the Surf Hut. He still had some of his stuff here, and he’d need to bring the van down in the morning to pack up before he headed out. In truth, he wouldn’t be doing any shots tonight, not if he wanted to hit the road before they closed the doors on the Majestic forever.

The sun was on its way to setting by the time he got back to his van and changed into jeans and his least creased shirt. The t-shirt he’d found in Theo’s room still lay on his bed and, staring at it, he found himself wondering whether Ashna was right—perhaps it wasn’t crazy to feel so empty without someone he’d known for less than two weeks. The idea was both comforting and painful, but, either way, he couldn’t think about it now. One drama at a time: he had to get through the final goodbye to the Majestic.

That was heartbreak enough for one day.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Okay, this is it.”

Theo’s heart was in his mouth as Miranda pulled into the driveway of the Majestic Hotel, her tiny Chevrolet Spark crunching over the gravel. While his dad might still have let him use the Lux car service, Theo hadn’t wanted his help. It felt important to do this on his own from the start.

“Wow,” Miranda said as they approached the building. “It’s even cooler than I remembered.”

The Majestic had her finery on display tonight, lights blazing against the evening sky, but she couldn’t hold Theo’s attention. His eyes were fixed on the battered VW campervan parked out front.

He wasn’t too late.

Sucking in a breath, he tried to will himself calm. There was no going back now, anyway; he’d already burned his bridges in New York. All that was left was to go forward. He only hoped words didn’t fail him when he was face-to-face with Luca. And that—even the thought of seeing him again—made him smile. A twitchy, nervous smile, for sure, but still a smile.

“Okay,” Miranda said as she parked up next to Luca’s van. “What’s next, boss?”

“I’m not your boss anymore,” he said absently, his attention captured by the open doors to the Majestic. From inside, he could hear the faint sound of music. Odd, given that Lux would take possession of the hotel in the morning.

“It’s a turn of phrase,” Miranda said. “Besides...maybe I’m hoping you’ll hire me?”

That made him look at her. “You are?”

“We’ll see.”

They would indeed. Absolutely nothing about this insane plan was guaranteed, and there was a fair chance it would be the worst mistake of Theo’s life. But there was also a chance it would be the best thing he’d ever done and there was only one way to find out. Steeling himself, he grabbed his bag and climbed out of the car. He sucked in a deep breath of New Milton air, relishing the sea-tang and the fresh breeze tugging at his neatly styled hair as if urging him to let go, to unfurl like a sail. Despite his nerves, he smiled. Yes. Yes, this felt right.

The sun had only just set, the sky striated in burnt orange and black, and the hotel rose glorious before it.Mine, he thought, with a sharp, nervous pulse.Maybe, ours.

With Miranda a couple steps behind, he headed across the drive and up the steps onto the porch. Closer now, he could hear the music more clearly and his steps faltered. There were other sounds, too: people talking, laughing. A party?

Shit. They were having a party. He stuttered to a halt a few steps inside the doorway. He’d assumed Luca would be alone, or at the least only with Jude and Don.

Miranda’s hand landed on his back. “Don’t stop now, boss.”

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