Page 81 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
Tala
Happy birthday, Gabe
By the way, Luna’s flight took off on time. Just in case you’re curious.
The ringing woke me up.
I cracked my eyes open with a groan and instantly regretted last night’s decisions. I’d known that having too much alcohol was a bad idea, but the longer I spoke with my father, the more drinks I consumed.
The doorbell rang again. Damn me for having been too drunk to switch on thedo not disturbsign last night. Or was it this morning?
With half-closed eyes, I padded to the front door and swung it open.
The room attendant flashed me a smile and chirped, “Happy birthday, Mr. Martins!”
I kept myself from grimacing even though her perky voice grated on my hungover nerves. “Thank you,” I managed to say.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you? I was instructed to greet you at this time.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s noon, sir.”
That snapped me awake.Noon? I hadn’t slept in that late in more than a decade.
Only then did I notice the serving cart in front of me. It held two steel domes, a coffee pot, and a full table service set.
“May I bring this inside?”
I frowned. “I didn’t order anything.”
“We received a request to deliver this to you.”
I’d been staring at the cloches like they held the answer to my confusion, but at the woman’s explanation, my eyes snapped up to her face. “Who requested it?”
She gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that. But rest assured that this was all prepared in-house and has not been compromised in any way.”
Nodding, I stepped aside to let her roll the cart in. As she set up the table, I hunted for my wallet in the bedroom and pulled out some cash. I passed the full-length mirror along the way and realized I’d been half-naked all this time.
I was never getting drunk again.
I pulled on a shirt before heading back into the dining area.
“Enjoy your meal, Mr. Martins.” The woman smiled at me.
I handed her a tip. “Thank you.”
When I was alone again, I stared at the large plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and toast. Beside it was a smaller plate with a mini chocolate cake and a blue candle.
And propped in the opposite seat was a bright blue balloon with the wordsHappy Birthdayprinted in silver.
My stomach churned. Only one person would have thought to get me that, and our phone call last night shot back into my head with painful clarity.
I squeezed my eyes shut as the weight of what I’d said sank in. Luna had called me an asshole in the past, and she was right.
Finding my phone under the discarded shirt on the bedroom floor, I unlocked it to find two messages from Tala. The first was a birthday greeting. The second came in just an hour ago, informing me that Luna’s flight had left on time—“in case you’re curious,” she’d said.
I swallowed and tasted bile and regret. Then I dialed her number.
