Page 47 of The Now in Forever
Ed gets on his board and skates away, a blur of movement once again. An unstoppable force. I realize I’m still wearing his suit jacket, but he’s too far gone for me to call after him. I’ll give it back in December.
CHAPTER 10
TUESDAY, JULY 2ND
We pull into the hotel roundabout,Rumoursstill blasting. The valet approaches, and Ed hands over the keys. A bellman dressed in a black suit with gold piping whisks our luggage away.
Walking into the lobby is like walking back in time. It’s art déco swanky, with high-backed leather chairs, a rich red Persian rug covering a black and white–tiled floor, mirrored walls, and a long, low, black shellacked bookshelf serving as the front desk. The ceiling is a true work of art; it’s all hammered copper.
Ed strolls up to the front desk, and Anh and I follow.
She takes my arm and whispers, “Is something going on with you two?”
I don’t know how to answer, so I just shush her instead. We get to the desk, and Anh pulls a book off the shelf and holds it up. Of course they have a copy ofVex.
“Put it back,” I whisper.
She purses her lips and sets it on the desk instead. “You should autograph it for them.”
The desk clerk’s eyes go wide. “Oh, my goodness. I knew I recognized your name.” He hands Ed a pen. “Would you mind signing it? It’s such an honor to have you staying with us.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes.An honor.He wrote a book; he didn’t save lives in some third-world country.
Ed smiles, but it’s not his usualtake over his whole face, make his eyes crinkle in the cornerkind of smile. It’s an uncomfortable grimace disguised as a smile. He signs the book quickly.Keep on keepin’ on.
“Here you go, man.”
The clerk nods. “Thank you. Here are your keys.” He hands us each a small leather case with a keycard inside. Leather. I’ve had keycards in little paper sleeves before, but never in a leather case. How much does this place cost?
A bellhop ushers us in the elevator and shows us to our rooms. Two black doors with gold-plated numbers, right next to each other all the way at the end of a hall with a patterned carpet to rival the one inThe Shining.Before we head into our room, Ed says, “Should we just meet in the lobby around six?”
Anh waves. “Sounds great,” she says then walks through the door. I can hear her oohing and ahhing over the amenities.
Ed leans in closer to me. I can smell his citrus scent, and my chest warms. “Hattie…”
He looks at me for a long, drawn-out beat, his warm green eyes snatching my breath away.
“The thing is, I don’t think Icanforget it.”
I search his face and give him a nod. “We’ll meet you at six, dressed to the nines.”
He smiles, the real one this time.
The room is truly amazing. Dark hardwood floors, covered by a massive white fur carpet. A white leather couch and two golden velvet chairs sit in front of a marble fireplace, already lit with a fire. There is a low coffee table, with a marble top to match the hearth and geometric gold legs, a gold bucket of champagne on ice, and two glasses. Anh runs to the fireplace and turns a knob. The fire goes up. She turns it the other way, and the fire goes down.
I laugh. “The magic of gas.”
She beams. “And that’s not all.”
It feels so good to see her happy. She opens the double doors to abedroom with a fluffy king-sized bed, gold geometric wallpaper, and a wall of windows with a door to a balcony.
“Wow.”
“You’re telling me. This must be costing your boyfriend a pretty penny.”
I ignore her and step out onto the balcony, the late-afternoon sun warming my face and casting an amber light on downtown Portland and the Willamette River beyond it.
The champagne cork pops inside. So much for never drinking again. I take a seat in one of the gold metal peacock chairs with blue fur cushions positioned on the deck. It looks more like a throne than patio furniture.
