Page 22 of Game Changer
I knew this wasn’t a good idea.
“You’re kidding me.”I stare at the clerk at the front desk of the Tarragona Resort in Rancho Palos Verde.
“I’m sorry, sir.”She gives me a sympathetic smile.“There are a few weddings being held here tonight, and tomorrow visitors are arriving for a big conference.”
“You have no rooms at all.”
“That’s right.We can let you know if we have a cancellation, though.”
Molly’s hovering beside me anxiously.“I’m sorry,” she whispers.“It’s a big resort, I didn’t think it would be all booked.I can go somewhere else.”
There isn’t anywhere close by.The resort is on a large property on the coast.I sigh.“We’ll just share a room.Something will open up after the conference, I’m sure.”
Molly bites her lip.“Well, okay.”
I finish checking in, and we go to our room on the fourth floor.
“Ocean view!”Molly whisks straight to the big window and draws back the curtains.“Oh, this is beautiful!”
The resort sits atop a bluff next to the ocean, so the view is panoramic.The sun hangs low over the Pacific, gilding the blue with glints of silver and gold.It really is nice, but I almost enjoy Molly’s delight more than the view.
She unlocks the sliding door and opens it to step out onto the balcony.I follow and inhale the soft, fresh air.A couple of wicker chairs and a small table sit in the corner.
“Did you know the Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean in the world?”
I grin.“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did know that.Also the deepest.”
“Yes.The Mariana Trench is the deepest ocean trench, deeper than the height of Mount Everest.”
“Which is…?”
She turns to me.“The height of Mount Everest?”
“Yeah.”
“Twenty-nine thousand, twenty-nine feet.”She rolls her eyes.“I can’t wait to get my feet wet in the ocean.”Eyes warm and soft, she adds, “Thank you for letting me come with you.For a while, I forgot about what a mess my life is.”
My heart softens.“Your life isn’t a mess.But good, I’m glad we’ve taken your mind off things.Now, we need to get ready for the party.”
“Oh!Are people going to be dressed up?”She sinks her teeth into her plump bottom lip, a small divot appearing between her eyebrows.
“Nah.Well, Chelsea will.”
Her eyebrows shoot up.
“I don’t mean that in a negative way.That’s just her.”
“Okay.I guess I can wear that sundress I bought earlier.”
“That’ll be fine.”Except the idea of her changing into a sundress in the room we’re sharing has every nerve ending in my body on alert.What the hell was I thinking?
Molly turns back to the room.“The room is lovely too.”
This resort is five stars, so yeah, it’s pretty nice.I picked it because it’s close to Dad’s place and to Matthew and Aline’s home where the party is tonight.
The king-size bed takes up a lot of space.
One bed.
