Page 8 of Made Up for Love
Lydia shook her head. “I don’t think so. Shall I try again?” She repeated the action, but the same noise occurred.
“It seems that your card has been declined. Do you have another method of payment?”
Mentally, Lydia did some calculations. Her current account was already well over the overdraft limit and she didn’t have any other cards with her, unless the hotel would accept a store loyalty card. Jacinta had made her put her other ones in the freezer to show her that she didn’t need them. She swapped the cards over and passed the receptionist her debit card instead. It only took seconds for the same decline noise to be heard. Lydia felt a tear creeping down her cheek. If she couldn’t stay, she’d have to call Stewart back and go to the airport.
“It’s okay,” she choked, her voice cracking as she held back the flood of tears that was threatening to fall. “I’ll make other arrangements.” For a moment, she wondered whether they would let her sleep in the bar.
“Can I help?”
The sound of Breakfast Man’s voice from behind her startled her. Lydia had totally forgotten that he was there.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said. “I’ll get my suitcase and then I’ll be out of your way.”
“Let me pay for the room.”
The offer was so completely unexpected that Lydia didn’t know what to say. She had no clue who the man was or why he would even suggest that he would cover her bill. “I can’t accept that, sorry.”
He cocked his head to one side. “Think about it, what are your options? You could sit on the couch over there all evening and be uncomfortable or go and sit in a cold airport lounge with lots of equally put-out travellers. There are no guarantees that there will be any flights first thing, so you might as well stay here.” He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his wallet. “Come on, it’s nearly Christmas and I don’t like to think of a beautiful girl being sad this close to Christmas. Think of it as an early present.”
Lydia’s gaze ran over the man. He was dressed in a beautifully cut charcoal suit, the woollen coat she’d noticed yesterday keeping him warm. She scanned his left hand for any sign of a ring and found none, not that it always meant anything. Her breathed hitched as he smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling. He was totally gorgeous and totally the type she’d go for.
“There is one condition though,” he added.
“What’s that?”
“You have to have dinner with me.”
Whether it was the stress of the situation, the long day or the near miss on the way back to the hotel, Lydia found she didn’t have any more strength to argue. Spending the evening in the company of a hot male could be exactly what she needed.
“Okay, I accept.”
6
Joel wasn’t entirely sure why he’d just offered to pay for a complete stranger’s hotel room. Or why he’d asked her to dinner. Maybe it was the crazy weather that was making him do crazy things. He moved to stand beside her, breathing in the scent of her perfume. It was light and not cloying, like his previous girlfriend’s.
The receptionist, clearly stunned by his actions, turned on a mega-watt smile as she handed the card machine over to him. “Mr Grainger, that is such a kind thing for you to do.”
The woman he currently knew as @lydshenmua turned to him. “Yes, Mr Grainger, it is.” She held out her hand. “I’m Lydia Hendrick.”
Ah, now he understood the handle.
“Joel Grainger.”
He wasn’t prepared for the bolt that shot up his arm the moment he touched her skin. He hadn’t felt anything like that since Zara. Even the few dates he’d been on in the past year hadn’t affected him in the same way and he’d had much more interaction with those women.
They stepped away from the desk, making way for an elderly couple who were interested in finding out whether there would be an open-top bus sightseeing tour in the snow.
“What time do you want to meet for dinner?” he asked.
Lydia shrugged. “I’d like a shower first.” She glanced down at her clothes. “And the chance to make myself look a little bit more respectable. Perhaps an hour?”
“No problem. I’ll meet you at the bar.” He smiled. “No ducking out on me and ordering room service though.”
“I’ll try not to eat the entire bag of M&Ms.” She smiled back and headed off in the direction of her suite.
Joel went back to his room and shut the door behind him. He tossed his coat over the chair and pulled off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. Sinking down onto the bed, he fired up his laptop with every intention of finding out a little bit more about Lydia before dinner. Three messages from Sophia, each sounding more urgent than the last, soon put paid to his intentions.
“Well, how did it go?” She didn’t even give him a chance to say hello. “Rupert’s been badgering me almost constantly since you went in.”
