Page 25 of Last Second Chance

Ididnotgo to breakfast with Scott. After leaving his room, I went to mine and took some headache medicine, just like I said I was going to. I also ate the granola bar that was still in the basket, no longer bothered by the memory it stirred up inside of me. I had other issues with Scott at the moment.

Then, I got into the bathtub, adding bubble bath and using one of the under eye masks he’d included in the hangover kit. My muscles all relaxed as I soaked in the hot water.

When Scott showed up at my door twenty minutes later, knocking, I pretended that I didn’t hear it. I was too humiliated to face him.

My phone was on vibrate, but I could hear it vibrating against the bathroom sink as he called me. Then, short bursts as he texted. One more call, then the phone stopped moving. I wasn’t trying to be a bitch, but I just couldn’t handle it, not after last night.

God, I was such an idiot.

Why in the hell did I go to his room like that?

I wasn’t the kind of person that kept a long list of regrets, but that was definitely at the top of it. I had thought that things would go so differently. Of course, I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly in my drunken state.

Groaning, I folded a wet rag and draped it over my eyes, trying not to think about it.

I stayed in the bathtub until the water grew cold. Getting out, I dried myself off and wrapped the towel around my body before finally picking up my phone. I had two missed calls from Scott and three text messages. I ignored the voicemail notification, but read the messages.

Are you in your room?

I’m at your door.

Where are you?

The voicemail messages probably expanded on that, but I didn’t reply to any of it. I was too hurt, it was all too raw.

Another message came through while I was staring at my phone, but it was from Summer. She wanted to get together this afternoon. The wedding rehearsal wasn’t until the early evening, so she wanted to hang out.

That sounded like a great idea to me, much better than hiding out in my room to avoid embarrassment. I was sure that Scott would come looking for me here again anyway. He was like that, the kind of man that cared enough about his friends to be persistent.

God, I hated the idea of being just his friend. I wasn’t sure if it was even possible.

I texted Summer back, asking if she wanted to have lunch together at a sushi place down the street. She agreed, and I just hoped that I didn’t run into Scott on my way there. What if he looked at me with pity in his eyes?

Getting dressed, I took my time blow-drying my hair and left my room right at noon. The hallway was empty, and I managed to get on the elevator without running into anyone. Down in the lobby, there was a bustle of activity. People were coming and going, there was some kind of event being set up in the banquet hall, and I passed by a huge family that seemed to be in the process of a late checkout. They had at least seven kids, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, so that was a chaotic mass of people right in the middle of the room, lugging suitcases and bickering in the way that only siblings did.

I didn’t even look around for Scott as I headed toward the entrance to the hotel. I just kept my head ducked and blended in with the crowd. Once I was outside, I walked in the direction of the restaurant, relaxing as I put some distance between myself and the hotel.

When I arrived at the sushi restaurant, Summer was already there waiting for me. I sat down across from her in the booth. She was sipping on iced tea and staring out the window, looking about a million miles away until I bumped into the table by accident. When she turned to me, there was something sad about the look in her eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked, momentarily forgetting about my own problems.

“Yeah,” she said, and I didn’t believe it, despite the smile she plastered on her face. “Just being a single gal at a wedding, you know? Kinda gets to ya.”

I had a feeling there was more to it than that, but I wasn’t going to push her. Instead, I picked up a menu and scanned it, deciding to try the yellowtail sushi.

When the waitress came by and took our orders, I felt my phone vibrating inside my pocket. Taking it out, I checked the caller ID, but tucked it away again when I saw Scott’s name. Summer saw it too and raised an eyebrow.

“Scott? You guys are talking again?”

“You saw that I ignored his call, right?”

“But he wouldn’t be calling unless you guys were on speaking terms again.”

She was astute.

“Okay, yes. We’re talking again. Kind of. I mean, I can’t imagine having a normal conversation with him right now. Not after last night.”

Her eyes lit up and she leaned across the table, obviously expecting to hear some juicy gossip. “What happened last night?”

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