Chapter Three
chapter three
PAIGE
“This can’t be right.”
I glance down at the envelope that specifies my room number and compare it to the door number I’m standing in front of. They match, but something must be wrong because this is the penthouse suite, and I know I didn’t book this room. I make a good living as the CMO at Kingston, but not that good of a living.
Pulling the key card out, I place it against the door, and the green light instantly appears, the door clicking open. I push it all the way open and step inside, letting the door close on its own while I take in my surroundings.
This isn’t a room. It’s a goddamn apartment. The living room is almost the same size as mine at home, and the kitchen is sleek with state-of-the-art appliances.
I leave my luggage in the foyer and go on a quick tour, finding there are two gorgeous, massive bedrooms and two full-size bathrooms—one of them complete with a Jacuzzi tub that could fit five people .
When I pull the curtain open in what appears to be the master bedroom, I’m hit with the most stunning view of London, making my heart swell. It’s been over a year since I’ve been here, and I didn’t realize how much I needed to see this to remind myself that despite the bad that’s happened here, it’s still the place my mom loved. The last place I felt like was home. And I’m not going to let shitty situations, like my dad moving us away or John screwing my ex-friend, ruin the magic my mom felt here.
I unlock the French doors and step outside, inhaling the crisp, fresh air. It’s almost ten, so the sun is shining, helping to warm the chill in the air.
“I miss you, Mom,” I murmur, hoping she can hear me.
I stand on the terrace for several minutes, taking in the city, and decide that I’m going to make the most out of this trip. It might be the end of a chapter in my life, but it’s also the start of a new one.
But first, I need to get the room mix-up handled. I find the phone and dial the front desk, hoping they can find me a different room. While I appreciate what Nate did, I can’t afford to stay here for five nights.
“Good morning, Miss Abrams. My name is Jennifer at the front desk. What can I help you with?”
“Hello,” I say, already missing the room before I’ve even lost it. I mean, can you blame me?
After what I witnessed this morning, the perfect way to start my next chapter would be in style. Hell, if John’s card was the one on file, I might’ve considered keeping it…
I know. I know. That’s immature and petty, and I need to be the bigger person. Sigh.
“I think there’s been a mix-up,” I begrudgingly tell the woman. “I’m in room 1901, but it’s the penthouse, and I booked a standard room with a king.”
“According to the notes, you’ve been upgraded,” Jennifer says sweetly.
“Yes, I can see that. However, I can’t afford the upgrade. So, I need to be moved into a standard room, please.”
Please let there be a standard room available, I plead silently.
“Hmm, can you please give me one moment while I look into this?”
“Of course.”
The music starts up, and I wait patiently. I probably should’ve gone down there since I’m going to have to anyway to get my correct key card—unless this is the only room available, which is how Nate got me a room after I was told they were completely booked.
Damn it, that’s probably what happened.
I’m about to hang up and go down to the lobby when Jennifer comes back on the line.
“Miss Abrams?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Great. So, I have good news. The price of the penthouse was overridden, and you will only be charged the price you were given for a standard room. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Umm, no,” I say in shock, having no clue how this happened. “Are you sure?” I ask because if this is a mix-up and I’m charged for this suite, it’s going to get declined because there’s no way my credit card limit is enough to cover the bill.
“Yes, ma’am. If you check your email, we’ve sent you an updated invoice with the free upgrade.”
“Okay, thank you.”
I hang up and check my email, and sure enough, it’s there, in black and white.
“Well then,” I say to myself, looking around at my room with new eyes. “Should I take a bath or visit my favorite parts of London first?”
I glance outside. “London first, relax after.”
After changing into fresh clothes, hanging the rest of my wardrobe in the closet, and calling Ana to update her on everything, I head down to the lobby so I can start exploring. I have two days before I have to deal with the wedding, and I’m going to enjoy them.
Besides, it’s Valentine’s Day! And there are very few places more romantic than London. Who knows? Maybe I’ll meet a gorgeous Brit I can get under to help me get over my cheating ex.
I’m stepping out of the elevator when I spot the gentleman from earlier. Wanting to thank him again, I call out his name, and he turns his head, his masculine features morphing into the most devastatingly beautiful smile.
“Did you get settled in?” he asks.
“I did. And get this. Somehow, there was a mix-up, and I was upgraded to the penthouse suite…at no charge.”
Nate’s smile widens. “That’s a damn good mix-up.”
“Right? And I even called to make sure I wouldn’t be charged the difference, but they insisted I wouldn’t be.” I shrug. “Maybe it’s a sign. I was starting to wonder if it’s possible that the magic I used to feel in London when my mom was alive was made up, but then you were able to get me a room early, and the view…it reminded me of the magic.”
I take a breath from my long-winded monologue and internally cringe. “Sorry. I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to a crazy woman go on about magic.”
“Actually,” he says, “it’s one of the most refreshing things I’ve heard in a while.”
He glances over at the coffee shop that’s attached to the hotel and then back at me.
“Would you like to grab a cup of coffee with me? I’d love to hear more about this magical London.” A genuine smile spreads across his face, telling me that he’s not making fun of me.
“Sure.” It’s not like I have any concrete plans, and it’s been a while since I’ve spoken about my mom.
Since there’s no line, we both order, and Nate insists on paying. We find a small table in the corner, and after our drinks are ready, we grab them and have a seat.
“Now, tell me about the magic,” Nate says, taking a sip of his drink.
“It’s hard to explain,” I admit. “It’s more like something I feel. When my mom was alive, we traveled a lot because my dad was a pilot. Well, he still is…” I groan, wishing I hadn’t mentioned him at all. “Sorry, he’s, umm…a sore spot.”
I sigh and shake my head, refusing to let my dad’s choices affect me. I accepted a long time ago that when I lost my mom, I lost him too. Sure, he calls me every month to ask how I’m doing, but our conversations are awkward, and I don’t know why he even bothers. John once told me I should tell him to stop calling, but I can’t bring myself to do it. He’s the only family I have left, and I think a small part of me hopes that maybe he’s calling because he does love me despite what he told my mom.
“Anyway,” I continue, “my dad was offered a job based out of London, so he took us to visit, and my mom fell in love with the city. She insisted we stay, and it was the first and only time we stayed somewhere long enough for it to feel like home. “Every day, we would explore the city in some way, and I fell in love with it right alongside her…”
“Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?”
“Because there always is.” I laugh through the tears I’m holding back. “She died from cancer, and then my dad moved us to Rome and then to the States .
“When I graduated from college, I came back here, wanting to be close to my mom…to the magic I’d felt when she was alive. But it wasn’t the same,” I admit. “I love this city, but I don’t know if it’s because she’s not here or because, without her, I feel so alone, but it feels like the magic is gone. Or maybe it was all in my head and the magic never existed.”
The thought that the magic never existed hurts my heart worse than catching John and Phoebe together. The memories of living in this city with my mom are how I want to remember her. When I moved back here and didn’t feel the magic, I chalked it up to being so busy with work that I didn’t have time to truly enjoy the city the way she and I had. But now, I’m here, and if I explore the city and find out the magic really is gone, I’m afraid it’s going to feel like I’ve lost my mom all over again. Only this time, it will be worse because without the memories of the magical city, I’ll have nothing left of her.
“Show me,” Nate says, snapping me from my thoughts.
“What?”
“Show me,” he repeats. “You said your asshole ex cheated, so you have a few days before the wedding, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, I have a few days as well, so how about you show me London through your eyes, through your mom’s eyes? And I’ll let you know if it’s magical or if it’s all in your head.”
“Seriously?” I choke out, wondering why the hell this guy would want to spend his time exploring the city with a stranger.
“Yeah.” He places his hand on mine, and a warmth I’ve never felt before seeps into my skin and heats up my body. “Show me the magic.”
When his bright brown eyes meet mine, I pull my hand back, overwhelmed by the intense connection I feel with him.
Maybe it’s because I’m filled with a myriad of emotions—between my life feeling up in the air and being in the city my mom once loved—but I feel exposed, and as much as I want to let this man in, I can’t risk being hurt again. We’re both nothing more than two strangers who happen to be in the same place at the same time, and once we check out of this hotel, we’ll go back to our lives and never see each other again.
And then it hits me…
“Are you in a relationship?” I ask, needing to know.
Before John cheated, I wouldn’t have even thought to ask. But now, I feel like I can’t assume anything. My trust has recently been destroyed, the wounds still fresh, and while I shouldn’t take it out on Nate, I can’t help how I feel.
“What?” He looks at me like he’s been slapped.
“Are you dating anyone? Engaged? Married?”
“No,” he bites out. “If I were, I sure as hell wouldn’t be sitting here with you, hoping you’ll spend the next few days with me.”
“Sorry, I had to ask.”
“I get it,” he says. “Unfortunately, I experienced almost exactly what you went through.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” He sighs. “I dated this girl throughout college, and when we graduated, I went to work for my family’s business. Some personal stuff was going on, so I was working a lot of hours, and I thought she understood. Until I came home early one night to surprise her and take her to dinner and found her in bed with my best friend.”
“How did you get past it?”
“With time,” he says with a shrug. “But also, I was glad I found out then, before we got married and had kids.”
“Yeah,” I agree, having thought the same thing earlier. “The last thing I’d want is to put my kids through a divorce. I know divorce rates are high, but my hope is that I’ll find someone who will want me forever. Before my mom got sick, I felt what it was like to have a family. Even though I hated moving around, no matter where we moved, I had my parents. Now”—I exhale a harsh breath—“I feel like I have no one.”
“It’ll take time,” Nate says, giving my hand a squeeze. “But one day, when you’ve met the man you’ll spend your life with, you’ll look back and be grateful that asshole showed his true colors so you could move forward.”
“You haven’t moved forward,” I point out since he said he’s not in a relationship.
“No.” He smiles sadly. “I’d like to. I’d love to meet someone I can share my life with. My parents have been married for over thirty years and are still madly in love.”
“But…”
“But sometimes, I think maybe I’m destined to be married to my job.”
“Or maybe you just haven’t met the right woman yet.”
“Maybe.”
His eyes lock with mine, and butterflies, which have no business being anywhere near me, attack my chest.
“So, what do you say?” he asks. “You going to show me the magic of London?”
I open my mouth to say yes, but stop myself because maybe I’m thinking too much into this, but I can’t risk it. It’s easy to get swept up in a city like London, and right now, I feel extremely vulnerable.
“I live in Houston, Texas,” I tell him, not bothering to mention Rosemary since it’s too small of a town for anybody to know. “Do you live anywhere near there?”
The chances of him living near me are slim, and since I’ve already experienced the heartbreak of being in a long-distance relationship, I’m not doing that again. Which means, if I’m going to spend time with his gorgeous man, I need to make sure the line is clearly drawn so there’s no risk of it blurring.
He quirks a questioning brow, but then says, “I live in?—”
I shake my head. “Don’t tell me. Just answer my question. Do you live near Houston? Close enough that if there were an emergency, like, say, if a huge spider appeared in my shower and I needed you to come save me, you could be there before the spider killed me?”
He snorts out a laugh. “What the hell kind of spiders do you have in Houston?”
“The kind that nightmares are made of,” I deadpan, making him laugh again.
“No,” he says with a sigh. “I don’t live close enough to save you from the deadly spider, but?—”
“No buts,” I say, refusing to let him come up with an argument. “I did the long-distance thing and have the heartbreak to show for it. I’m not saying this thing between us could be headed in that direction. And I don’t want it to sound like I’m being presumptuous. But I need to protect myself, just in case.
“So, if I agree to show you London over the next few days, you have to agree not to share anything about yourself. What happens in London stays in London.”
“Okay,” he easily agrees. “What happens in London stays in London.”