27. Lowri
LOWRI
T hanks to Sean, last night ended significantly better than it started. We soared on the High Roller, literally and figurately. Then Sean whisked me to a romantic Italian dinner at an upscale restaurant named after a Las Vegas icon: Sinatra.
Satiated and fed, exhaustion followed. We returned to the Athena and crashed in Sean’s oversized king bed, each claiming our respective sides for once. We needed to catch up on sleep rather than be tempted to go another round.
A loud knock on the door startles me from my slumber, and I sense daylight seeping in.
I’d have sworn my body didn’t budge all night given how hard I slept.
I would have been wrong. Sean and I still managed to meld our bodies together during the night.
Somehow our arms and legs are intertwined, and my head is resting on Sean’s warm chest. I sigh. He is yummy.
Untangling, I stretch my arms over my head as I yawn. It’s no wonder I had sweet dreams. Who wouldn’t, cuddled up to that man?
As my mind starts functioning, it also hits me that there’s another benefit to being married to Sean. Walter no longer barges in on us. I’m not sure if Sean had a talk with him or if it’s a respect thing on Walter’s part. Either way, I appreciate the added privacy.
Regardless, it's still annoying to be awakened this early given our late night. According to the bedside clock, it’s barely 7:00 a.m. We didn’t need to wake up until 8:00 a.m. Why is Walter so early?
“Sir, madam, may I come in? You have a visitor,” he calls through the door.
“At this hour of the morning? No way,” I murmur groggily to Sean.
Sean looks my way and pulls a sheet over my upper body before answering, “Come in.”
“Sorry to bother you earlier than expected. Ms. Upton, a woman is here with a new phone for you. She’s waiting to set it up and restore your data from the cloud.”
“I didn’t order a replacement phone yet. How would the company know to send one, much less have someone deliver it here?” I ask.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sean says, “I forgot to tell you that I texted Emily last night. She arranged for delivery of one this morning. It didn’t occur to me it would be this early though.”
“Walter, please offer the woman coffee and breakfast. We won’t be long, but we need a few minutes to wake up and dress,” Sean instructs.
“Of course, sir,” Walter replies, closing the door on his way out.
“You ordered a new phone for me. That wasn’t necessary but thank you. I didn’t know there was a personal service that delivers replacement phones though.”
“It’s common for businesses. We have people breaking screens and losing phones all the time. We can’t afford to pay employees to sit at a phone store half a day waiting for a new one. The delivery service saves us money in the end.”
“I wouldn’t have minded another hour or two of sleep. At least this time Walter’s morning surprise was a welcome one, unlike the day he delivered the marriage certificate,” I mumble.
Sean laughs. “True. Let’s grab a quick shower together and throw on clothes. Then you can get your new phone.”
“We better shower separately. I’m not sure she wants to wait as long as our joint showers last.”
“I did tell Walter to feed her breakfast. That should entertain her for a while.”
Playfully punching him in the arm, I laugh. “I don’t want Walter coming back to hurry us up when we’re in the shower. Based on his past behavior, he might walk straight into the bathroom.”
“He knows better now, but okay. You go first. I’ll deal with my emails while you get ready.”
A mere thirty minutes later, the world is right again. The woman from the phone store worked her magic and restored my life— I mean, my phone —from the cloud.
Whew! She saved me a ton of time. It’s such a relief being reconnected to work and everything else. It’s just in time too. As the front door is closing on her way out, my phone dings with an incoming text from Cassie.
Cassie: Want to join me for lunch at Pinot & Pie? I could use your input on a couple of new menu items that I’m testing today.
Me: Absolutely. I’m always up for taste testing, especially if it includes one of your fabulous desserts. Hint. Hint.
Cassie: Dessert is always included. Does noon work?
Me: Sure. I assume the restaurant is locked up until opening night. Is there a secret code or will my palm print let me in? LOL.
Cassie: The doors are unlocked. We have loads of people coming in and out, working on finishing touches to the décor and various last-minute projects.
Me: Okay. See you soon.
Hearing footsteps, I look up as Sean emerges from the bedroom, sporting one of his many bespoke, dark-navy suits, a merlot tie, and ornate cufflinks.
“You’re looking hot, bad boy. Can I convince you to skip work today?” I ask while he adjusts his cuffs.
“Unfortunately, no. My calendar is full. I’m scheduled for one-on-one meetings with my department heads.
I’m also trying to find out why Rossi’s guys showed up here and which employee is involved with them.
I’m sure additional fires will pop up as the day progresses. They always do. What about you?”
“This morning I’ll catch up on work for one of my clients. Then I’m meeting Cassie for lunch at Pinot & Pie. She wants me to see the restaurant’s new décor and try a couple of the recipes that she’s putting on the menu.”
“The design looked impressive on paper. I haven’t had time to stop by yet. Let me know what you think.”
“Okay.”
“If you’re finished by 2:30 p.m., stop by my office.
Ron’s going to explain how he’s addressing the safety problems on the show.
I plan to make him go through every accident we’ve learned about.
It would be helpful if you could sit in on that meeting,” he says, giving me a goodbye peck on the cheek as he heads downstairs to his office.
“I’ll be there,” I reply.
“See you later.”
As the door clicks shut, I head to my makeshift office: Sean’s dining table.
Jenny moved most of my clothes and work-related stuff to Sean’s apartment. It saves time—no need for a trip to my suite each morning.
Walter quickly adjusted to my routine as well. A steaming mug of coffee with a small pitcher of cream and a bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with crunchy granola and fresh berries are waiting for me.
Given how much I value freedom and spontaneity, it surprises me how easily I’ve fallen into this comfortable groove with Sean and his life here.
My normal self would be happy this is ending soon so my life can return to its two distinct worlds: the serious work one and the fun, no-strings, social one.
Instead, I’m inexplicably sad about the inevitable conclusion to my time here.
Huh.
I don’t have time to dwell on my emotions though. A client expects me to send them a draft settlement agreement today. They finally reached an amicable resolution with an injured employee and want me to quickly finalize the agreement. That’s my priority.
Shoot. My laptop’s downstairs. After the interviews yesterday, I worked in my suite instead of returning here. Oh well, I’m not as settled into this life as I thought.
“Walter, please keep my coffee warm. I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab my laptop from downstairs.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
The private elevator makes for a short ride to my suite. Exiting, I abruptly freeze.
Noooo! This can’t be happening to me. What did I do to piss off the universe?
Staring in shock, I take in the shambles. The bed linens are strewn across the floor, the mattress is askew, the lamps are smashed, and the drawers are open—the few sets of underwear I’d left here are spilling over the edges.
Shit. I’ve been robbed—again.