Chapter 7
MELISANDE
Iwasn’t sure how I’d expected Devon to answer, but it definitely wasn’t by saying that he wanted a shot with me.
He could probably have his pick of just about any woman, and he was interested in me for some reason.
I didn’t get it, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Not after the perfect day I’d just had. For once in my life, I was going to throw caution to the wind when it came to a guy.
“Would you like to stay in Portland for an extra day? I could show you some of the sights.”
“I’d love that.” His answering smile had those butterflies swarming in my belly again.
I’d originally planned to stay in Portland for the weekend, but I hesitated to ask Devon about waiting until tomorrow for the return flight because I didn’t want to overstep.
He’d already done so much by flying me out here, so it hadn’t felt right to ask him to waste another day.
But knowing he wanted to spend time with me made all the difference.
Unfortunately, I’d been planning to stay at my sister’s house, where space was at a premium.
“You can have the guest bedroom, and I’ll bunk on the couch. ”
“I have a better plan,” my sister called from the back porch. I should’ve known she’d be eavesdropping on us, but I’d been so focused on Devon that I hadn’t noticed her step outside. I glared at Ana over my shoulder, but that didn’t stop her from rushing over to us. “Remember Freddy?”
I didn’t know where she was going with this, but I didn’t have much choice but to play along since I recognized the gleam in her eyes—she wasn’t going to stop until she got whatever she wanted.
That didn’t mean I couldn’t give her a bit of a hard time, though.
“Uh, yeah. Of course, I remember Freddy. He’s been Harry’s best friend for more than half his life and just left like fifteen minutes ago. ”
Ana laughed off my sarcasm and turned her attention to Devon.
“Anyway, Freddy’s mom is the general manager of a five-star hotel downtown, and she wanted to do something nice for you.
She’s holding a suite for the two of you for tonight, on the house.
She said it’s a gesture of gratitude for flying Mel out here to make Harry’s birthday wish come true. ”
I narrowed my eyes, not buying her explanation.
“Freddy’s mom, who didn’t even come inside when she dropped her son off to the party, is giving Devon a free suite at a swanky hotel because she wanted to show her thanks?
In the form of a room that probably goes for at least five hundred bucks a night?
And you didn’t have anything to do with this completely random, grand gesture? ”
Ana widened her eyes and pressed her hand on her chest over her heart, trying her best to look innocent. But when I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my toe against the ground, she huffed, “Fine, I might have asked if she could score you guys a room.”
“You guys?” I echoed, uncrossing my arms so I could point at myself. “Now I’m staying at the hotel with Devon?”
She tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. “Did I forget to mention that the room is a two-bedroom suite? There will be plenty of room for both of you.”
I wished I could say that I couldn’t believe my sister was putting me in such an awkward position, but not much she did would surprise me anymore.
The only weapon I had against her deviousness was guilt, so I decided to go with that.
Jutting my bottom lip out in a tiny pout, I asked.
“Are you being so pushy because you don’t want me to stay here with you guys? ”
Unfortunately for me, Ana wasn’t going to be put off that easily. “You know that you’re always more than welcome in my home.”
“Then why are—”
That’s as far as she let me get before thrusting a piece of paper toward Devon.
“Ignore my sister. Logic will eventually overcome her shyness, and she’ll see the advantage of staying downtown instead of being out here in the suburbs.
That’ll save you guys a ton of time while you're playing tourist and also when you need to head to the airport. The room is under your name, and the address is on here.”
“Thank you.” He accepted the note from Ana before turning toward me. “Going to a hotel is actually a good solution since there’s no way in hell I’d be okay with you giving up your bed for me to sleep on a couch. And like your sister said, we’ll be closer to the tourist sites and the plane.”
I wasn’t sure what to think about how quickly he jumped on board with Ana’s plan, but a little thrill of excitement went through me at the idea of being alone with him.
Along with a healthy dose of fear since we’d be sharing a hotel room, even if it was a two-bedroom suite.
Not that either of them gave me a chance to share what I was thinking since my sister ran with her idea as soon as he agreed.
Less than fifteen minutes later—after I kissed all over Harry—she practically shoved us out the door.
“Well, that wasn’t awkward at all,” I mumbled as Devon backed the rental car out of their driveway.
“If you’re not comfortable with sharing a suite, I can get another room when we check in,” he offered.
“How are you still single?” My cheeks filled with heat as soon as I realized what had just popped out of my mouth. But seriously, the question begged to be answered.
He glanced at me, his lips curving into a grin before he returned his attention to the road. “I could ask you the same question.”
“As if,” I snorted, rolling my eyes. “It isn’t the same thing at all.
I’m a twenty-three-year-old college graduate with a ton of debt and no job.
You’re a hot guy who served in the military, knows how to fly planes, and has what I’m assuming is an awesome career since your boss let you borrow a freaking plane for the weekend. ”
“You do realize that a big part of why the auction went viral was because you’re fucking gorgeous, right?” My eyes widened as I shook my head. “Plus, you put your life on hold to save your nephew.”
I shrugged. “All I did was donate some bone marrow. Anyone would’ve done the same under the circumstances.”
“I wish I could agree with you, but you’re wrong.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his knuckles turned white. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking about some of the things he’d seen when he was in the military. “Don’t downplay the importance of what you did.”
“I couldn’t imagine living in a world without Harry.” I sniffled, remembering how I had felt as though someone had punched me in the stomach when Ana had called to tell me about his diagnosis. “He’s such an amazing little boy.”
“Tell me your favorite story about him.”
Harry was one of the few topics I could speak about for hours without feeling self-conscious, so the trip to the hotel flew by.
I didn’t have much time to think about the fact that I was going to be walking into a hotel room with a guy I’d just met.
It should’ve been awkward, but I was more at ease with Devon than I ever remembered being with another guy.
Between sitting in the co-pilot’s seat next to him for the flight to Portland, being aware of everything he did while I tried avoiding him during the party, and talking about my nephew for the past hour, Devon had somehow managed to sneak behind the wall I usually kept up around people I didn’t know that well.
After putting my luggage into one of the bedrooms, I walked back out to the shared living room.
I grabbed the magazine highlighting the best local restaurants and tourist attractions off the coffee table and handed it to Devon.
“There are lots of fun places we can go, but we’ll need to keep the budget in mind since my bank account is a little light right now. ”
“Cost isn’t going to be a problem.” He pulled an envelope of cash out of his back pocket and handed it to me. “You have plenty of money to spend.”
I shook my head and shoved the envelope back at him. “Nuh-uh. This isn’t mine.”
“Sure it is.” Instead of taking the cash, he held his hands up. “Your sister gave that envelope to me while you were saying goodbye to Harry. It’s the money from the auction site, minus processing fees.”
I started to shove the envelope into his front pocket, but I yanked my hand back when I realized how close my fingers were to his dick. My cheeks were bright red as I argued, “Then it’s your money because it came from you in the first place.”
“Nope, sorry.” His lips curved into a smug grin.
“The terms your sister listed on the auction clearly stated there were no refunds once the transaction was complete. The only reason Ana didn’t give you the envelope was because she knew you’d argue with her over it, and she wanted to get us out the door before you changed your mind about the hotel. ”
“My sister is so darn sneaky,” I muttered, rifling through the bills. “The only way I’m taking this is if we blow the whole thing doing stuff you pick while we’re in Portland.”
“Hooah,” he agreed with a determined gleam in his dark eyes.
Devon was more than up to the challenge.
We spent the next day and a half seeing all the sights Portland had to offer, from the Spruce Goose at an aviation museum to whales on a boat tour on the Pacific.
We ate at three of the best restaurants in the city, dropping about five hundred bucks on dinner alone.
I couldn’t remember having as much fun with anyone else, and I was sad for our time together to come to an end when he dropped me back off at my apartment the following evening.