Chapter 24
ELIZA
When I woke up, I was alone and in a bed I didn’t recognize, which was odd, considering that the last thing I remembered, I’d been in the movie theater with Jesse. Slowly sitting up, I blinked at the morning light filtering through the windows and looked around the unfamiliar bedroom.
It was gorgeous, simple, but tasteful, with crisp white bedding and dark wood furniture.
I could only assume Jesse had brought me here after I’d fallen asleep, but it was also clear that he hadn’t slept in this room with me.
The pillows on the other side of the bed were pristine, the sheets still tucked in on that side too.
It shouldn’t have bothered me that he could’ve chosen to bring me to his room but had instead brought me here.
If anything, it was considerate and respectful, but there was a not-so-small part of me that had secretly hoped starting our lives together would involve, perhaps, sleeping in the same bed.
Either way, it looked like that wasn’t happening, but I tried not to be too disappointed about it.
So far, Jesse had seemed extremely sensitive to the fact that so much of my life had changed after he’d chosen me instead of Winnie.
Maybe he was simply waiting to talk to me about it, which was a good thing.
A positive sign.
With that thought in mind, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and padded down the hallway in search of coffee and answers. The house was suspiciously quiet, though.
“Jesse?” I called, but he didn’t answer. “Are you here?”
Still no response. I sighed and ran a hand through my loose hair. Obviously, he was already gone. Which left me with yet another day of absolutely nothing to do. Yesterday, it had felt like a treat. This morning, however, the prospect was a little more intimidating.
Coffee first. Everything will feel so much better after coffee.
Determined not to spend the day moping around, left alone in a new city with nothing to do, I walked into the kitchen and stopped short. There was a note on the counter and next to it was a stack of cash so thick, it could have doubled as building material for a small house.
I frowned, wondering just what in the hell that was supposed to be for until I picked up the note. The handwriting on it was hurried but not illegible.
Good morning, Sunshine.
Sorry to miss you. I had to run into the office early.
Use the cash if you need anything. I’m having a card delivered for you soon, but in the meantime, use this one.
Expect a call from a man named Arnold at 10. He’ll take you to a day spa and then wherever you want after that.
—J
Blinking hard, I slowly lowered the note and glanced back at the pile of money. Cash he apparently wanted me to use. For… anything.
“I wonder if this what drug dealers feel like,” I murmured idly into the empty kitchen, reaching for the stack and shaking my head as I picked it up.
I honestly couldn’t believe that all this was supposed to be for me. That it hadn’t been earmarked for something more important than simply whatever I wanted. To add to that, a very fancy-looking black credit card sat next to where the money had been.
It was glossy and heavy enough to double as a throwing weapon. Scrawled across the front were the words Westwood & Sons. I turned it over in my hand, struggling to believe that he’d left it in addition to all the cash.
It seemed entirely excessive. What on earth is he expecting me to buy, a developing country?
As I placed the card back on the counter, I caught sight of the clock above the door and stiffened. 9:59.
Right as the numbers flicked over to ten, my phone rang in the pocket of my dressing gown. I practically jumped out of my skin, but quickly remembered that he’d told me to expect this call. It looked like Arnold was unsettlingly punctual.
“Hello?” I said as I picked up. “Arnold?”
“Yes, Miss Roderick,” a polite male voice said. “Good morning. Mr. Westwood asked that I drive you today.”
Wow. Right on time. “Of course,” I said. “Where are you?”
“Outside, Miss.”
Naturally, he’d be waiting on the one day I hadn’t dressed and made myself presentable as soon as I’d climbed out of bed. “Very well. Would you mind waiting just a few minutes?”
“No problem, Miss. Take your time. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I won’t keep you waiting long.”
With that, I hung up, and twenty minutes later, I was sliding into the backseat of a sleek black car while Arnold gave me a warm smile in the rearview mirror.
He looked to be in his sixties, with kind eyes and the calm confidence of someone who’d spent decades driving important people to important places.
“Good morning, Miss Roderick,” he said warmly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you, Arnold.”
He held my gaze in the mirror for a beat. “Mr. Westwood said you’d like to visit the spa at the Royal Hotel?”
“I think he decided that for me,” I said quietly. “I’m sure it will be lovely, however.”
Arnold chuckled softly as he pulled into traffic. “That sounds like Will. He likes that place. Whenever Charlotte sets foot in town, he checks her in there for a day of being spoiled.”
I frowned slightly. “Will likes the place?”
“Yeah, he even goes there himself sometimes after a long week,” Arnold said fondly. “He says they give the best massages in the city. Even I’ve gone at his insistence. He’s treated me and my wife a few times.”
“Oh.”
I looked out the window, but Arnold kept making polite conversation.
“Will prefers the eucalyptus steam room. If you ask me, he’s wrong about that.
I like the head massages, but my wife enjoyed the hot stones.
He doesn’t like those at all, though. If he didn’t book one for you, add it to your treatment plan. You’ll love it.”
Suddenly, I sat up a little straighter. “If Will didn’t book one?”
“Yes, Miss.”
I leaned forward slightly between the seats. “You mean Jesse. I’m engaged to Jesse, Arnold. Not Will.”
His eyes flicked to the mirror and he paused for a beat. “Oh. Yes. Of course.”
The weird tone in his voice made my stomach do a tiny somersault. Suspicion crept into my gut and I shifted forward a bit more. “Why do you keep talking about Will if you know that I’m Jesse’s fiancé?”
He hesitated. “I suppose it’s just that I’ve known Will for longer. I’ve been driving him for years. He’s loyal, you see? He and I got along well on the first trip he took with me and he’s been hiring me ever since.”
I took a moment to process that. “That’s interesting. The Will you’re talking about sounds an awful lot like the Jesse I know.”
Arnold cleared his throat politely. “Well, they are twins, after all. It makes sense that there would be some overlap.”
“Of course.” Except the way Jesse had told it, it hadn’t sounded like there were many similarities between him and his twin at all. “I’m simply curious. There are so many Westwoods to get to know.”
He finally chuckled again. “There sure are. They’re a great family, though. You’re lucky to be becoming a part of it.”
I inclined my chin in a nod, my gaze flicking back to the window. Chicago passed us by, but in the back of my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Arnold had kept talking about Will and about how much the Will he knew sounded like my Jesse.
Eventually, I leaned forward again. “Arnold?”
“Yes, Miss?”
“Will you tell me more about Will?” I asked, determined to learn everything there was to know because right now it felt like I was missing something. I just wasn’t sure yet precisely what it was.
Three hours later, however, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I’d learned that Jesse, Will, Charlotte, Arnold, and his wife had all been right.
If there was a heaven, I was now convinced it was a day spa.
After Arnold had dropped me off right in front of the entrance, I’d given the kind woman at reception my name and she’d led me to the most beautiful dressing room I’d ever seen, leaving me to change into a robe softer than any textile I’d previously encountered.
I’d had a massage, during which the therapist had found muscles in my back I hadn’t known existed.
Then she’d negotiated their release like a highly trained diplomat.
The facial had made me briefly consider never leaving the building again, and I’d nearly cried while reclining on a heated chair, sipping cucumber water under a blanket.
When it was finally over, I felt like a whole new person. Someone so relaxed that I might willingly forgive several of humanity’s worst offenses.
Arnold was leaning against the side of the car when I came out, and he grinned when he saw me. “Did you enjoy the spa, Miss Roderick?”
“Very much,” I said honestly. “In fact, I’ve decided that I would like to live there permanently.”
He chuckled and pushed away from the car to open the door for me. “If they’re taking applications, I’d like to put my name on the list as well.”
“We should ask.” I smiled as I slid into the seat. “Perhaps we could start a movement.”
Arnold nodded enthusiastically, shutting the door once I was in and walking around the car to the driver’s seat. Once we were on the road again, he glanced at me in the mirror. “Where would you like to go next?”
“Next?” I asked. “Well, I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
“Mr. Westwood gave me strict instructions to take you wherever you want.”
“Jesse?”
Arnold nodded politely. “Sure.”
I frowned at the back of his head. It hadn’t sounded like he’d believed that for even a second, but before I could interrogate him further, he glanced back at me. “So, where to?”
As I thought about it, I realized I truly had absolutely no idea. Shopping sounded exhausting. Visiting tourist attractions sounded worse, but then I remembered something important.
“I need a kettle,” I said. “Could you take me someplace where I could find a real kettle and some good tea?”
Arnold blinked a few times. “A real kettle and good tea?”
“Yes. I would truly appreciate if we could find those things today.”