Page 33 of Better Watch Out
ChapterThirteen
“Please tell me I’m not dreaming.” Frannie rushed into her hotel room—no, suite!She was staying in a suite with a sitting area and … She stopped in front of the fully decorated Christmas tree placed perfectly in front of windows trimmed with garland, berries, and red bows. She slid her fingers along a branch. It was real. “There’s a Christmas tree in my room.”
“So, the room’s okay, then?” Andrew said, and his hesitance spun her around.
“Are you serious?” She turned in a circle, arms stretched out. “The room is amazing.”
Andrew’s lips curled up at the corners, easing into a smile that made her blush. A low laugh rumbled out of him but it wasn’t the kind that made her feel embarrassed by her over-the-top enthusiasm; rather, it left her feeling a bit giddy. Or maybe it was just the beautiful room she was standing in that was giving her that feeling. Not the handsome bodyguard.Oh yes, nothing makes a girl weak in the knees quicker than tinsel.She averted her attention to a plate of cookies sitting on the coffee table next to a note.
She grabbed the note and read it.
Ms. Frost, I know this doesn’t make up for the trouble but I do hope you will enjoy your stay. Sincerely, Mr. Malone.
“Mr. Malone?” She set the note down and removed the plastic wrap from the plate. “Who’s he? Your boss?”
“In a way, yes.” Andrew lifted her suitcase. “Where would you like me to put this?”
Heat flamed up her neck. She’d been so enamored with the hotel’s luxurious decorations that she’d completely forgotten she’d left him with her suitcase. “I’m sorry.” She bent to take the suitcase handle from him at the same time he bent to pick up the purse she’d dropped and their foreheads collided.
“Ow.” She rubbed her head. “Sorry.”
“Sorry,” he said at the same time, his gray-blue eyes moving over her face as his thumb brushed across her forehead, sending a tingling sensation through her. Her neck grew hot, reminding her of the way he’d slipped her scarf around it back at the hotel. Man, was it just her or was the room getting hotter by the second? “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She blinked. Did that come out breathless? Stepping back, she needed distance and a distraction from the man whose touch was recalibrating her internal temperature. Trying again, she reached for her suitcase and rolled it to the closet, where she took out the stand. “I’d really like a chance to thank your boss for allowing me to stay here. I would’ve been happy with any room.”
“I can pass along the message.”
His tone sounded weird and a flicker of something Frannie couldn’t name passed through his eyes as he lifted her suitcase to the stand. Did he feel obligated to hang out with her—she looked at the stunning room she was in, one she could never afford in a million years, and then back to Andrew.
“Look, you really don’t have to hang out with me today. I’m sure you have better things to do.”
He straightened and met her gaze. “The candy cane scavenger hunt starts after lunch. There’s a restaurant downstairs or you can order room service, it’s all covered.”
Frannie didn’t know why but she wanted to take back the permission she gave him to not hang out with her. She didn’t know if it was Calvin’s engagement post, her co-worker’sconcernedmessage, or her mom’s reminder that she could basically tuck tail and return home, but her emotions were all over the place and left her not wanting to be left alone right now.
Andrew’s eyes roamed her face like he could read her thoughts, and his expression softened. “There’s something I have to do for work but I promise you I’ll be back in time for the scavenger hunt.”
There was no reason why his promise should mean so much to her but it did and she couldn’t stop her smile. “And ice skating, right?”
The corner of his lips lifted. “Yes, ice skating too.”
Nothing in the way he was looking at her now made her feel like he was under obligation and the idea that maybe she could have at least one fun day here in New York City, checking off a few bucket list items, made the world seem right again.
At a quarter past two,Frannie was in her own version of a Hallmark Christmas movie. And it had nothing to do with the sugar high she had from the candy cane scavenger hunt she and Andrew nearly won before considering their under twelve competitors.
Frannie smiled. Bryant Park was more than she imagined. Positioned in front of the New York Public Library was an ice-skating rink surrounded by the cutest Christmas market. At the front was a giant Christmas tree. Andrew confirmed it wasn’t nearly as big as the one at Rockefeller Center but she didn’t mind because he also mentioned Rockefeller didn’t have a carousel and this area did.
The snow hadn’t kept anyone away. New Yorkers and tourists, young and old, were shopping, sipping hot drinks, skating, and with the Christmas music playing overhead, it was hard not to let herself get caught up in the magic of the moment.
Frannie took some photos with her cell phone while Andrew was getting their skates. It wasn’t a competition but if Calvin was going to blast his news all over social media, she’d at least have photos to prove she wasn’t hiding in her room, mourning a broken heart.
It was strange, but the initial sting of the breakup felt like it was wearing off. She’d replayed Calvin’s words over and over, and it was becoming increasingly more embarrassing to admit that maybe he was right. When he’d left for London, he hadn’t committed to a long-distance relationship. That was her.
“I’ve got bad news,” Andrew said, walking over without skates. “Ice skating is over for the day.” Her disappointment must’ve been obvious because Andrew quickly waved two tickets. “But, there’s bumper tubes.”
“What are bumper tubes?”
In answer to her question, a loud cheer erupted around her and she looked to where the Zamboni was tugging a chain of large, brightly colored tubes with a seat in the middle of them. The staff unhooked the tubes and Frannie watched the first round of riders select their tubes. A couple of minutes later, the riders began maneuvering their tubes, bumping into others, sliding across the ice, and spinning in circles.
