Page 31 of Anything For You
Elizabeth set her bag down at the reception desk, and the woman behind it smiled.
“Checking in. Moretti. One room.”
The receptionist’s fingers moved across her keyboard. Kelsey stood beside her, close but not quite touching, the way someone stands next to a colleague at a conference check-in. Not the way a girlfriend stands. The two-hour drive had calcified the distance between them into something physical, something Elizabeth could feel in the inches of air separating her arm from Kelsey’s, and she should have been relieved by that distance because distance was the whole point. Distance was what kept this transactional, distance was safe.
The receptionist was pulling up the reservation. Elizabeth kept her eyes forward. In the large mirror mounted behind the desk, she could see the lobby reflected back at her, the heavy wooden beams and the tall windows, and she could see the front entrance. She could see Sonia walking through it, rolling a small black suitcase behind her, sunglasses pushed up on her head.
Something clicked on inside Elizabeth like a switch being thrown.
Her body knew what to do before her mind caught up. She turned toward Kelsey, and her hand was already moving, reaching for the strand of blonde hair that had come loose from behind Kelsey’s ear, and she tucked it back. Slowly. Her thumb grazed the curve of Kelsey’s ear on the way down, and she let the touch linger one beat longer than necessary.
Kelsey’s eyes widened, a quick flash of surprise, and then her expression softened into something that looked almost grateful, and Elizabeth let her hand fall to the small of Kelsey’s back and pulled her in.
Kelsey came. No resistance. She shifted into Elizabeth’s side like she’d been waiting for it, and the warmth of her hip against Elizabeth’s was immediate. Elizabeth kept her gaze on the mirror behind the desk, watching Sonia’s reflection get closer.
“Elizabeth!”
Sonia’s voice carried across the lobby with the easy volume of a woman who’d never worried about being too loud. Elizabeth turned as if she hadn’t already tracked her across the lobby.
“Sonia.”
Sonia parked her suitcase and looked at Kelsey. Her face opened into genuine pleasure. “And Kelsey. Hi. I’m so glad you’re here.” Her voice dropped. “She needs someone with her today. I know she’s moved on. Obviously. But it’s still going be a strange day. She shouldn’t be alone.”
“I know.”
“Ms. Moretti?” The receptionist held out two key cards in a small paper sleeve. “Room 314. Elevators are to your left.”
Elizabeth took the cards and picked up her garment bag.
“We’re going to head up,” Elizabeth said. “Get settled. And then start getting ready.”
“Go, go.” Sonia waved them off. “I’ll see you both at the ceremony. Save me a seat if you get there first.”
Elizabeth guided Kelsey toward the elevators. She pressed the call button. The doors opened, and they stepped inside.
The elevator was small, barely large enough for both of them and their bags. The mechanical hum of the cables filled the space between them and it wasn’t enough, wasn’t nearly enough to cover the silence.
She stared at the illuminated number above the door. Two. Climbing to three.
She could still feel the exact place where Kelsey’s hip had pressed against hers.
The number changed to three. The elevator slowed, and the doors opened onto the third floor.
Elizabeth wheeled her suitcase to room 314.
The lock beeped twice and the light turned green.
Elizabeth pushed the handle down and the door swung inward and the first thing that hit her was the cold. The room’s air conditioning had been running for hours, preparing for guests who hadn’t arrived yet, and the chill pressed against her face and bare forearms like stepping into a walk-in cooler. Behind it came the smell, that particular hotel freshness.
She stepped inside and held the door open for Kelsey.
The bed was enormous.
One king. White duvet pulled tight across the mattress, four pillows arranged in a symmetrical stack against a padded headboard the color of oatmeal. The bed sat in the center of the room, flanked by two nightstands with matching brass lamps. Beyond it, a window framed a view of the grounds.
She’d known this was what she’d booked. She’d chosen a king because a real couple would choose a king, because requesting two beds or a pullout sofa was not something she wanted repeated at the reception desk, where anyone might hear. It was the logical choice. It was still the logical choice.
It was also a very large bed in a very quiet room, and Kelsey was standing right behind her.
