was setting in the western sky and Phoebe was in absolute awe of the beauty. Even at the age of 24, her child-like reactions touched me. Before I could come to a stop at the hotel, she literally hopped out and tried to capture the exquisite view on her phone. There was no one but a lady at the front desk when I walked into the lobby. The place was quiet. Back outside, the sun was down, the night cooled, and Phoebe was still lost in the many colors of the sky.
Gathering the suitcases, I set them by the front door while I took the car over to a charging station. As I got back to the front of the hotel, Phoebe’s hands covered her mouth. “I can’t thank you enough.”
I flashed her my best smile as if I took full credit for the glorious view. “Wait until you see Oregon. Mountains with an ocean.” I shrugged.
“Austin. I want to move here. There. Someplace like this. I’m actually cold!” she squealed. “And it’s August!”
Unable to conceal my mile-wide grin, I realized pleasing her had become my mission. I needed a distraction. I snagged two of the suitcases and nodded at the third. “Grab that one and let’s go.” I chuckled as she walked in backward, still staring at her surroundings.
In the confined space of the elevator, our proximity was closer than in the car. My skin itched to touch hers in a way I’d never felt before. I closed my eyes to avoid looking at her.
“You’re not going to snore, are you? I mean, that would like totally ruin my vibe about how awesome this place is.”
I stood in silence as the elevator glided up and I sensed she was completely serious. “Well, please don’t let it go unnoted that I have to be pretty awesome to have brought you to such an awesome place.”
“Fine. You can be awesome too,” she conceded, swatting her hand at me and stepping off as the doors opened. Her scent lingered in her path.
When we reached her suite number, I considered not telling her I’d gotten two rooms. That regardless if I snore or not, which I don’t, she wouldn’t have to hear me.
“Dear God. You are not answerin, which means you sound like a freight train.” When she punched my shoulder in her flirty little way, I tilted my head, preparing to say it out loud and hoping she understood.
“You won’t have to listen to the freight train. I got you your own room, Princess.”
A number of emotions flitted across her face and none of them seemed good.
“I thought you’d be more comfortable,” I added.
She nodded, offering a tight, thin-lipped smirk. Her eyes communicated something the rest of her face didn’t. There was a part of me that felt like I couldn’t win. At the same time, she’d addressed boundaries several times and honoring that was important to me.
After I swiped the card, unlocking the door, her smile softened. “Thank you again, Austin. I’ll repay you when we get there. I’ll be the best fake girlfriend ever.”
The door closed behind her before I had a chance to say anything, which was probably for the best. The probability of me following her in was high. Once in my room, I plugged in my phone to charge and collapsed on the bed. The twelve-hour drive had done me in. A good, three-mile run is what I needed, but not tonight. Thoughts of Phoebe lingered in my head, distracting me from even unpacking or showering. I didn’t mean to hurt her with the separate room thing. I mean, what the hell anyway? She was the one who had set the boundaries in the first place. I closed my eyes, her expression still on my mind.
My eyes shot open with the ding of my phone. Phoebe.
What time are we getting up?
Meet for breakfast at 9?
OK. Sleep well.
You too.
I tossed my shirt onto the floor, opened my suitcase and grabbed my sweat shorts. Sleep had found me, and I actually said “screw it” out loud when I picked up my toothbrush, tossed it next to the sink and sank right back into the bed.
Chapter 5
PHOEBE
Ghosts
THE ROOM WAS so damn quiet I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t slept alone in years. Years. Not even for as long as I remembered. Two things I did remember about the last times I slept alone: DCF came into the home and removed me from my mother’s home. And the night that Bernie snuck