Game Changer by Kelly Jamieson Page 0,14
think it would be all booked. I can go somewhere else.”
There isn’t anywhere close by. The resort is on a large property on the coast. I sigh. “We’ll just share a room. Something will open up after the conference, I’m sure.”
Molly bites her lip. “Well, okay.”
I finish checking in, and we go to our room on the fourth floor.
“Ocean view!” Molly whisks straight to the big window and draws back the curtains. “Oh, this is beautiful!”
The resort sits atop a bluff next to the ocean, so the view is panoramic. The sun hangs low over the Pacific, gilding the blue with glints of silver and gold. It really is nice, but I almost enjoy Molly’s delight more than the view.
She unlocks the sliding door and opens it to step out onto the balcony. I follow and inhale the soft, fresh air. A couple of wicker chairs and a small table sit in the corner.
“Did you know the Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean in the world?”
I grin. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did know that. Also the deepest.”
“Yes. The Mariana Trench is the deepest ocean trench, deeper than the height of Mount Everest.”
“Which is…?”
She turns to me. “The height of Mount Everest?”
“Yeah.”
“Twenty-nine thousand, twenty-nine feet.” She rolls her eyes. “I can’t wait to get my feet wet in the ocean.” Eyes warm and soft, she adds, “Thank you for letting me come with you. For a while, I forgot about what a mess my life is.”
My heart softens. “Your life isn’t a mess. But good, I’m glad we’ve taken your mind off things. Now, we need to get ready for the party.”
“Oh! Are people going to be dressed up?” She sinks her teeth into her plump bottom lip, a small divot appearing between her eyebrows.
“Nah. Well, Chelsea will.”
Her eyebrows shoot up.
“I don’t mean that in a negative way. That’s just her.”
“Okay. I guess I can wear that sundress I bought earlier.”
“That’ll be fine.” Except the idea of her changing into a sundress in the room we’re sharing has every nerve ending in my body on alert. What the hell was I thinking?
Molly turns back to the room. “The room is lovely too.”
This resort is five stars, so yeah, it’s pretty nice. I picked it because it’s close to Dad’s place and to Matthew and Aline’s home where the party is tonight.
The king-size bed takes up a lot of space.
One bed.
What the hell are we going to do about that? There’s a sort of couch—a chaise, I think it’s called—but there’s no way in hell I’ll fit on that. But I’d feel guilty making Molly sleep there.
Again, what the hell was I thinking?
Well, we’ll worry about that later. “I’d like a shower,” I say. “Traveling makes me feel gross.”
“Go right ahead. I’m going to call my parents and let them know I’m okay. And Grace.”
I find my toiletry bag and lock myself in the huge bathroom, all marble and stone tiles. The shower is fantastic. I could stand under there for an hour, but there’s someone else who might want to use it.
My mind drifts to Molly in the shower…
Shit! What am I doing? She’s Chucky’s fiancée. Ex. But no matter. She’s still not someone I can be having wet, soapy fantasies about. Ever. We’re friends.
As I dry off, I realize I should have grabbed a change of clothes. I wrap a towel around my waist so I’m decent and open the door to release a cloud of steam.
“Next,” I announce, stepping into the room.
Molly’s already changed into her dress and is brushing her hair in front of the dresser mirror. Her eyes shift to me and widen, then blink rapidly. “Um…”
Her gaze tracks over my chest, the towel, then back up. I swipe at a water trickling down my shoulder.
“Right,” she says breathlessly.
Damn. I’m having shower fantasies about her, and she’s ogling me. This is a disaster in the making. I’m going to have to be on my best behavior. Not something I’m good at when it comes to women.
But this is Molly.
She looks so pretty in that dress—a flowery print in shades of orange and gold, a fitted top with tiny straps and a ruffled skirt.
She picks up the pink makeup bag she purchased earlier and disappears into the bathroom.
I dress at rapid speed in case she emerges from the bathroom, but she’s in there for a while. I unpack a few things into the drawers Molly has left empty for me. She’s filled a few with