got the darkest tan I’ve ever seen which is quite shocking against her bleached hair.
I have to force myself not to look surprised as I step up. I smile and glance down at her name tag. “Hello, Bonnie. I’m Ben Williams and this is Serafina Lopez. We’re work colleagues, sort of, and I’m afraid there’s been a mix-up. We’ve been put into the same suite.”
“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about that. We’re completely booked through the week.”
I pause and blink a couple of times, then smile. “No problem. Can you find me a room at a hotel nearby?”
Shaking her head, Bonnie says, “There’s a huge cosmetic surgery convention happening through Friday. They’ve booked every room in the city.” Glancing at Serafina, she lowers her voice, “I gave one of the docs a free upgrade. In exchange, he’s gonna pump my face so full of fillers, I won’t be able to move it for months.” She sounds positively giddy.
I stare at her in disbelief, trying to figure out what the hell to do now. I decide to turn on the charm, not that I’m all that practiced in such a maneuver. Leaning one elbow on the counter, I smile. “Bonnie, I know you have to tell most people there’s no room at the inn, but between you and me, there’s got to be something.” I pull a twenty out of my pocket and slide it across the counter. “How about if you just check again?”
“Are you trying to bribe me?” Bonnie asks.
“Not at all,” I tell her. “I found that on the floor.”
Bonnie grabs the money and puts it in her bra before saying, “It’s like I told you before — we don’t have any rooms. Do you want the one you’re already booked into or not? Because if not, I bet I could barter the one you had for a nice mole removal. I’ve got something growing on my shoulder that does not look healthy.”
She’s actually taking the money and saying no? I thought New Yorkers were tough.
Sera takes over with, “We definitely need the suite we have.”
Turning around, I see Maria and Lorenzo grinning at us. They wave excitedly at me and I offer them a weak smile in return. So to recount what’s happening, I’m about to go to one of the most important conferences of my life with an astrologer and now will be bunking with her and her grandparents for two nights. At least it can’t get any worse. Right?
Twenty-Five
Serafina
“A suite!” Abuela gushes as we walk into our airy ocean-view room on the third floor. “How exciting!”
Scooting her out of the way, my grandfather hurries past in the direction of the bedrooms mumbling, “I shouldn’t have had that pizza at lunch.”
“Told you.” Abuela starts to follow him. “We’ll take this room and you kids can have the other one.” She opens her mouth and gives us an exaggerated wink, before adding, “It’s a good thing Renzo and I are hard of hearing, huh?”
Oh no, she didn’t. “Abuela, Ben and I are work colleagues. We aren’t a couple.”
“No time like the present.” She winks again. This is so embarrassing.
“I think we should call down to the front desk for that rollaway. That way you can sleep with me and Abuelo can sleep on a rollaway.” I hurry to pick up the phone and punch in zero for the operator. After chatting with Bonnie again, I discover that all the cots have already been claimed. “No beds,” I tell Abuelo and Ben who are both staring at me expectantly as I hang up the phone.
Abuela waves her hand in front of her face. “We don’t need one. Renzo can sleep with Ben and I’ll sleep with you.”
Ben bolts toward the love seat and lifts the cushions. Why didn’t I think of that? I bet it’s a sleeper. The look of disappointment on his face disabuses me of that notion.
“How about if Abuelo sleeps on the loveseat?” I ask, already knowing the answer is going to be a no. He’s short, but he’s also in his eighties so…
My grandmother shakes her head like she’s trying to dislodge an earwig. “His back would go out. The man needs a bed.” I should take one for the team and say that I’ll take the love seat, but there’s no way I’d ever sleep. I’m a sprawler as my little nap on the airplane so clearly indicated. I’d fall off in no time.
Ben finally grumbles, “He can sleep with me.”