From Temptation to Twins(35)
“We’ll make it better.” He pushed the door shut.
When he entered on the other side, she handed back his phone. “Password.”
He punched it in. But before handing the phone back to her, he scrolled through some messages.
“Matt’s worried,” he said out loud. “He knew we were coming down here.”
“Do you need to call him?”
Caleb typed in a couple of words. “It can wait.” He handed her back the phone.
She dialed while he navigated their way from the near-empty parking lot.
It took Melissa a couple of rings to answer.
“Did I wake you?” Jules asked.
“Not really. Why? What’s going on? Did you lose your phone?”
“I’m using Caleb’s.”
“Really?” There was clear speculation in her voice.
“It’s nothing like that.” Jules couldn’t help glancing at Caleb.
He seemed focused on driving.
“We’re in San Francisco,” she said.
“What are you doing in San Francisco? Wait a minute. They had an earthquake in San Francisco.”
“I know. I felt it.”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“I am. The Neo restaurant was pretty badly damaged.” Jules gave her sister an abbreviated version of the evening, assuring Melissa that she was unharmed and that they were staying the night.
“I guess that explains it,” Melissa said.
“Explains what?” Jules couldn’t imagine what tonight’s event could possibly explain.
“Dad called. He was trying to get hold of you and wanted to know where you were.”
Again, Jules glanced over at Caleb. “You didn’t tell him who I was with, did you?”
This time Caleb looked back.
“Of course I didn’t,” Melissa said. “It’s my hand that’s injured, not my brain.”
“Thank goodness.”
Caleb smirked. “You are hard on a man’s ego, you know that?”
“Your ego’s just fine.”
“What?” Melissa asked.
“Nothing. Don’t tell him.”
“I won’t tell him. Why would I tell him? You get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I will,” Jules said. “Thanks.”
Jules ended the call, looking up to see they were pulling into Blue Earth Waterfront Hotel.
“You don’t think this is overkill?” she asked him. “All I need is a burger and some hot water.”
“Their beds are very comfortable,” Caleb said as he brought the car to a halt at the valet. “And they’ll have twenty-four-hour everything. It’s nearly midnight, and I don’t want to take a chance.”
“A chance on your every whim not being satisfied?”
“On having to eat a cardboard something from a vending machine.”
The valet appeared and Caleb unrolled his window. “Checking in?” the valet asked.
“We’d like two rooms.”
“Certainly, sir.” The man stood back, keyed his mic and asked about availability as he turned away.
He was back in a moment. “We can offer you two superior view rooms on the thirty-second floor, with upgraded soaker tubs and king-size beds.”
“That’ll be fine,” Caleb said, releasing his seat belt.
Jules followed suit, deciding she was through arguing. An upgraded soaker tub sounded like a slice of heaven.
* * *
A waiter set up the room service order at a table in the corner of Caleb’s hotel room. The man added a rose in a narrow crystal vase and lit two candles on the white tablecloth, making the setup very romantic.
After he left, Caleb blew out the candles and set them aside along with the rose.
He considered the table for a moment then decided it looked naked, and he put everything back. He relit the candles and dimmed the overhead lights.
He was about to knock on the connecting door, when he changed his mind. Cursing himself for his indecision, he strode across the room, blew out the candles and removed the romantic touches.
Then he went back to the connecting door and gave a knock.
Jules opened it from the other side. She’d showered and changed into the exercise pants and T-shirt the hotel had sent up. Caleb was dressed in a similar outfit.
She leaned on the half-opened door, her half-dried hair wispy around her freshly scrubbed face. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Connecting rooms?”
She nodded, arranging her expression in comical suspicion.
“You heard the entire conversation.”
The connecting rooms were happenstance. Though Caleb supposed the valet could have taken one look at Jules and decided to do Caleb a big favor. He thought back to the man’s nametag. It was Perry something. He should give Perry a big tip.