“Oh, no, that’s not necessary,” Breanne said, feeling as if she should have cleaned up for the maid.
“It is part of your service.” Lariana’s expression was perfectly even, and perfectly lofty. “Where is your groom?”
“He’s . . .” The hell with it. “He dumped me.” She waited for some sign of superiority from Lariana.
But the maid dropped her icy expression immediately. “Men are such scum,” she said with feeling. “Bottom feeders. Every last one of them.”
“Not every last one,” Shelly said quietly. “Some are good.”
“Take off the rose-colored glasses, Pollyanna,” Lariana said.
“So I’m hopeful—so what?” Shelly lifted her chin. “She’ll find another man. A better one.”
“No, thank you,” Breanne interjected. “No more men.”
“Ever?” Lariana asked, intrigued.
“Ever.”
Lariana didn’t look convinced. “They are scum, but once in a while, they are good for a few things . . .”#p#分页标题#e#
Breanne picked up the vibrator, waggled it. “Anything that this can’t take care of?”
Shelly gasped, but Lariana burst out laughing. “I have extra batteries, when you need.”
Shelly looked scandalized. And desperate to change the subject. “I still can’t believe Edward messed up and booked two of you for the same week.” She tossed a big log onto the fire. “He never messes up.”
Lariana snorted her opinion of that, and when Shelly looked at her, more unspoken communication passed between them. “I need to get back to the kitchen,” Shelly said.
“You do that.” Lariana moved to the fireplace. “You can’t just add a piece of hard wood, Shelly—it’ll die. You have to put in some kindling, too.”
Shelly ignored her and joined Breanne by the couch. “Don’t let her intimidate you while I’m gone,” she whispered as they both watched Lariana handle the fire like a pro.
“She is pretty intimidating,” Breanne admitted.
“It’s all an act. You should have seen her the last time Edward yelled at her. She cried.”
“Edward yells at you guys?”
Shelly laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Just remember, she’s human. I mean, she’s sleeping with Patrick, for God’s sake.”
“Patrick?”
“Our fix-it guy.”
“Does he clink spookily when he walks?”
Shelly grinned. “Aye, mate, that he does,” she said in perfect imitation of Patrick’s accent.
Breanne looked back at the cool, classy-looking Lariana poking at the fire and tried to picture her with the tall, skinny, almost gangly, redheaded Patrick. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Lariana rose, and with Breanne’s clothes over her arm, moved toward the door, picking up the carry-on as well. “Please follow me, Ms. Mooreland.”
“Breanne,” Breanne said, but Lariana was already gone.
Unless she wanted to say good-bye to her bag and everything in it, she didn’t have much choice but to follow Lariana out into the pitch-black hallway. Ahead of her, the maid moved quickly and briskly, her heels tapping as she pulled a flashlight out of nowhere to light their way.
They came to a fork in the hallway.
“Down that way is the movie theater, with thousands of DVDs to pick from,” Lariana said, sounding like a tour guide. “On the other side is the gym, complete with sauna and indoor pool, and if you want, Shelly is also an excellent masseuse.”
“I don’t think I’ll be staying long enough to enjoy those things,” Breanne said, not having missed Cooper’s non-committance about leaving. If he didn’t, she would.
“Are you going to let a bottom feeder ruin a perfectly good vacation?” Lariana asked coolly.
“It’s not just that. I just . . . don’t think I should have come.”
“Did this almost-groom of yours cover the costs of being here?”
“Yes.”
Lariana smiled coldly. “Then you should enjoy it.”
They took the stairs, this time without the comfort of the light sconces casting a warm glow over the hardwood floor and interior walls. The flashlight lit the way but didn’t do much for Breanne’s mental health, as it created as many shadows as it chased away. At the top, Breanne was breathing erratically, and wasn’t at all sure it was just the altitude bothering her.
Lariana opened the first door on the right. Her thin beam of light revealed an open-beamed ceiling and hardwood flooring with several throw rugs. There was a stone hearth, lit, crackling cozily. The four-poster, raw wood, tiered bed had a matching dresser and an oval mirror hung over it. Lariana moved to the dresser, on which was a tray with lit candles. She carried a few to the two wide-framed windowsills, the dark glass revealing nothing but black sky.#p#分页标题#e#