Hot.
Good.
She slammed her hands down next to her leftover pasta. “Ugh!” What was wrong with her? She never acted like this. Ever.
Exhaustion. That’s what this was. She’d been on her feet all day—what she wouldn’t give for a nice foot rub.
Bet her client would have liked a rub.
Okay. too far.
Low blood sugar and exhaustion. She needed more than a few bites of pasta and a bottle of water. Stretching her arms over her head, she felt muscles her tense and relax. Then she grabbed her white cane and stood. The cane was wrapped in white leopard print, her way of feeling better about the fact that she had to use it to get around. It could be worse, though, it could always be worse. At least she saw shapes, colors, blurs. Tap, tap, she moved the cane in front of her.
Nikki’s dream was to be able to afford a seeing-eye dog. The idea of having a dog with her at all times and living with her in her small apartment across from the resort sounded like a dream come true.
Someone to spend time with.
She swallowed the sudden sob in her throat and focused on the future. Because every time she thought of the past, a deep sense of hopelessness would threaten to overtake her, and she didn’t want to be one of those people. The ones who felt sorry for themselves, who refused to leave the past where it belonged.
What good would it do her to focus on something she couldn’t fix? None. Forcing a smile she didn’t really feel, she picked up her pace, tapping left to right, as she went down the hall.
Low voices buzzed around her.
Ahead was the main lobby, to the right was one of the staff meeting rooms, and as she passed the buzz grew and then went completely silent as staff members exited the room in a flurry around her.
Cole stopped in front of her. His scent was always a mixture of spicy cologne and spearmint gum, and his height always seemed to tower over her, casting a shadow over her small frame.
“Did I miss a meeting?” She frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Oh that?” Cole’s warm fingers brushed her arm as he pulled her into step next to him. “I was just reminding them to be on their best behavior while, uh…Nadine Titus visits. VIPs deserve the best treatment, and since she’s the boss now, it’s important to make sure that everyone works hard to…” He coughed. “Make his—” He sputtered. “Her, make her stay…busy.”
“Isn’t she in her eighties?”
“She’s young at heart. Spunky. Hell, her itinerary included skydiving.”
“We don’t offer skydiving.”
“Exactly.” His breath tickled her ear as they walked toward the hotel lobby, which was busy as always, a flurry blur of action in front of her as valets took suitcases to their rooms and people met over drinks in the main bar.
“So…” They stopped walking. “Is that all I missed?”
“Yup. Totally.” Cole was acting weird again; his voice sounded—strange.
“Cole?”
“Yes?”
“What’s going on?”
“Why would anything be going on? Hey, here’s an idea…” He grabbed her by the arm and led her away from the hustle. “You should go home.”
“Wow.” Nikki patted his hand and smiled. “What a great idea. Why haven’t I thought of that?”
“See? Go, you should…do that. Do what you feel.”
“You must be really stressed.” She let out a relaxed laugh and inhaled. “That smells amazing, what’s on the menu for tonight?” Already, she was leaning toward the restaurant and the delicious aroma coming from its direction.
“Sushi,” he blurted. “You hate sushi. Where are we on that whole going-to-bed thing?”
“My bed,” she corrected. “Not yours.”
“Can’t kill a man for trying.”
“Also, you’re a liar,” She poked him in the chest and tapped her way toward the smell. “That’s not sushi.”
“Yes it is.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Look, why don’t I have one of the guys walk you home?”
Nikki snorted, “Because I can’t manage to cross the street on my own? Chill. I’m not going to get hit by a car, I’m not that blind.”
“Sorry, Nik, I didn’t mean—”
“Shh.” She took another step as her stomach grumbled. Clearly the pasta hadn’t been enough. “Why don’t you feed me? You’ve been asking me to have dinner with you all week—the least you can do after forcing me to work until eight at night is give me food.”
He was silent.
Cole was never silent.
“Cole?”