Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“That’s not the point. We’re not a couple. I feel like we’ve finally gotten to a good place in our relationship, but if you keep insisting on pushing us to a place I don’t want to go, things are going to go off track.”
“Fine. I’ll call the hotel tomorrow and book you a separate room.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’m still not giving up on us. Eventually we’ll be together again, because we’re meant to be.”
I sighed. Sometimes it was like talking to a wall. “No, Tanner. We’re not.”
“We’ll see.”
It was pointless to have this conversation yet again, and my sleep was more important. “I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed. Goodnight, Tanner.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 31
* * *
Presley
The next week flew by, and before I knew it, I was stepping off of a plane in Denver and checking into the Four Seasons Hotel near the stadium. Just being in the same city as Levi had me on edge, and I found myself looking over my shoulder and all around every two minutes, even at the check-in desk.
Shelby had flown in yesterday, but she was waiting in the lobby when we arrived. She walked over and stood next to me as I waited on the clerk to give me a room key.
“He’s not staying at the hotel.”
“Who?”
She smiled. “Levi.”
I sighed. “Am I that obvious?”
She bumped her shoulder with mine. “Well, you’re scanning the room better than a Secret Service agent waiting for the president to walk in.”
I smiled sadly. “And here I thought I was being so nonchalant. Thank you for telling me. I do feel like I can relax a little knowing I might not accidentally walk into him. At least now I can concentrate all my worry on leaving The Palm in the care of the woman we hired to clean only a few weeks ago.”
“Is she not working out?”
“No, no. I’m just teasing. She’s been great. Melinda is super organized and capable, but it still feels strange to be away.”
Shelby glanced over her shoulder. Tanner had taken the same flight from Beaufort, along with a few of his cousins, but he’d taken a different Uber from the airport, so he was a few people behind me in line to check in. She waved to her son and turned back.
“You also won’t have to worry about walking into my other son. I had the manager put you in a room at the opposite end of the hotel from Tanner. I figured if he wasn’t in the room next to you, it wouldn’t be so easy for him to make excuses to pop over.”
I blew out a jagged breath. “Thanks, Shelby. I really appreciate that.”
“And as far as Levi, he’s at practice now. But he will be at the dinner tonight.”
A bunch of Tanner’s and Levi’s dad’s old teammates were in town for the ceremony, in addition to their entire extended family. So tonight there was a dinner in a private room at a nearby restaurant to give everyone a chance to catch up before the ceremony tomorrow.
I nodded. “Okay. Thank you for the heads up.”
With no chance of running into Levi, and Tanner on the other end of the hotel, I had about three hours to try to relax—or to worry about how I was going to handle being in the same room with Levi again later. Unfortunately, I was pretty sure the latter was going to win out.
Once I was checked in, Alex and I went to our room. I spent a restless hour flicking through television channels before deciding the best thing to do to conquer my nerves was to take a hot shower and start to get ready. At least it would give me something to focus on. I’d brought a green silk dress that was casual, yet showed off a little cleavage and leg. And since I had time to spare, I put on more makeup than usual, creating a smoky-eye effect and contouring my cheekbones. When I was done, I looked in the full-length mirror and was really happy with what I saw. It had been a while since I’d gotten myself all done up, and it gave me just the confidence boost I needed to get through tonight.
Alex was still in the bedroom watching TV, and when he came out, his eyes widened. “Wow. You look pretty, Mom.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I have a hot date tonight, so I wanted to clean myself up.”
“Dad?”
“No, silly. I was referring to you.”
“Oh.” Alex smiled.
But because of the way he’d assumed Tanner was my date, I thought it was a good time to set the record straight.
I sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to me. “Come sit for a minute, honey.”
“You’re not going to put stuff in my hair like you did for that wedding we went to last year, are you? I hate when my hair is hard.”