Side-eye. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Another shrug. “It’s fun to make you uncomfortable.”
She frowned. “Fun?”
“Yeah. You get that exasperated look on your face.”
She looked at him, mouth open, eyebrows up.
“Yeah that one. It’s kind of cute.”
She abruptly changed her reaction and narrowed her eyes. “And here I was actually thinking I’d misjudged you.”
That was new. “Oh?”
She ignored him. “So, you’ll take the floor, then?”
“I’ll sleep on the loveseat,” he said. He tossed the bed pillow onto it. “Honestly, it’s really cool of you to take this detour in stride.”
She looked away. “Yeah, thanks.” She fidgeted. “I also just want to say. . .I was a jerk.”
Will moved closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She held her breath and tensed at his touch. He lowered his voice to a soft, sincere tone, and tried to hide his smile. “It’s okay. . .I’m used to it now.”
She shoved him with both hands, laughing. “Ugh, you’re the worst!”
He stumbled back onto the loveseat. “Admit it—you do have something against me.” He was hoping, now that her defenses had powered down, that maybe they could clear the air. Spencer had never been one to hang Will’s dirty laundry out on a line for everyone to see, but maybe he’d told Lauren. Maybe she knew everything.
Oh no. Maybe she knew everything.
And maybe she wasn’t as understanding as her brother. How much did she know about his mistakes?
It seemed odd she’d take up this campaign against him if that was it. After all, his actions had only hurt himself. Not her.
Right?
She drew in a breath and met his eyes. He held her gaze for several seconds, hoping they could reach a truce. He didn’t know why it was so important to him—despite Lauren’s assumption, plenty of women didn’t fall for his charms.
But Lauren was different. She was now and always had been good. Winning her approval, in a skewed way, could somehow make him good too.
A clean slate.
She abruptly broke eye contact and dragged her suitcase toward the bathroom. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”
She closed the door, leaving him sitting in the small hotel room alone.
That truce would apparently have to wait.
What is even happening? How did I get here?
Lauren stared at her reflection in the hotel bathroom’s mirror, willing it to come to life and give her some kind of answer. How did she end up in a hotel room with Will Sinclair? How was she going to survive?
She scrubbed her face clean, dried it, and surveyed the hair situation. It was a mess after dozing off in the car. She pulled the elastic free and the messy brown waves fell past her shoulders.
She fluffed it with her hands, trying to add a bit of volume, turned her head to the side, and wait. . .what was she doing?!
Oh, for the love, Lauren, knock it off!
She was thinking about the way she looked because Will was on the other side of the bathroom door.
She threw her hair back up in a messy bun and ventured back out into the main part of the room.
“Care if I shower?” he asked.
Her heart sputtered. “Uh, no.”
“I think the hotel actually has room service. We should order dinner. I’ll buy since you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was being really, really nice to her. And she really, really didn’t know how to handle it.
“Do you mind ordering me a pizza if they have it? Cheese and pepperoni.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice. Something about knowing he was about to shower in the very next room had her insides reeling. And it’s not like hotel bathrooms were exactly soundproof. Every noise would conjure up an image of Will. The water turning on. His hand under the stream to test the temperature. His shirt hitting the floor.
For some reason, a picture of the two of them standing in front of a half-fogged bathroom mirror flashes in her mind. Imaginary Will flexes, posing in the mirror. She shoves him, toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. They smile. Something that couples who have been together forever do.
Lauren Richmond, I swear, STOP IT.
He disappeared into the bathroom, and she ordered food, then figured she had a few minutes to herself. She pulled out her phone and dialed Maddie.
After half a ring, Maddie answered. “Girl! It’s about time, I’ve been dying over here! Did you hook up with Cap yet?”