“We’re going to talk about it sooner or later. I’ve had questions since you first brought her around.”
“Not today. Listen, I’m heading into the shower. I have some shit I need to handle before I head over to the house. See you soon. Love you, man.”
“Love you too.”
I toss the phone on the bed and head into the bathroom for a shower. My mind chucks question after question at me the entire time, almost causing me to lose track of time. The biggest question on my mind—what the hell does Roni plan to do when she gets here and how did she plan to find me when she took off?
Could Nate and I be assuming things? Maybe this is home for her. It’s possible that my mention of Seattle in the letter I left sparked a memory.
And you know that’s bullshit.
Do I ever. Which leads back to my other questions. What does she plan to do when she arrives?
I walk out of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around my waist. As I look at the clock, it’s clear that I totally lost all sense of time. I grab my phone from the bed and scroll to the number I saved for the phone I sent to Roni.
As I’m dialing, a notification comes up for one of the credit cards I gave her. I furrow my brows. She returned all the cards after her shopping trip. I move to my wallet to count and make sure I have them all.
Sure enough, I have the card she used. I open the notification up to see what the charge is for. A little digging and I find all I need to know. She has purchased a plane ticket and rented a motorcycle.
Only a few seconds and I’m able to get the plates and VIN number for the bike. Deciding not to call in a favor, unsure of sending a stranger to intercept her, I log into the GPS I had placed on the phone I sent her.
I’m glad I don’t need Felix or Wyatt for this. I shake my head as I see she’s indeed heading for me. However, I won’t be here when she arrives.
I contemplate sending her a message, but she’s on a bike. Her safety is more important to me. I don’t want her distracted.
A plan forms and I head over to the hotel phone to call the front desk. The perks of being in a suite will work out for me today. I grin as I think of Roni’s face when she finds out I’m two steps ahead of her.
“Good morning, Mr. Black. How can I help you?”
“I have a guest arriving this morning, but unfortunately I won’t be here when she arrives. Her name is Roni Black. I’ll provide you with a picture for reference.”
“Yes, sir. We will be on the lookout for her,” the concierge says. “Will there be anything else?”
“Actually, I want her to join me at my brother’s wedding. She’ll need a dress and heels. Please see to it that she’s provided with both and a car. I’ll drop the address at the desk when I depart along with that image. Place all charges on my account.”
“I’ll be happy to assist,” he says.
“Thank you.”
I hang up and realize I’m smiling much more than I should be. I should be totally pissed at Roni for this little stunt, but the truth of the matter is that I’ll be happy to see her. I miss our talks about nothing.
She may be guarded, but she’s funny and a quick thinker. One of the things I like most about her is that she doesn’t mince words and she lets you know how she feels. It’s refreshing.
“But why are you here, Roni?” I shake my head at that question. I’ll find out soon enough.
Chapter 20
No Place for Me
Roni
I stand in this fancy hotel room and stare at the dress the smiling woman is holding up for me. What the hell am I doing here? This is not what I came for.
“Mr. Black requested I find something in yellow. Now that I see you, I understand why. This will look gorgeous against your skin,” Julia, the woman who introduced herself as my personal shopper upon my arrival says.
I was more than surprised to be intercepted by the concierge and handed a note from John. Him and his fucking notes. Along with the smiling concierge was this one, with her too-white smile. I’m sorry, not sorry, but I can’t trust anyone that doesn’t have a single stitch out of place.
This chick is like an iBot, but that’s not the weirdest thing going on at the moment. John knew I was coming, and he wants me to join him at his brother’s wedding. The butterflies I had after I first read the note have disappeared as reality sets in.
“I don’t think I’ll be needing that dress,” I say.
Her smile falls. “Oh, I was hoping to get to see you in it. I know Mr. Black would have approved.”
She moves to place the dress and the bag she’s been holding on one of the accent chairs in the living area of the suite. This room is huge and not what I was expecting. None of this is what I expected.
“Weddings aren’t my thing.” I shrug.
Actually, I don’t know if they are or not. What I do know is that I’m not going to that wedding to be judged by John’s family. Some black chick that can’t remember a thing about herself.
There’s no telling how they will treat me. Nope. I’m not doing it and fuck John for being an ass. He probably knew I wouldn’t want to go in the first place.
“Shall I cancel the car then?”
This gets my attention. “Do you have the address the car was supposed to take me to?”
“I believe all of that information has been given to the driver.”
“Thanks. I’ll go down and let him know I won’t be needing him myself,” I say and grab the keys for the bike I rented.
Looks like I have a wedding to crash.
John
I look at my phone for the millionth time. Roni should’ve been here by now. Finding her a dress shouldn’t have taken that long. I wish I knew her size. I would’ve given it at the desk along with my request for the color.
The more I thought about seeing her, the more I envisioned her in something sexy and yellow. A dress I could spend the day imagining peeling off. I may have no plans of touching Roni, but I can sure think about it.
“What’s up with you?”
I look up to find Ryan with his eyes narrowed on me. Oh great, of all my brothers to home their focus in on me it had to be Ryan. This kid doesn’t miss a thing. I think it’s because he’s the baby in the family. He’s beyond observative, even for a PI.
“Nothing,” I grumble.
“You’ve been watching your phone since before the wedding started. Something’s up.”
“It’s nothing. Isn’t there someone else here you can harass?”
“Nope,” he says, popping the p. “You’re distracted. Where you been lately? Dad hasn’t been too forthcoming with details about your schedule. That’s a little odd.”
“I’ve been minding my own fucking business. Something your ass needs to learn to do.”
He draws his brows and immediately, I feel like an asshole. I’m frustrated. The GPS on Roni’s phone has her pegged as a few miles from here. She was on the move toward me and then she just stopped.
At first, I thought she was in traffic, but that thought went out the window two hours ago. I haven’t had a real moment to call her. I already know when we talk it’s not going to be a quick conversation, so I’ve chosen not to start it until we are face to face.