The Hazards of Skinny Dipping (26 page)

“Of course! Thanks again for the job!”

“It’s my pleasure; I hope you girls have a
nice time.” He caught my eye over Jess’s head. Even as little as he
knew Jess, he was under no misconceptions about her work ethic.

Dad glanced behind him, lifting a finger and
a bellhop a little older than us started unloading bags from the
back of the car. Before he had finished moving our bags to the
cart, Jess was already chatting him up. With my dad watching, the
poor guy was trying to stay professional.

“Let’s go Jess.” I grabbed her arm and led
her inside. Dad had already gone ahead.

The lobby felt huge, much larger than it
looked from the outside. All the money my dad had poured into the
updates showed. Large travertine tiles covered the floor and dark
wainscoting framed the room, while a beautiful chandelier with
dangling crystals helped light the space. The etched glass in the
sidewall that bore the name of the hotel typified the way he had
modernized the hotel without losing all its historical character. I
especially loved the solid mahogany bar. I’d like to say my dad had
an eye for design, but I’m sure he had nothing to do with the
selections. The fact that he was even at the hotel was surprising.
He usually oversaw his properties from afar.

Looking up from the bar, I locked eyes with
an incredibly hot guy. At over six feet tall with brown hair and
wearing a tight shirt that barely concealed his muscular arms and
chest, it would have been impossible not to notice him. He smiled
at me and I found myself smiling back before I snapped myself out
of it. Ignoring the invitation in his smile I quickly looked away.
“You swore off men,” I reminded myself.

“Do you girls want to see your room or get
some lunch first?” my dad asked, relieving me of my thoughts about
the guy.

“See our room,” I answered quickly. “Is that
okay, Jess?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said distantly. I didn’t
bother looking, assuming she had found the same distraction.

My dad laughed as he led us to the elevators.
“I put you girls in a suite on the top floor.”

The elevator reached our floor and we walked
toward our room. It came as no surprise, but our suite was
luxurious. Jess and I each had our own room with a bathroom and we
shared a large common living space complete with a kitchenette. Two
French doors in the main living area opened out onto a balcony
overlooking the street below.

“Wow Dad, you really didn’t need to give us
this suite for the whole summer.”

“Of course I did. I’m your father. Now, why
don’t you girls get yourself settled and meet me in the courtyard
for lunch in about a half hour?”

“Sounds great,” I answered.

As soon as the door clicked Jess gave me a
knowing smile. “So, uh, I thought you were swearing off guys.”

“I am,” I said defensively. Damn, she must
have caught me eyeing him.

“Don’t try to deny it. I saw you checking out
that guy and he was checking you out too by the way. Totally hot,
but I’ll let you have him, his other friends were cute too.”

“Don’t even start.” My response was automatic
but inside I was surprised I hadn’t even noticed his friends.

“Oh, come on, promise me that if he’s still
there you’ll go talk to him,” Jess pushed.

“No way.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because I’m not interested, end of
story.”

“Oh no, you aren’t getting off that
easily.”

Thankfully, I was saved from further argument
by a knock. The bellboy from outside had arrived with our bags. He
unloaded them two at a time, leaving them just inside the door.

“Do you girls need anything else?” Without my
dad’s presence he seemed much more interested in talking.

“I think we’re all set for now, but we might
need something later.” Jess had turned on the charm.

“Oh yeah? Maybe I should give you my number
then. I’m Billy by the way.”

I tuned out their conversation, grabbing one
of my bags to move it into my bedroom. Shaking my head, I laughed.
I had to admit the bellboy was cute; he had the blond surfer boy
look going for him, but leave it to Jess to get a phone number a
few minutes after arriving in a city.

I heard the door click closed moments before
Jess bounded into my room.

“Oh my god, this is going to be an awesome
summer.” She sprawled out on my bed.

“Hey Jess?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t ever change, okay?” I laughed.

“Are you making fun of me?” She sat up
indignantly.

“Not at all. I just know I’m going to miss
you this year.”

“Aww, I’ll miss you too. But we’ll only be a
train ride apart.” She was going to her dream school, NYU.

“I know.”

“And you could have gone to school in the
city. You’re the one who wanted to head to Jersey.”

“Yeah, because Princeton is really settling,
huh?”

“It is when you are only going there because
your parents want you to.”

I brushed it off, unwilling to let her know
how much the jab hurt. “Let’s go meet my dad; I’m starving.” I
headed to the door before Jess could argue. I’d never told her how
I’d actually wanted to go somewhere more urban for school. Either
she was more perceptive than I thought, or I was more
transparent.

My eyes drifted to the bar as we walked
through the lobby to the restaurant. I sighed with relief, but
couldn’t help but feel some disappointment as I noticed the now
empty bar area.

“I guess you’re off the hook for now, but
next time you won’t be so lucky,” Jess said as she noticed the
expression on my face.

I didn’t even answer.

Flight is
available now!