back to the kitchen. “You won’t really tell him, will you?”
Alyssa bumped him with her elbow. “You know, between the Star Trek obsession and this comment about Van, I’m gathering a lot of dirt on you.”
“Hmm. I guess now the question is what you’ll do with it.”
She pushed into the green room and held the door open so Eric could slide the cart through. “Sure is. Better watch your step, mister.”
They worked through the same routine as the previous night, Eric concentrating on the food and bathrooms and Alyssa on gathering the trash and cleaning the kitchen. Every time she glanced at the couch, her stomach flipped.
The room was messier than last time, so it took them close to an hour to finish. Eric pushed the cart of food to the kitchen, and Alyssa rolled out the vacuum. He returned for the garbage, and she helped him carry a third bag of it to the Dumpster out back.
“Thanks,” he said when they were done. “You have no idea how nice it is to have help.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be glad for a little extra money.”
He walked her to the lounge and they both clocked out—at least she hadn’t forgotten that.
“Hey, Alyssa?”
She looked up as she returned her time card to the rack. Something about his gaze made butterflies take flight in her belly. “Yeah?”
“You don’t have to, at all, but would you like to go out sometime?”
Stunned, she opened and closed her mouth, struggling for words. “Uh—”
His cheeks went pink. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I mean, you took me by surprise.” She shifted her feet and wrapped her arms around herself, debating what to say. “Listen, you’re a very nice guy, and I’m glad to have you for a friend. And I’m not blowing you off saying that, because I don’t really have that many friends here. But I’m kinda hung up on someone else, so it wouldn’t really be fair for me to say yes.”
After a long moment, he gave a small, uncomfortable smile. “Okay, so…see you tomorrow, then?”
She hoped things wouldn’t get weird between them. “Where else would I be?”
He grinned, more natural now. “Right. Me, too. G’night.”
“’Bye,” she said, turning to her locker to grab her purse. In the privacy of the lounge, she fished out her wallet and counted her money on the couch. She had eighty dollars and change to her name, and the hotel would take sixty-five of it. If that wasn’t the definition of dire straits, she didn’t know what was. Damn. If things didn’t work out the way she expected with tips tomorrow, she might have to seriously consider…what? What could she do? Besides her clunker of a car, she had two things of value to her name—the iPhone that was her only means of staying in touch with Brady, and the guitar he’d sent for her birthday. The latter would likely bring her a couple hundred bucks at a pawnshop, but he would kill her. And it would break her heart to part with it.
But what else could she do?
Stuffing her money back in her wallet, she shuffled out of the room and down the hall. Outside, the night air was warm and sticky and did little to lighten her spirits. She plopped into the driver’s seat and let her head thunk back against the headrest. Tossing her purse onto the passenger seat, her gaze landed upon her overnight bag.
A really bad idea crept into her brain.
She sucked in a breath and internally reprimanded herself for even entertaining the thought of sneaking back into the green room.
But who would know? Nobody was the wiser last night. And you can’t really afford a hotel tonight. It’s cutting it too close. You know it’s true.
Alyssa clenched her eyes shut. It was horrible of her to consider, it really was. But would it truly hurt anything? It was just this one last night, and she’d make sure the room was spic and span before she left in the morning.
Before she could talk herself out of the idea, Alyssa grabbed her bag, selected clean
Alyssa bumped him with her elbow. “You know, between the Star Trek obsession and this comment about Van, I’m gathering a lot of dirt on you.”
“Hmm. I guess now the question is what you’ll do with it.”
She pushed into the green room and held the door open so Eric could slide the cart through. “Sure is. Better watch your step, mister.”
They worked through the same routine as the previous night, Eric concentrating on the food and bathrooms and Alyssa on gathering the trash and cleaning the kitchen. Every time she glanced at the couch, her stomach flipped.
The room was messier than last time, so it took them close to an hour to finish. Eric pushed the cart of food to the kitchen, and Alyssa rolled out the vacuum. He returned for the garbage, and she helped him carry a third bag of it to the Dumpster out back.
“Thanks,” he said when they were done. “You have no idea how nice it is to have help.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be glad for a little extra money.”
He walked her to the lounge and they both clocked out—at least she hadn’t forgotten that.
“Hey, Alyssa?”
She looked up as she returned her time card to the rack. Something about his gaze made butterflies take flight in her belly. “Yeah?”
“You don’t have to, at all, but would you like to go out sometime?”
Stunned, she opened and closed her mouth, struggling for words. “Uh—”
His cheeks went pink. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I mean, you took me by surprise.” She shifted her feet and wrapped her arms around herself, debating what to say. “Listen, you’re a very nice guy, and I’m glad to have you for a friend. And I’m not blowing you off saying that, because I don’t really have that many friends here. But I’m kinda hung up on someone else, so it wouldn’t really be fair for me to say yes.”
After a long moment, he gave a small, uncomfortable smile. “Okay, so…see you tomorrow, then?”
She hoped things wouldn’t get weird between them. “Where else would I be?”
He grinned, more natural now. “Right. Me, too. G’night.”
“’Bye,” she said, turning to her locker to grab her purse. In the privacy of the lounge, she fished out her wallet and counted her money on the couch. She had eighty dollars and change to her name, and the hotel would take sixty-five of it. If that wasn’t the definition of dire straits, she didn’t know what was. Damn. If things didn’t work out the way she expected with tips tomorrow, she might have to seriously consider…what? What could she do? Besides her clunker of a car, she had two things of value to her name—the iPhone that was her only means of staying in touch with Brady, and the guitar he’d sent for her birthday. The latter would likely bring her a couple hundred bucks at a pawnshop, but he would kill her. And it would break her heart to part with it.
But what else could she do?
Stuffing her money back in her wallet, she shuffled out of the room and down the hall. Outside, the night air was warm and sticky and did little to lighten her spirits. She plopped into the driver’s seat and let her head thunk back against the headrest. Tossing her purse onto the passenger seat, her gaze landed upon her overnight bag.
A really bad idea crept into her brain.
She sucked in a breath and internally reprimanded herself for even entertaining the thought of sneaking back into the green room.
But who would know? Nobody was the wiser last night. And you can’t really afford a hotel tonight. It’s cutting it too close. You know it’s true.
Alyssa clenched her eyes shut. It was horrible of her to consider, it really was. But would it truly hurt anything? It was just this one last night, and she’d make sure the room was spic and span before she left in the morning.
Before she could talk herself out of the idea, Alyssa grabbed her bag, selected clean
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