night she checked in. No one would miss the chance to be part of the secret celebrity wedding of the year. Even if it did only consist of a few friends and family at a quiet mountain resort.
"Find anything good?" Bebe asked as she hauled Donna's suitcase out of her closet. "Oh Lord, don't tell me she had porn in the nightstand. She was raunchy like that sometimes."
"Uh, no." I laughed. "Just this." I locked Donna's screen again before showing Bebe the cell phone.
"Oh that's where that thing went," she responded. "The cops were looking for that." She took the phone from me and slipped it into Donna's luggage before I had the chance to say anything else about it. "Anything else?" She eyed the magazines. "I don't think Donna would mind if we threw those away. What do you think?" She touched the cover of Southern Living. "Or maybe I'll hang onto this one for a while."
"Really?" I studied her expression.
"Yeah, I'm a country girl at heart." She grinned and tucked the magazine under her arm. "Well, we should probably get some rest before the big dinner tonight. I hope you're wearing … something different."
"This isn't a jeans and t-shirt sort of affair?" I joked. Bebe didn't seem too amused by the thought of me showing up to a formal event in casual wear. "I'm kidding."
"Oh," she exhaled. "Of course you are."
"I have something else to wear," I lied.
"Good, because anything short of a cocktail dress would be a disaster." She giggled the same way she did when she talked about Chanel handbags.
I had to find a dress for tonight. I couldn't wear my bridesmaid dress and call it good. I glanced out the window as a flurry of snowflakes began falling from the sky. The snow made me want to stay in and light a fire instead, but I couldn't miss the wedding dinner.
Hopefully I would survive until then.
CHAPTER TEN
My hands shook when I walked back through the staff hallway. I shoved them in my pockets and looked over my shoulder every five seconds. When I passed the lockers in the employee break room and lounge I was too nervous to look at mine in case the first letter came with a part two. The phone rang and Eli poked his head out from around the corner. He was holding a cup of coffee and chewing on another dinner roll from the kitchen. I walked past him and headed for the exit.
"Hello?" Eli said. "Yeah. Yeah. Hold on." He set the phone down. "Hey, Essie!"
"What?"
"Some chick named Taryn wants to know where the spare key is to the equipment closet."
"I've told her this a million times," I muttered. "Tell her it's in my office. Bottom drawer on the left."
"Got it." Eli repeated my instructions into the phone as I opened the back door leading into the staff parking lot.
The wind brushed across my cheeks and snowflakes rested on my nose. The snow was starting to pick up and the sky was turning light gray. I walked along the shoveled path along the outer rim of the hotel. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and rubbed them together for warmth. The back door zipped open. I stopped and rolled my eyes, hearing Eli's voice calling my name again.
"Wait a second," he shouted. I took a few steps away from the wall of the hotel and stood there waiting as icy water droplets thumped my head from icicles hanging right above me.
"Let me guess," I said. "Taryn can't find the key and she needs me to go up there and look for her?"
"Uh…" Eli shrugged and nodded, seeing the frustration on my face. "She said she's in your office and she can't find it."
"Fine," I sighed. I took a deep breath, taking one last look over my shoulder. No sign of the black BMW or the mystery tourist journalist and possible stalker John Slagger.
The moment I stepped back towards the building again a loud thwack boomed right next to me. I let out a scream as snow burst upwards from thing that had fallen. My blood pumped vigorously through my body as a surge of adrenaline pulsed through me. My torso felt like it was on fire. I shook my head to
"Find anything good?" Bebe asked as she hauled Donna's suitcase out of her closet. "Oh Lord, don't tell me she had porn in the nightstand. She was raunchy like that sometimes."
"Uh, no." I laughed. "Just this." I locked Donna's screen again before showing Bebe the cell phone.
"Oh that's where that thing went," she responded. "The cops were looking for that." She took the phone from me and slipped it into Donna's luggage before I had the chance to say anything else about it. "Anything else?" She eyed the magazines. "I don't think Donna would mind if we threw those away. What do you think?" She touched the cover of Southern Living. "Or maybe I'll hang onto this one for a while."
"Really?" I studied her expression.
"Yeah, I'm a country girl at heart." She grinned and tucked the magazine under her arm. "Well, we should probably get some rest before the big dinner tonight. I hope you're wearing … something different."
"This isn't a jeans and t-shirt sort of affair?" I joked. Bebe didn't seem too amused by the thought of me showing up to a formal event in casual wear. "I'm kidding."
"Oh," she exhaled. "Of course you are."
"I have something else to wear," I lied.
"Good, because anything short of a cocktail dress would be a disaster." She giggled the same way she did when she talked about Chanel handbags.
I had to find a dress for tonight. I couldn't wear my bridesmaid dress and call it good. I glanced out the window as a flurry of snowflakes began falling from the sky. The snow made me want to stay in and light a fire instead, but I couldn't miss the wedding dinner.
Hopefully I would survive until then.
CHAPTER TEN
My hands shook when I walked back through the staff hallway. I shoved them in my pockets and looked over my shoulder every five seconds. When I passed the lockers in the employee break room and lounge I was too nervous to look at mine in case the first letter came with a part two. The phone rang and Eli poked his head out from around the corner. He was holding a cup of coffee and chewing on another dinner roll from the kitchen. I walked past him and headed for the exit.
"Hello?" Eli said. "Yeah. Yeah. Hold on." He set the phone down. "Hey, Essie!"
"What?"
"Some chick named Taryn wants to know where the spare key is to the equipment closet."
"I've told her this a million times," I muttered. "Tell her it's in my office. Bottom drawer on the left."
"Got it." Eli repeated my instructions into the phone as I opened the back door leading into the staff parking lot.
The wind brushed across my cheeks and snowflakes rested on my nose. The snow was starting to pick up and the sky was turning light gray. I walked along the shoveled path along the outer rim of the hotel. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and rubbed them together for warmth. The back door zipped open. I stopped and rolled my eyes, hearing Eli's voice calling my name again.
"Wait a second," he shouted. I took a few steps away from the wall of the hotel and stood there waiting as icy water droplets thumped my head from icicles hanging right above me.
"Let me guess," I said. "Taryn can't find the key and she needs me to go up there and look for her?"
"Uh…" Eli shrugged and nodded, seeing the frustration on my face. "She said she's in your office and she can't find it."
"Fine," I sighed. I took a deep breath, taking one last look over my shoulder. No sign of the black BMW or the mystery tourist journalist and possible stalker John Slagger.
The moment I stepped back towards the building again a loud thwack boomed right next to me. I let out a scream as snow burst upwards from thing that had fallen. My blood pumped vigorously through my body as a surge of adrenaline pulsed through me. My torso felt like it was on fire. I shook my head to
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