Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(37)

“Little did he know that you were just a jerk.”

“Geegee, no one likes to talk to you because your jokes are terrible. Now, get comfortable and spill.”

Krista slouched. “I’ll tell you part of the story. You can hear some of my dramatic history, but Sean’s secrets are his own.”

“Fair enough.”

“And for this, you better get me a golden key into that boys’ club.”

“I’ll give you a golden grenade, doll. Now, spill.”

“Not here. It’ll lead to tears. And not alone. Kate and Jasmine will need to be there. Might as well bring Ben, too. He can fill you in on the fight between Sean and my Ex.”

Marcus’s eyes got big and an excited grin spread across his face. “If you two get together one day, can I talk about the fight?”

“In generalities, I guess. No details. I’m sure you’ll know why when you hear about it.”

“I saw why when I saw your neck, Krista,” Marcus said seriously.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of man Jim was.

“Okay, drinks tonight.”

Marcus acceded and Krista got out of there. She really hoped he could find something unusual. Talking about her and Sean’s sordid history was a steep price to pay.

Chapter Eleven

Thursday morning was a mess of travel plans and arrangements. The night before, as promised, Krista had told Marcus all there was to tell about her and Sean. She made sure to note it was all her perspective, but she was honest. She glossed over the Jim stuff, told him nothing about Sean’s stuff, and had to break for half an hour when he guffawed over the whipping incident when she’d gone to the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco.

She arrived to the hotel and got her room key from the check-in desk. She would be sharing with Sean’s assistant, who was a nice woman, but probably planned to go bed and rise early. What’s worse, she would be doing all that sober. No fun. Krista was still in her twenties—barely, but it counted—free dinner and drinks were a godsend, and damned if she wasn’t taking advantage of it.

The hotel was fabulous! They were in Boulder, Colorado, of all places, with plush furnishings, marble, glass, and brass everywhere. From the outside, the hotel looked like a boring, big, square block. The architecture wasn’t anything special, not giving the viewer high hopes.

The inside, however, was very cool. The very middle was hollowed up to about the eleventh floor. From the glass elevator, which traveled up the side of the hallowed area, one could see the bar and surrounding tables, a lounge with a piano, a seating area, and the walkway into the restaurant, which was further into the building.

Krista’s room was a business suite with a desk, a living room area with a TV, couch and chair, and a separate room with two queen beds and a bathroom. Being tired from traveling and staying up too late the night before telling Marcus all her woes, Krista headed straight for the bed.

Before she could get there, however, she heard, “Helllloooooooo?” in a high, sing-song voice.

“Hey,” she said as she dropped her stuff on the floor next to the bed without a book on it.

Janice came out of the bathroom, her face newly made up and her hair sprayed into a sort of old lady, curled style. She was mid-fifties, stocky, sweet, and chatty. She dressed in vests and shirts of the same style as Mary Poppins’s carpet bag.

“I left half the closet and drawers for you,” Janice said with a smile as she walked over and opened the drawers.

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll just keep my clothes in the suitcase.”

“No, dear, that just won’t do. I have strict orders to make sure you hang your things.”

“From whom?” Krista said indignantly. Sean had another think coming if he was getting his assistant to boss her around.

“That handsome gentleman with that smile of his!”

Marcus. She should have known.

Krista sighed loudly, just to let Janice know that she was put out, and started hanging her stuff. Janice paused a second to make sure it was being done properly, and then walked back to the bathroom, muttering something about her daughter and women her age. Krista didn’t need to listen too closely to know the general gist. You hear one mother, you’ve heard them all.

After Krista hung up her crap, to the peeping eyes of Janice who apparently needed to make sure it was done properly, she blessedly laid down and closed her eyes for a second.

“Krista, honey, you need to get up now. Time to get ready.”

On what planet did Janice think Krista actually needed three hours to get ready? Really?

Trying not to be angry, Krista opened her bleary eyes and pointedly looked at the clock. The large red letters said 2:30. What seemed like one second was two-and-a-half hours.

“Crap!” Krista jumped up.

“Language,” Janice said with a tsk.

“Janice, this is dire. You have to help me get ready. Please?!”

Janice put her hands on her h*ps and scowled. “Okay, hurry up and shower.”

Krista thanked her profusely, nearly promised the woman her first born, and high-tailed it to the shower. Five minutes and a quick scrub later, she was back in the room, grabbing a thong and a bra. She turned to the suit she’d left out, and saw that it had been switched out. Then she realized there were voices in the outer room.