Steam (Homecoming Hearts #4)(10)

Maeve didn’t miss a thing, though. “Oh, hon,” she said. Her shoulders dropped and her expression was one of sympathy. “Come on, tell me all about it.”

She unlocked his door and shooed him inside before dragging his suitcase in after them. Ashby was ashamed to admit it, but he wasn’t very good at being on his own. The idea of some company, even from someone he’d just met, was wonderful. “Aren’t you on your way home?” he protested weakly.

Maeve blew a raspberry at him. “My cats can wait a while longer,” she said, then pointed to the small table and chairs in the room. “Sit. I’d offer you tea, but I’m guessing it’ll taste like dishwater compared to what you guys make. Something stronger?”

Ashby sniffed and wiped his eyes as he laughed and plopped into the seat. “I wouldn’t say no to a gin and tonic,” he said.

Maeve shrugged off her old green coat to reveal a pink housekeeper’s uniform underneath. While she rummaged in the minibar, Ashby looked around the room that was to be his home for the next three weeks. The walls were the same grayish white and the carpets the same brownish gray as the lobby. The faded pine table where he was sitting stood next to an equally starved-looking dresser with a clunky microwave on top. Above the table a small TV was mounted on the wall. Ashby was amazed it was a flat screen.

The bed looked comfy, though, and from what Ashby had seen he guessed, his window had a good view of the mountains. This would do just fine, he was sure.

Maeve placed a very full plastic tumbler of gin and tonic in front of him on the table along with bags of peanuts and some cheesy corn-chip things. She herself had a glass of neat whiskey in her hand as he sat down next to him. “So,” she said, shifting on the pine chair to get comfy. “Who broke your heart?”

Ashby scoffed and downed half his drink in one glug. “Is it that obvious?” he asked. He winced as the alcohol burned his throat slightly, but in a sort of pleasant way.

“Yeah, hon,” Maeve said with a nod. “A mom knows these things. Got four kids of my own, even some grandbabies. You wanna see?”

“Do I ever,” he said with genuine enthusiasm.

She whipped out her phone, proud as punch. He oohed and ahhed in all the right places as Maeve flicked through her phone to show him some adorably chubby grandkids of indistinguishable gender. Ashby couldn’t help but have a moment of melancholy, though. He managed to keep his smile in place, but his thoughts turned a little sad.

Would he ever have kids? It was so much easier for opposite-sex couples. But so many guys were just interested in fucking rather than settling down, let alone thinking about starting a family. At least in Ashby’s experience.

He knew he had more than enough time to consider his options and find Mr. Right. He was only twenty-four, so hardly over the hill. But it was hard to imagine a future like that for him when he’d never even lived with a boyfriend before.

Maeve smiled at him and he wondered if he’d zoned out a little. “Sorry?” he asked.

“I asked what the bastard’s name was who broke your heart,” she said. She saluted him with her whiskey and downed the glass without even a pause. “He must be a real dick to let you go.”

For the second time in an hour, Ashby was too scared to move. “H-he?” he stammered.

Maeve gave him a warm smile and patted his hand. “A mom knows these things,” she said again. “You come here to get away from men?” Ashby didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded. She snorted and opened up the peanuts for them. “Good choice. No men for anyone up here.”

Ashby blew out a sigh of relief. It was bad enough he was scared of what Gordon might do once he realized Ashby really had left him for good this time. He didn’t want to be starting anything unpleasant with the resort staff on the very first day of his getaway as well. “Thank you,” he whispered as she pushed the peanut packet over to him. But he wasn’t really thanking her for that.

She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. “I’ve been divorced ten whole years,” she said firmly. “Best damn thing I ever did. Want to tell me about him?”

Ashby definitely didn’t want to talk about Gordon. He wanted to forget they had ever met. He was embarrassed to think how stupid he’d been to ever allow himself to get involved with a man like that. He could see it all so clearly now.

“No,” he said, managed a small smile. “He was a bad egg.”

Maeve nodded as she refilled both their glasses from more of the minibar miniatures. “They are out there, sweetheart.”

Ashby raised his glass. “To staying away from bad eggs,” he said. She grinned and clinked her glass to his.

“Amen to that, sugar,” she said. “Don’t worry. You’ll find a good one, one day. Someone who’ll treat you like a superstar.”

Ashby leaned his head back against his seat. The alcohol was already hitting his system and he felt his shoulders relaxing. He gazed at Maeve. “Is that what you did?” he asked. “Found a better guy after the divorce?”

Maeve scoffed and took another swig of her whiskey. “Oh, no, honey. That’s what cats are for.” She winked. “For company, I mean. All you need is a vibrator for anything else.”

Ashby spat his drink back out into his glass and coughed so much Maeve had to slap him on the back, all while she continued to cackle wickedly.