Liam held his champagne glass in his hand and swirled the bubbly, golden liquid. Each time a woman entered the ballroom, his attention shifted to the door. And each time he realized it wasn’t Kate, his heart died a little more.
He shouldn’t be surprised. Kate had skipped out on the last few competitions. They’d probably won three quarters of the events, but their fight had been enough to make her want to disappear.
What he really should do was march up to her room and force her to talk to him. But something told him she wouldn’t be thrilled with that. It was more than just her accusations; it was the look of pain he read in her eyes. She needed to cool off. Then if she was ready to revisit a possibility with him, she’d have to make the first steps. Besides, tonight was the meteor shower. It was the whole reason he’d come. In about thirty minutes, he’d move out onto the balcony and enjoy the glitter flying through the sky in memory of Sarah.
A couple passed by him, smiling broadly. Several of the participants for the week seemed to remember him from the karaoke night. A few of the women had already inquired about Kate. All he could say was that she wasn’t feeling well.
Liam couldn’t help going over and over the way things had ended the night they’d gone to dinner. Something told him that was where everything had gone wrong. It wasn’t the message from Rebecca, not really. It was that he’d allowed her to stew over the message and come to the worst possible conclusion. He shoved aside those thoughts, forcing himself to focus on why he was here.
Inevitably, he lost control anyway, coming right back to Kate and where things had gone wrong. The most terrible part was that he couldn’t blame her. The one person she was supposed to be able to trust had lied to her. That sort of hurt sliced deep. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit that he’d be lucky to get her to talk to him again. There was only a slim chance she’d even be willing to hear him out when it came to who Rebecca was.
Liam let out a sigh and surveyed the room once more. The smart thing to do would be to cut his losses.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He should probably ignore that too. His phone had only gotten him in more and more trouble. Liam let it ring through until it stopped. He took a sip of his beverage as he hovered near the wall and watched happy couples dance to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Pain sliced through his chest so suddenly, he sucked in a sharp breath. It was her song. The song that single-handedly made him start to fall for her. It all came back in one gut-wrenching string of memories. The way her eyes lit up when she was excited or upset. The way her voice sounded when she sang a song she loved. Even the way her smile made his heart melt and his knees go weak.
Emotion blurred his vision, and he spun around to place his champagne flute on the nearest table. He needed to talk to her before they left and never saw each other again. Sarah had wanted him to come here for a reason. She may not have known whether or not he’d follow through. Nor would she have been aware that coming would help him find love again. But the world worked in mysterious ways, and he’d be darned if he let another woman walk out of his life for a second time.
He was looking at this all wrong. It wasn’t the meteor shower that was important. It was what the shower represented. Hope. If Sarah were here right now in this very moment, she’d be kicking him out the door and ordering him to go after what made him happy.
Kate made him happy.
Liam strode toward the elevators. His foot tapped as he waited for the contraption to come to a stop on his floor. The second the doors slid open, he burst between them, startling a couple about to exit.
Muttering an apology, he pushed the button for Kate’s floor. Why couldn’t the elevator go any faster? His foot continued its impatient tapping until the metal box lurched to a stop. He darted out into the foyer, sprinted down the hall, and skidded to a stop in front of her room.
His mouth hung open as he took in the open doorway and the maid cart sitting just outside her door. Liam peered into the room. Maybe she just needed someone to clean something up.
But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that wasn’t the case. She was due to check out in the morning anyway.
The bed had been stripped of its linens. Two women spoke happily as one made the bed with fresh sheets and a comforter and the other wiped down the desk. The latter froze as she made eye contact with Liam. “Can I help you, sir?”
He shook his head and took a step back. Then thinking better of it, he nodded, clearing his throat. “Yes, actually. The woman who was staying here. Did she check out?”
The maids exchanged concerned glances. “We’re not allowed to share that information with you. But if you want, you can head down to the front desk. They might be able to help.”
Liam pressed his lips together into a firm line and gave them a sharp shake of his head. “Thanks, anyway.”
It was almost like his feet couldn’t bear to walk down the hallway, his shoes shuffling against the commercial-grade carpeting. His phone buzzed again, and he groaned. “Why won’t anyone leave me alone?” He yanked his phone from his pocket just as a text from Rebecca came through. He’d already messaged her to cancel any future dates. His heart just wasn’t in it.
Without reading the text, he opened his messaging app, intent on informing Tyson that there would be no more setups. Period. But a strange number hovered near the top of the screen. It was one he didn’t recognize. His finger hovered over the message, then with a tap, he opened it. The image of a lit Christmas tree in all its glory filled the small screen. Under the image were the words “For inspiration–K.”
His brows furrowed as he stared at the image. Then everything came together. Kate had sent this message to her friend. His eyes widened, and a smile spread across his face. Kate might not be willing to talk to him, but he had the next best thing.