Chapter 5

I parked in the lot of the charming hotel around three on Saturday afternoon. For such a squat building of about ten stories, it was rather impressive. The grounds were well maintained - the grass looking soft enough to sleep on - and the flower beds were overflowing with wave petunias in bright pinks and purples.

I walked up a cobblestone stone path to the lobby and approached the desk. The smiling young lady directed me to the block of rooms that Collin’s parents had reserved for us, handing me a key after I handed her my credit card.

My room was small but clean and as charming as the outside. I dropped my bag on the bed and pulled out the outfit I intended to wear. I changed quickly into the pale yellow capris and matching top. The neckline was fairly modest, only showing a hint of cleavage, and the material wasn’t as clingy.

I arranged my hair in a long braid that hung down my back and sprayed my favorite perfume on my neck and wrists. I slipped on my flip flops, glanced at my reflection once more before grabbing the keycard and hurrying out of the room.

The gardens were lovely: more petunias and plenty of other floral species I didn’t know. The colors complimented each other - their sweet aroma was so summery that I wanted to close my eyes and run through a field like the tampon commercials on television.

The stone path wound around trees and to a surprisingly large courtyard cut into the perfectly cut green grass. Several covered tables littered the lawn and a stage – complete with instruments – was set up in a corner. My eyes grazed the partygoers, anxious to find someone familiar but I couldn't find Irelyn or Lucas or Spencer or…(swallow)…Collin.

I shrugged, not overly concerned, and meandered to the bar where I requested a bottle of water. The uniformed bartender handed me one with a smile. I returned it flirtatiously and turned back to the crowd. I heaved a huge sigh as I twisted the bottle open and took a sip.

“Bailey!” Spencer called as he appeared beside me. He hugged me and dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “Irelyn was worried that you wouldn’t come.” He held me at arm’s length and allowed his gentle eyes to bore into mine. “Darling, what’s going on?”

Forcing a grin, I pecked his cheek. “Nothing, Spence, honest. I just wanted to spend some time with my family.”

“Well, you look outstanding,” he said, though doubt still lingered in his eyes. “Come on, the others are over here.”

He steered me to a table and Irelyn hopped up to hug me. “You did come!”

“Yeah,” I said as I hugged her back. I glanced over her shoulder and found Collin fighting a smile. My heart lifted. My time away had done nothing to quell my crush – it had only enhanced it.

“Wow,” Irelyn said as she stepped back to look at me. “You look fantastic!”

Shrugging, I plopped into a chair. “The stepmom took me to the spa – full treatment.”

“It’s working for you,” Collin said, a roguish glint in his eyes. Heat crept up my neck and I fought to keep it off my face. “So, what did you do?”

“Not much – shopped, spent Daddy’s money, hung out on the beach, went to a party.” An evil grin broke out on my mouth. “Got into a pissing match with an old enemy of mine. It was classic.” I snorted and took a sip of my water. “She thinks I’m going to seduce her boyfriend.”

“Bailey,” Irelyn groaned.

I narrowed my eyes at Irelyn as my stomach swirled. “She deserves a lot worse. And I’m not actually going after her boyfriend. I don’t even know him.”

“What’s the deal with this chick?” Lucas asked as he sipped a glass of iced tea, amusement flooding his eyes.

“Nothing,” I said as I turned my head to watch the crowd. “Long story – very boring.”

“Did you get something to eat?” Collin asked. “There’s a ton of food.”

I didn’t want to look at him but I knew it would be rude if I didn’t. When I twisted to face him, my heart gasped. He was so beautiful and so out of reach.

“Nah – I ate before I left.”

Nodding, he dropped his eyes to the table. It was obvious he was still feeling guilty. I wished I could smack some sense into him but I doubted it would work. I’d have to wait until we had a chance to talk and hope that whatever I said would chase the guilt from his heart.

The party droned on seemingly endlessly but I did have the opportunity to meet the Newton boys’ parents. Patrick and Sandy Newton were fun people and I could easily see where the boys inherited their good looks and easy going personalities. Sandy fussed constantly over her boys, and Irelyn also, throwing hints that she’d like the next big event to be a wedding. The strain in Irelyn’s eyes was visibly pronounced – the girl was not ready to marry.

Spencer was nearly as preoccupied as Collin and my stomach dropped to my flip flops. I wondered if he’d somehow found out about me and Collin and if he was hiding his pain. I’d have to ask Collin – if we ever were able to talk.

The guys finally left us to prepare for the first set so Irelyn took that opportunity to pounce on me like a cat on a mouse. I set my mouth in a straight line and prepared for her assault.

“Okay, fess up,” she said, her eyes on Lucas as he strapped on his guitar and stepped up to the microphone.

“What am I fessing up to?” I asked in total innocence. “I did nothing wrong – that I can think of.”

“Bailey, I’m not entirely stupid,” she pleaded. “I can tell something is going on and it’s killing me. Why won’t you talk to me?”

Sighing deeply, I took a drink of my water, wishing for something stronger. I wouldn’t drink, though – not with Collin’s parents around. I’d wait until I got to my room.

“Irelyn,” I said in defeat. “It kills me, too, that I can’t talk to you about this.”

“So there is something going on,” she said as she scooted closer to me. “What?”

I bit my lip and ducked my head, trying to figure out what to say to her. I didn’t want to launch into the whole story, as much as it pained me to keep it from her. And I didn’t think she’d be too impressed with my recent behavior.

“Can you just give me a little more time to work things out?” I asked. “I’ll talk to you, I promise. I just need a little more time, okay?”

“Are you in trouble?” she whispered, her eyes wide.

“No,” I laughed. “Not at all.”

Her eyes continued to scrutinize me carefully, looking for cracks in my façade. “Okay, I’ll give you some space. But promise that you’ll call me if you need me. Please?”

“Of course,” I chuckled as I smiled at her. I really was grateful that I had her. I knew she’d come over in an instant if I called her – no matter what time. And I’d do the same for her. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” she said and managed a tiny smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She wasn’t appeased but she’d honor my request.

Jennifer, the graduate, and her friends danced in front of the stage while the guys played. Irelyn amused me greatly as she watched the girls like a hawk, making sure none of them were flirting with Lucas. I couldn’t believe she was still so insecure – couldn’t she see how much Lucas loved her? Didn’t she realize how lucky she was to know she loved him and he loved her?

My gaze left Irelyn and wandered to the stage where it finally landed on Collin. I could see beads of perspiration on his brow reflecting the lights as he pounded on the drums. My heart thumped in time with his beat so hard that I was afraid I’d break a rib.

Lucky Tori, I thought. She’s an idiot if she doesn’t realize what’s right in front of her face.

A lump formed in my throat which irritated me. I scowled and folded my arms over my chest earning a curious look from Irelyn. I pretended not to see as I concentrated on the dancers. I was so tired of feeling teary-eyed and emotional all the time. This being in love crap totally sucked.

When the boys finished playing around eleven, Irelyn and I jumped on the stage to help them tear down their equipment and pack it up in the cases. We hauled it to the van Collin had rented and once we finished, Spencer suggested we go up to the rooms to have a drink. Collin pulled me aside as everyone headed back in the hotel.

“What room are you in?” he asked.

My skin tingled from his touch. “Three-twelve,” I said. “Why? Thinking of grabbing a bottle of mescal?”

I cringed, cursing my runaway mouth. But he laughed and squeezed my arm.

“No, not tonight. I was thinking that I’d stop by later and maybe we could talk.”

“Oh, sure,” I said, excitement shooting throughout my body. “That’s fine.”

“Great,” he said with a grin and dropped my arm. We hurried to catch up with the others.

We ended up in Irelyn and Lucas’s room and sprawled out on the furniture. Lucas fell on the bed, tugging Irelyn into his arms while Collin and I took the two chairs tucked under the table. Spencer passed out the beers then perched atop a dresser.

“Hey, Collin,” Lucas called. “I thought you invited Tori to come?”

“I did,” Collin confirmed, squashing all the wonderfully tingling feelings that I’d been experiencing. “She didn’t want to come.”

A worry line creased his forehead and I wondered briefly what that was all about.

“Is she sick or something?” I asked.

“Nah,” he said, flashing me a feeble smile. “She just didn’t want to come.”

I really didn’t want to spare Tori another thought but I couldn’t help it. She irritated the hell out of me for being too damn stupid to not see how devoted Collin was to her.

Deciding he needed to think about someone else, I brought up Morgan’s name.

“Where is Morgan?” I asked Irelyn. “Why isn’t she here?”

“Her cousin’s wedding was today, remember?” Irelyn reminded me.

“Oh, yeah,” I said as I peeled the label off my beer bottle. “I think I remember seeing that written on the calendar she has posted on our refrigerator.”

I peeked at Collin out of the corner of my eye but his face was unreadable. I sighed as I finished off my beer. Suddenly, I wasn’t in the party mood and really wanted to just crawl in my rented bed and sleep. But I didn’t – I accepted a fresh beer from Spencer and cracked it open.

My body refused to relax – even with the alcohol. It was far too aware of Collin sitting just a couple feet away from me. It yearned to move closer – to touch him – but I concentrated on the various colors woven into the carpet to keep from jumping over the table. I had to behave now and especially later when he came to my room.

I followed the conversation but didn’t contribute much. I patiently waited until the appropriate amount of time passed when I could excuse myself and go to my room. I was eager to have a conversation with Collin but dreading it at the same time. I wasn’t entirely sure that my heart would remain whole.

Spencer was the one who finally broke up the party. Standing to stretch, he claimed he was tired and going to turn in early. He waved distractedly as he hurried out of the room.

“Okay, is it just me or is Spencer acting a little weird?” I asked.

Collin shook his head. “He’s been a little off for the last few days.”

“Damn,” I mumbled as I stared anxiously at the door. “Is it because of me?”

“I don’t think so,” Lucas said slowly. “I mean, I know he really liked you and all but I think something else is going on. He’s not talking, though.”

“Like someone else I know,” Irelyn muttered.

Rolling my eyes, I got to my feet. “Whatever, Irelyn.” She grinned. “I’m heading off to bed, too. See you all in the morning.”

I escaped before Irelyn could protest and walked the short distance to my room. Once I let myself in, I set my beer down, and paced, wondering how long Collin would wait until he made his excuses.

For something to do, I went into the bathroom and released my hair from the braid, shaking it out so it could hang down my back. I was reaching for my brush when I heard the light knock on the door.

My heart fluttered and flipped as my jelly legs led me to the door. I peeked through the peephole and my nervousness increased. I opened the door to let him before someone could spot him lingering near my room.

“Thanks,” he said as he brushed past me. I closed my eyes as a whiff of his cologne floated in front of my face. I dashed to the bed and sank to it as he pulled out a chair. “So, let’s talk.”

“All right,” I said with a shrug, deciding that I would be honest with him. Mostly. “Okay, so I did leave to sort of get away from you and this whole mess. But I told you I was going to do that, remember?”

“That’s what I thought,” he said as a smirk toyed in the corner of his mouth. “I’m sorry you felt you had to leave, though.”

I held up a hand. “I only did it to give you a little space, Collin,” I whispered. “I knew you were feeling bad about what happened.”

“Bailey,” he said and my heart thrilled to hear my name roll off his tongue. “Yeah, I felt bad, but it had nothing to do with you. And you shouldn’t have had to run off somewhere because of it.”

Nodding, I stood and fetched the beer I’d set on the dresser. I took a long drink before turning back to face him. “It’s not a big deal. It was nice to hang out at home for awhile.”

His eyes roamed over my entire body and spread heat throughout my stomach. “It agreed with you. You look gorgeous.”

I fought a blush and gave him a wry smile instead. “Thanks.”

He crossed the room, stopping in front of me. Taking my free hand, he squeezed it. “And I swear, I didn’t mean what I said in the men’s room that day. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you were … you know…how do I say this… damn!” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Collin, don’t worry about it – I know. I was very hung over and oversensitive.”

“Don’t make excuses for me, Bailey,” he said as he squeezed my hand again. “I was acting like an insensitive prick.”

I had to smile. “Maybe.”

Laughing, he pulled me into his arms. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent as I rested my cheek against his chest. I didn’t want the talk to end – I wanted him to stay in the room all night.

And my body was reacting indecently to his innocent hug. My blood was boiling and my pulse was racing through my veins. As I wrapped an arm around his middle, I could feel the muscles in his back and my insides caught fire.

Then his lips were in my hair. I forced my head to stay put and not turn up so his lips could land on mine. His hands rubbed my back lightly, coaxing a contented sigh to escape my mouth. Reluctantly, I pulled away to smile up at him.

“Thanks, Collin.”

I thought I spotted a flicker of desire shoot through his eyes but I couldn’t be sure. I probably imagined it.

He lifted a hand to stroke my cheek and my eyes fluttered shut. I stepped closer, clutching his shirt. His finger trailed my jawline making goosebumps jump out on my arms. He lowered his head and kissed me softly – so softly I barely felt it. My heart surged as he cupped my cheek and his kiss increased.

I was vaguely aware that I still held a bottle of beer and wanted desperately to put it down so I could free my hand, but I was afraid that if I stepped away, the kiss would end and I wouldn’t get another one.

He applied more pressure and my knees buckled. The arm around my waist tightened to support me, easing me closer to his body while his other hand tangled in my hair.

Feelings like I’d never known raced up and down my nervous system, wreaking havoc with my organs. Everything I thought I knew about guys and how to handle them flew out the window and that was fine. I allowed my body to shut down so I could concentrate only on his kiss.

I wanted him – true – but more than that, I loved him. I loved how I fit in his arms. I loved how when I stood on my toes and he bent his head, we met perfectly. I loved how his fingers twisted and twined in my hair. And I loved how his hand was gentle yet firm on the small of my back. Nothing about his kiss made me feel like he was anxious to just get me in bed. Instead, it made me feel … cherished, in a way.

Finally, he ended the kiss, his lips lingering briefly on mine. I opened my eyes and he smiled sheepishly at me.

“Sorry,” he said, his cheeks a little red. He inched back and rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t intend to do that when I suggested we talk.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay.” I took a long drink from the bottle before handing it to him. His smile widened as he finished it off and tossed it in the trash can.

“I should go,” he said. He strode to the door and rested his hand on the knob. “Um, are we cool?”

“Yep,” I said as cheerfully as I could. “Everything’s fine.”

“You’re not going to hide anymore, are you?”

Snorting, I punched his arm playfully. “Nah. You guys are stuck with me again.”

“Good,” he grinned. “I missed you.”

My heart cheered and I swallowed to settle it down. “Sweet talker,” I teased with a wink. “Get the hell out of here – I need to get to bed.”

He nodded, his brows dipped slightly. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he left, I fell to the bed and draped an arm over my eyes. I was an idiot to think I might have a chance with him – even if one of my best friends wasn’t in love with him. It was obvious he was attracted to me – but that was where it ended. He could never love me – I wasn’t the type of girl guys fell in love with. And that was fine – I’d deal.