Page 100 of A Newport Christmess

“I’m sorry, Landon. I really am.”

He still didn’t answer.

“Landon?”

I glanced at my screen to find it had gone black. Oh, shoot. I clicked the power button, but nothing happened. The movement of headlights drew my attention upward, and before I fully processed the situation, it was Landon’s taillights that filled my vision. A sense of dread pulsed through me when the red glow disappeared into the darkness. “It’s okay,” I whispered to myself. I can do this.

I returned to the receptionist’s desk, emotion swelling in my chest. “Do you have any rooms available?”

“How many nights?”

“Just one.”

Her fingers raced across her keyboard. “We do have one available.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Wonderful. That will be two hundred and eighty-six dollars.”

My mouth parted. Since when did hotel rooms cost so much? “Is that your cheapest room?” I asked, trying to keep my tone level.

Her gaze lifted to mine. “It’s our only room.”

I handed her my card, holding my breath while she ran it. I’d nearly maxed out my credit card, but I had some wiggle room. Fingers crossed it was two hundred and eighty-six dollars of it.

She ran the card a second time, her brow creased, and then she handed it back. “I’m sorry. The card was declined. Do you have another form of payment?”

I shoved the credit card back into my phone case. “Do you take Venmo?”

She shook her head. Not that I had a way to access it with my phone battery dead. “I just got paid today, so if I can find a charger ... then I’ll transfer the money into my bank account, and pay off my credit card bill quick.” I spoke my plan as much to myself as to her.

The skin on her neck tightened with her apologetic grimace. “With processing times, I don’t think that will work. At least not for tonight.”

My skin itched with frustration, and I rubbed a hand over my cheek, but the itch only spread to my neck. “Could I possibly pay for it tomorrow?”

“Unfortunately, we need payment in full at the time of arrival.”

Looks like I’d be giving Mom more proof of how not ready I was for a serious relationship. Or really just life in general. “Could I call my parents and have them book the room?”

She gave a sharp nod. “That would work.”

I glanced down at the hotel phone next to her and pointed at it. “My phone’s dead. Could I possibly use yours?”

Her smile was tight, but she handed me the phone. “What’s the number?”

Oh no! I closed my eyes, trying to conjure up some memory of what their new numbers were. 858-39 ... Nope. Come on. Think. My brain was like a tire stuck in the snow, spinning endlessly with no progress forward. Nothing came. “I actually don’t remember. They switched providers a few months ago and had to change numbers.”

She reached a hand out, and I placed the receiver back in it.

And there it was. Hard proof that Landon was better off without me. What functioning adult couldn’t even get themselves a hotel room for the night? Tears of frustration and disappointment welled in my eyes. “You really don’t have a charger I could borrow?”

Pity lined the woman’s face. “I didn’t bring mine to work today, or I’d let you use it.”

I gave a slow nod and took a step away from the desk. In retrospect, I should have told Landon where I was or gone out to talk to him in person. But I hadn’t. And I had no way of getting in touch with him. If only I’d remembered to charge my phone while I was in Cody’s room.

Cody.

I could always ask to use his charger. But I’d walked out of his room with my head held high. To go back now and beg for his help ... No. I’d prefer to try my luck at asking complete strangers to borrow their charger or sleep in the hotel lobby if I had to. I assessed the still empty room, and a tear slid down my cheek.