Page 101 of A Newport Christmess

Then another. And another.

“Quinn?” The gentle female voice approached from the hallway, and I glanced over to see Rachel walking toward me, her face full of concern.

Of course it would be Rachel.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, coming to stand next to me. “Is everything alright?”

“My phone died ... and I was going to ...” I sniffed. “... get a hotel room. But my credit card ...”

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I have an extra bed in my room. You’re welcome to come stay with me.”

I wiped a hand over my tear-streaked face, mascara remnants marking up my hands. “I don’t want to inconvenie—”

“It’s not an inconvenience. I’m happy to have you.”

The universe had some sort of twisted humor, but going with Rachel seemed a better option than eating a big slice of humble pie to go the Cody route. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.” She turned to the woman at the reception counter. “I just need a new key. This one’s on the fritz.”

“Sorry about that. What’s your room number?”

“Two zero three.”

The woman typed the numbers into a small machine and handed Rachel a new hotel key. She looked at me. “I hope you find a charger.”

“Thanks.” I attempted a smile and followed Rachel from the lobby.

“What type of charger do you need?”

“An iPhone.”

“Darn. I have an Android.”

I wasn’t at all surprised by my luck.

As we started up to the room, Rachel glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “Is everything else okay?”

I nodded, the tears still rolling down my cheeks, causing my skin to sting.

“Anything you want to talk about?”

I owed her some sort of explanation. “My ex-husband unexpectedly showed up at Landon’s house right before the rehearsal dinner. He wanted to talk. And in my current state, I didn’t want to go back to Landon’s and ... ruin all the fun.”

She gave a slow nod, and I wondered if Landon had mentioned anything on their ride over about us. “I’m sorry.”

I pulled in a quick breath, still trying to regulate my breathing. “It was actually good. I needed closure, and I got it.”

“Either way, it probably wasn’t an easy conversation.”

We continued the rest of the way in silence, and by the time we got to the room, my tears were falling less frequently.

“Is all of your stuff still at Landon’s?” she asked when she’d closed the door behind us.

“Unfortunately.”

“I have a nightdress you could borrow, and I’m sure housekeeping could bring up an extra toothbrush.” Her gaze landed on my cheek, and her eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”

I lifted a hand to the spot she stared at, and dread filled me at the lifted patch of skin under my fingers. “Curse words!” But how? I hadn’t touched a Christmas tree.