Page 47 of Room Service

Hey, Jessi. It’s me, Trent. Let me know if you got into work okay.

I winced because it was the best I could think of, but I felt like I could have done better. I put my phone down, but even as I went back to work I kept eyeing my phone, waiting for a reply. None came for a while, then a knock on the door diverted my attention.

“Come in,” I called, leaning back in my chair.

The secretary walked in, followed by my brothers. I grinned.

“Mason, Kevin! Aren’t you guys up a little early? I figured you both like to sleep in.”

Both my brothers froze, but the secretary crossed the room, picked up the mug, and walked away without a word. She closed the door behind herself, and the noise seemed to jolt my brothers, because they approached the desk again.

“Did something happen to you?” Mason asked, eyes slightly narrowed.

I didn’t want them to know. I didn’t want anyone to know, but it wasn’t exactly easy to hide when I wanted to burst out into song, as ridiculous as it would be. I was happy, but I didn’t need to broadcast it, especially to my suspicious-as-fuck brothers. I checked myself, rearranging my expression into something blank. I had to keep to my usual routine, and the usual me was always serious and polite, not grinning at everyone.

I was happy. Really, truly happy for the first time in a long while.

“Nothing happened,” I said, waving away his suspicions, though I couldn’t help a slight twitch of my lips. “But I would like to hear from you guys. You’ve supposedly been working. Do you have anything to show for it?”

That got them to start fidgeting, and I smirked. It was different from a grin, and I did it often so this one was allowed.

“What about you, Kevin?” I asked.

He frowned. “We have actually been working. If you want anything physical to show for it, you’re going to have to wait. It’s only been a few days.”

I sighed, shaking my head in mock disappointment. “Really, boys. I know I’m the oldest here, but I can't keep supervising you. I will if it’s the only way to get you to do shit, though, so why don’t I have the desks brought back in here, huh?”

Mason immediately shook his head. “Dude, no way! Work is so much more than just sitting behind a desk all day, you know? You can just keep doing that while we take care of everything else.”

I sighed. “That isn’t really fair to me though, is it? I feel like I’m doing all the work.” I pursed my lips. “I guess I have to admit I’m impressed. I haven’t heard any news of you hosting a party yet.”

His eyes drifted away from mine as he looked shifty.

“Well, about that…”

I snorted. “No way. You actually have one planned, don’t you?” I turned to Kevin. “What about you?”

He raised his hands, palms out, and backed away slowly. “Do not look at me like that, I swear I’m not planning anything. Besides, I’d probably just step out for a walk instead of inconveniencing the hotel staff.”

“Why is it an inconvenience?” Mason countered. “It’s their jobs, isn’t it? And it’s not like I wouldn’t pay just because I’m the son of the owner!”

I held in my snickers as I watched them bicker between themselves. It was just like Mason to have a party planned. I’d known, but having the confirmation didn’t leave me as annoyed as I’d thought it would. Mason would always be Mason, after all. If he didn’t have the party at the hotel, I knew he’d go somewhere else to bother other people.

Kevin would probably get himself lost exploring. But this was our hometown, so I’d have to hope he wouldn’t actually get himself lost. Besides, these two weren’t kids I was supposed to babysit. We were all chipping in to help in our own way. I knew they were doing something for the hotel, even if I didn’t know what it was yet.

“You can have your party,” I cut into their bickering, and they turned to me with twin expressions of surprise. “But there have to be a few ground rules. You know you can't bother other guests when you do have your party, right? If you do, I swear I will kick you out.”

“Of course I wouldn’t,” Mason said indignantly, even as he still watched me in surprise.

I gave a sharp nod. “The other condition is you absolutely have to give me a heads up before this thing happens. I don’t think I’ll be making an appearance, but I know I’ll be getting calls for it once you set this party up, and I’d like to be prepared for it.”

They both stared at me for a moment, then shared a look between themselves.

“Something definitely happened,” Mason declared. “But you know what? I don’t care what it is. I’ll let you know before I start throwing any parties, and you don’t have to worry, they won’t be too wild.”

Both Kevin and I scoffed at that, and Mason put on a betrayed look. It was hard to believe him because of all the outrageous stories I’d heard. A lot of it was probably exaggeration, but I’d stopped going to his parties after the first few I was pushed into attending for a reason.

After some more brotherly bickering, they left and I went back to work. Only to pause and pick up my phone.

Finally, after years, I was feeling happy. It was all because of Jessi.

So where was she?

Probably just busy, I told myself, writing her another quick text to get back to me when she could. I promised myself I’d look for her later.

With that decided, I put the phone down and turned to my computer, ready to focus. I had several hours before I could see her and I had to make them count.