AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah,” I hedged, thinking about the possibility that my life could very well be going in that direction. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Thanks!” I exclaimed, grabbing my snacks and booking it the hell out of there.
Chapter 15
Jake
Seattle
We all resumedour seats in the SUV when we leftWaking up With Whitney. After I was belted in, Liam clapped his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Shrug it off, man. We got you.”
Though he couldn’t see me, I smiled blandly. There wasn’t much to say on the ride back to the hotel, but when we all got out, Lauren lagged behind.
“You can put on whatever tough-guy persona you’d like, Jakey, but I can see right through you. She was out of line and I heard the underlying bite to your tone when you answered.” Lauren and I began walking to the elevator.
Sighing, I explained how I didn’t give a damn if my name was dragged through the mud, but I certainly cared if Lucy’s was.
“I get that, I do,” she replied softly. “So, when are you going to talk to her?”
I cocked my head, looking at her curiously. “I don’t even have her number; I suppose I’ll have to wait until we see each other at the photo ops.”
Lauren raised a perfectly arched brow and crossed her arms. “Seriously? That’s what you’re copping out with?”
“What?” I delivered lamely. The door opened and we stepped out.
“Jake. Need I remind you that not only do you have resources at your disposable, but you sort of have the whole real-life-superhero thing going for you. You like her; I can tell,” she exacted. “So. Go. Find. Her.”
Reaching my room, we stopped. “Sometimes I hate when you’re right,” I muttered.
“You’ll thank me for it later,” she bragged with a sing song voice, disappearing down the hall.
Lauren was right and I don’t know why I thought otherwise. There were a few things I could do, but in the end, I decided to use the charm Lauren was sure I possessed.
Sticking the keycard back in my pocket, I headed back down to the lobby to the front desk. A few people were checking in with the woman behind the counter, so I waited patiently.
“How may I help you, Mr. Stanley?” Even though this wasn’t the first time I’d been addressed so formally, it was still an odd thing to hear sometimes.
“Please, it’s Jake,” I assured her, using a genuine smile. “I know it may be against protocol, but I was wondering if you could tell me if a Lucy…”Shit. I didn’t know her last name.Shit. Shit.“Sorry, if there’s a Lucy expected to check in or if one already has?”
The woman was patient and I’m sure she had encountered a slew of odd requests in her time. She gave me an understanding smile. “Well, you’re in luck,” she winked. “If you did have a last name, I would be breaking privacy protocols, but since you didn’t give me one, I can tell you that currently there is a Lucy here and another expected in today.”
“Vague, but helpful—I like it. And I didn’t mean for you to put your job on the line, but I appreciate your help!” I smiled.
Returning to my room, I aimlessly looked around. What I was looking for, I had no clue. It’s not like the gilded wallpaper would offer any insight or magically show me Lucy’s whereabouts.
I tried watching TV, scrolling through my social media (Twitter was blowing up with a new trending hashtag of #MakeJakeSingleAgain), and I even tried reading a book.
It was useless. I was restless and twitchy and needed to burn off some of my energy.
The hotel had a state-of-the-art gym, so I changed and headed down for a workout. It always helped to run a few miles and to lift some weights; at least I was in control of that small aspect of my life.
Connecting my Air Pods, I cranked the music to drown out my incessant thoughts. But it only helped marginally.
By the timeI was done, sweat was dripping down my body. My shirt was glued to my chest, my shorts offered minimal relief and my socks felt like they had never been run through the dryer.
But I had a plan. Or a semblance of one at least. Based on a hunch that Lucy was the second one mentioned by the friendly woman at the front desk, I planned on grabbing my book, my ballcap and a whole lot of anonymity. I would sit in the lobby and wait like a stalker.
Which to be fair, in my head it played out much less Penn Badgley inYouand more like how John Krasinski pined for Emily Blunt before he even met her.
But showering was in order before any of that could go down. The gym was located on the main floor as the lobby, tucked around the corner and down a corridor.
