Fated Hearts (Southern Bride 8)

I smiled and looked down at the ground, trying my hardest not to laugh.

“It’s reserved for someone. I can’t give it to you.”

Annalise stood on her tiptoes and said, “I’ll pay double.”

The girl hesitated, then looked at me. She grinned before focusing her attention back on Annalise.

“I’m sorry, I can’t. You could always check another car rental place.”

At that moment, a younger man rushed past me, and Annalise and frantically asked the girl, “Do you have any available cars? No one in this damn airport has any left!”

The girl shook her head and turned to Annalise. “Maybe an Uber?”

I cleared my throat and said, “Maybe I can help.”

Annalise spun around and stared at me, an openly shocked expression on her face.

I winked at her, then looked at the clerk. “I have a reservation under the name Roger Carter.”

The girl typed away on her computer and then said, “Yes, Mr. Carter, let me get those keys for you.”

Annalise slowly shook her head before she started to laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re the guy with the last reservation?”

I held out my hands and shrugged. “I can’t help it if I remembered to call the rental car place and you didn’t, princess.”

Her mouth opened to say something, but all she did was smile and shake her head.

I couldn’t fucking believe it. Annalise was standing in front of me. Here, in Texas—and she was fucking moving here. God, I hoped it was to San Antonio since she wouldn’t be that far from me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to jump for joy or run like hell. “What are the odds we’re both heading to San Antonio?” I asked.

Her eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “A million to one. I knew your accent was from the south.”

The girl behind the counter cleared her throat. “I just need you to go through this paperwork, Mr. Carter.”

After I initialed and signed, I looked at Annalise. “Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.”

“Do you live here? In San Antonio?”

I shook my head. “No, not in San Antonio, about forty minutes outside of it.”

She let out another disbelieving laugh.

“You’re moving to San Antonio?” I asked. “I got the impression you were going to a smaller hotel.”

The way she stared at me made my heartbeat kick up some. “Oh, I am. The town is outside of San Antonio. Thank you for offering to give me a ride, but it would probably be out of your way.”

“I’m not doing anything else before dinner, and what better way to spend my afternoon than to sneak in some more time with you?”

“Do you two know each other?” the girl behind the counter asked as she handed me the keys to the rental. She could clearly feel the energy between me and Annalise.

“Yes,” Annalise answered with a wide grin. “We know each other well.”

I lifted a brow and fought to hide my own smile.

“It’s all set for someone to come pick this up tomorrow?” I asked the girl when I finally broke my stare with Annalise.

The girl nodded. “Yes, sir. It’s all arranged.”

Turning back to face Annalise, I smiled. “So, are you going to tell me where I’m taking you, or do I have to start guessing all the surrounding towns?”

Annalise looked at the girl, then at me. “You have to promise me that if it’s out of the way, you’ll just let me take an Uber or a taxi.”

I held up my hand and crossed my heart with my finger. “I promise. Where to?”

“I’m staying at the hotel I’ll be working at until I can find a place of my own. The owner has graciously allowed me to have one of the suites.”

“That’s nice of her.”

Annalise pulled out a piece of paper. “I have it memorized, but just in case… Yes, here it is. One twenty-eight Blanco Road. In Boerne…” She trailed off, looking for the name.

My breath caught in my throat. Had I heard her right?

“Do you know where that is?”

All I could do was nod. There was absolutely no fucking way Annalise was moving to Boerne.

There was no way she would be working only steps from my office.

Was I still asleep on the plane?

I looked at the counter girl, then back at Annalise. I rubbed the back of my neck and pinched myself. Yep, I was indeed awake. What in the fuck was going on?

Tilting her head, Annalise gave me a concerned look. “Roger, are you okay? You look white as a ghost.”

“What’s the name of the hotel you’ll be working at?”

“The Montclair.”

“The historic hotel,” I replied.

Her eyes lit up, and she gave me a brilliant smile that stole my breath. “Yes! Do you know about it?”

I reached down and grabbed her case and placed it on top of mine. “Yes, I’ve heard of it.”

She followed me as I started toward the rental car parking lot. “Is it out of your way? Because if it is, Roger, I can totally take an—”