She looked like she wanted to say something else but then she looked at his face again, at his rigid stance and turned to leave. Just before she reached the elevators, she looked back and said, “She wasn’t right for you. Maybe I’m not either but I just had to make you see.”
He stood in the same spot for a long time, even after the elevator doors closed.
Chapter Eighteen
WITH A SIGH, Mara sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off her shoes. Ethan had come through, providing her with a reservation number for a suite at the closest hotel he could find, The Carlyle. She didn’t even want to think about how she’d looked coming into the elegant lobby shivering and wild-eyed clutching her cell phone to her ear like a lifeline.
But now that she was here, she realized how silly she had been running off without her things. There was no way she could sleep in her evening gown and makeup. She walked into the bathroom and peered at herself in the mirror. Her mascara had run beneath her eyes slightly since she’d been crying the whole way here. With a little sigh, she walked back out into the room and picked up the phone next to the bed. The man who had checked her in downstairs had been so nice and she thought that perhaps they might have some complimentary supplies she could use. At least a toothbrush.
“Hello. I just checked in and I forgot, well, everything. There’s soap here but I don’t suppose you guys have extra toothbrushes, do you?”
The voice on the other end of the line was steady and soothing. “Of course. We pride ourselves on providing everything our guests need. Would you like a toiletry kit?”
“Yes, that would be great. Thank you so much.”
“We’ll send someone up with your items shortly.”
Mara had just drawn a bath when she heard the knock on the door. After a quick glance through the peephole, she opened the door to a bubbly maid who brought in not only the toiletries she’d requested but also champagne and strawberries, compliments of the hotel. She wondered what had prompted this level of service and then realized that Ethan must have laid down a huge deposit on the room in
order for her to be getting this treatment. It seemed her debt to him was just growing bigger and bigger.
She bit into one of the large, juicy strawberries and decided that if she ever had to get stranded in the city, this hotel was the place to do it.
She stepped out of her evening gown and hung it in the closet. Then she walked back into the bathroom. The toiletry kit contained the usual items: toothpaste, a small travel-sized toothbrush, floss and a small tube of body lotion. She pulled out a small packet and then gave a mental cheer. The facial towelettes would be perfect to sponge off the rest of her heavy makeup. Wetting one slightly, she attacked the heavy mascara first, sighing with relief when she finally looked like herself again.
Once she’d brushed her teeth and washed her face, she climbed into the huge soaker tub. Steam rose from the water and she let out a bone-deep sigh of appreciation. Resting her head against the side of the tub, she told herself that she was going to take a little time not to think or obsess or cry. Just a break from it all to soak and relax. After a half hour, she finally felt warm again.
At least in body if not in spirit.
After wrapping herself in one of the huge fluffy towels, she poked around the room until she found a large white bathrobe hanging in the closet. Slipping it on was like wrapping herself in a cloud. Tucking the collar beneath her chin, she climbed onto the big bed and wondered what she was supposed to do now.
For the first time, she allowed herself to really appreciate the grandeur of the room. The king-sized bed was swathed in the softest linen and piled with mounds of fluffy pillows. The room also contained a cherry wood writing desk and had a small balcony. It was decorated in a modern style that screamed sophistication. Ethan had really put her up in style.
She wondered if this was what Trent had meant when he said that money changes how people see you. She could see how this kind of pampering could attract the wrong kind of girl. The kind who just wanted a caretaker instead of a partner. But she’d never been like that with Trent. They’d always been in it together, supporting each other. Or at least, she’d thought so until finding out that she actually didn’t know anything about him. Or that he didn’t really know her.
How could he when all he was seeing every time he looked at her was a dead girl’s face?
Suddenly cold, she pulled back the comforters and snuggled underneath. Across the room, her cell phone sat on the desk, tempting her. Part of her wanted to call him, let him explain everything away with pretty words and kisses. She’d give anything to go back to that moment at the museum when she’d believed that they were going to take on the world together, two birds in their gilded cage. She buried her face in her pillow, trying to smother the memories. Would she ever be able to forget the way he’d looked at her tonight? In a room full of the most beautiful, sophisticated people she’d ever seen, Trent had only had eyes for her.
But then her heart broke anew as she thought that maybe he wasn’t seeing her at all.
That was the crux of their problem. At the heart of it, Mara could never be sure of what he saw when he looked at her. Was he seeing her or the ghost of the woman he really wanted? She’d given up her job, moved to a new state and had completely changed her way of life. There was almost no limit to what she was willing to do for him.
But the one thing she couldn’t do was be someone else.
* * * * *
DARKNESS GAVE WAY to light and for the first time in years, Trent was awake to experience sunrise over the city.
His cell phone chirped so he tilted it up to see the screen. It was almost out of power again. That was no surprise. He’d been on the damn thing all night. He’d called everyone Mara might contact. Dax had combed the city, looking for hotel reservations in her name. They’d checked all the public parks, and all the places he took her on their tour. Nothing. It was as if she’d vanished into thin air.
Panic clawed at the edges of his mind and he wondered if this was her intention. She wanted him to suffer not knowing where she was. If so, she’d achieved her goal.
When his phone dinged again, he looked down at the display and then answered immediately.
“Matt? Have you heard anything?”
“She’s safe. And that’s all I’m going to tell you.”