The beach house motif continued into the bedroom, which contained a dresser, a nightstand, and a queen-size bed. On the right were two doors, an open door leading into the bathroom and another door beyond it, which Alex presumed led to a closet.
Eddie continued the tour. “As you can see, the bathroom is accessible from the bedroom as well as the front room. That way when you have guests over, you don’t have to give them access to your boudoir if they need to use the facilities.”
Fin held up his hand, and Eddie stopped talking.
“The apartment is lovely, Eddie, but I only need one night.”
Eddie cleared his throat. “Well, from Alex’s text, I assumed you needed new accommodations for the rest of your stay here in Houston.”
Fin’s eyebrows rose and he glanced at Alex. “Oh,” she said. “I didn’t think beyond tonight.Wouldyou want to stay here for the rest of your vacation?”
Fin hesitated. “I need to check with Addie and make sure I don’t have any legal obligations. The hotel room is tied to the press junket so…” He trailed off and raised his hands.
Eddie bustled about. “Sure, sure… check with your people and let me know. The apartment is yours for the night, and it’s available if you need it through the end of the month. Honestly, it’s available for the remainder of the year. We haven’t put the place up for rent since the last tenant left, and it’s become more of a ‘just in case’ spot for friends who drink too much. Here are the keys… drop them off tomorrow if you’re not staying.” Eddie smiled and made his way toward the door. “Ta ta for now.”
And just like that, they were alone. Alex looked back at Fin, who was still holding his gym bag and inspecting the bedroom. He dropped the bag on the bed and faced her.
“Well, that was unexpected,” she said.
“Aye. My head is spinning.”
“I have an idea.” She pointed at him. “You get showered and changed—I’m assuming you have something to wear in your bag—then come to my place and we’ll have a glass of wine or something stronger and relax a bit. We can put together a plan.”
Fin smiled and agreed.
“Give me at least twenty minutes. I have more hair to wash than you do,” she called as she left.
Fin pulledwhat he needed from his gym bag and headed to the bathroom. The open shelving was fully stocked with both male and female grooming products, proving again what an excellent host Eddie was. He jumped in the shower and washed the day from his body. Seeing the shaving supplies in the cupboard, he considered the stubble on his face, but decided he was too eager to hang out with Alex to mess with it.
Happy that he always carried spare clothes in his gym bag, Fin pulled on the extra track bottoms and a t-shirt. This would work for tonight, but if he ditched the hotel, he needed to retrieve the rest of his things soon.
Fin found his phone and dialed Addie.
“Hello, darling, how are you?”
“Hey, Addie, I’m good. Listen, according to Blake, a mob has swamped the hotel, and I may need a new locale for the rest of my stay here.”
“Well, fuck. So much for relaxation, eh? Let me see what I can find… same area?” Fin could hear her shuffling papers in the background.
“No, I might have a place lined up already, but needed to run it by you.”
“Oh?”
He grinned at the question. Funny how Addie could say a million things with a simple two-letter word. “Yes, ehm, Alex’s friend has a garage apartment available if I want to use it. I’m just wondering if I need to do anything at the hotel… if I have any obligations tied to the press junket, producers, or movie?”
“Okay, number one, screw them. They didn’t protect you from that Cole bitch, and thatwasin your contract. So no, you do not owe them anything. And truth be told, you weren’t obligated to stay there, anyway. We booked that hotel for the convenience. Now about this apartment… nothing shady there, right? Do I need to look into this ‘friend?’”
A comforting warmth spread through him at the protectiveness Addie displayed. He must be overly stressed to have his emotions so close to the surface like this. Addie was always protective and fierce. Nothing new here.
“Nothing shady. In fact, I think he’s a matchmaker type,” Fin said, thinking of the sly looks Eddie gave him and Alex earlier. “Addie, have I told you lately that I love you? You are my best friend and you look after me like family. I’m closer to you than my own sister.”
“Well, my god, Fin, you don’t have to get all maudlin on me, for fuck’s sake.” Addie sniffed on the other end of the line, and he could picture her tearing up. “Listen, you can do what you want as far as where you stay. You want me to have them collect your things? I can check you out remotely and arrange it so all you have to do is swing by and pick everything up. Or better yet, have Blake do it.”
“Let me double-check with Alex before we commit to anything,” Fin told her, “but I like the idea of having everything ready to go so I can send someone for my stuff. I’ll text you later to confirm. Possibly later tonight, but tomorrow for sure.”
“Okay, sounds good. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this, Finley. I hoped you would get your break from the limelight. You’re too popular right now.” Addie snorted. “I never thought I’d complain about a client being too popular. Who knew?”
“Your client sounds like a pain. Night, Addie.”
