Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

SIMON

I stood in the narrow hallway, my heart pounding as I raised my hand to knock on the door. I was thankful that Karen gave me this address when I explained the situation to her when I stopped by yesterday. The muffled sounds of conversations from the surrounding rooms competed with the sound of my heartbeat in my ears. I knocked three times, then stepped back, waiting.

The door opened, and there she was in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, looking up at me with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"What are you doing here and how did you find me?" Rylee asked incredulously.

I reached into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out a passport, holding it out to her. "I might be an asshole, but assholes tend to know people in high places," I said, handing it over. "I was able to get you a new passport, and I wanted to deliver it myself to make sure you got it right away. I didn't want you to have to wait the three to five days at the consulate. You can thank Karen for letting me know where to find you."

She flipped through the passport as if she couldn't believe it was real. Her eyes widened as she realized it was genuine. She looked at me once again, and then before I knew it, she threw her arms around me.

"I can meet up with my new friends in Ireland now! I just have to book a flight, and then I can carry on with the tour!"

I chuckled as she rushed back into the room, cramming things into her suitcase. "I just hope I can get a flight! Thank you! Seriously, this is amazing."

"There's no need to book a flight," I told her.

She paused, looking at me with confusion. "Well, I'm not walking to Ireland," she said, throwing her backpack over her shoulder, looking like she was bursting with joy.

"I can take you there."

She stopped, staring at me. "Do you plan on carrying me?"

"I chartered my own plane." I laughed. "But I suppose I could try to carry you."

Her mouth fell open in disbelief. "You chartered a plane?"

"If we leave now, you'll be back with your tour group before dinner."

She stood there for a moment, processing what I'd said. "I can't believe it," she finally whispered.

"Move your ass, Rylee. We don't have all day," I urged her with a grin.

She finished packing her suitcase, which I carried for her. I walked down to the front desk with her. I couldn't help but feel personally offended by the state of the place. I couldn't believe she'd been staying here alone.

"This is where you've been staying?" I asked when we stepped outside.

"Don't knock it." She laughed. "It's not the five-star accommodations you're used to, but it works. I didn't come to Rome to spend my time in a fancy hotel room. I just needed a place to lay my head."

The driver for the car I hired quickly took her suitcase. "You have a car, too?"

I looked at her like she was the crazy one. "Of course."

The car took us to the airport, where my jet was fueled and ready to take off. We quickly climbed the stairs. Rylee looked around with wide eyes. "Holy shit," she whispered. "This is crazy!"

The interior was luxurious, with plush leather seats, a bar filled with exquisite liquor bottles, and a dining area that could have belonged to a five-star restaurant. Rylee looked around in awe. "This is insane," she said, unable to hide her excitement.

"I hope you like it," I said with a smile. "And don't worry, there's Wi-Fi too."

"Good, because I've got to tell the girls about this," Rylee said. "Although three of them are probably used to this kind of luxury since they have rich significant others."

She snapped a couple of pictures before she sat down. The pilot and the single flight attendant that was a part of the package quickly boarded the plane.

Once we were in the air, I could see Rylee visibly relax. The attendant brought us two glasses of champagne.

"Would you like your lunch?" she asked.

"Please." I nodded.

Rylee looked at me. "Lunch?"

"Nothing big." I shrugged.

We moved to the small dining table. The attendant brought our simple lunches of cold meat sandwiches, bags of chips, and a couple of fruit bowls.

"Thank you," Rylee murmured as she picked up her sandwich.

"Of course." I nodded.

I watched with some surprise as Rylee devoured the sandwich. She ripped open her bag of chips.

"Hungry?" I asked.

"I've been pinching my pennies and spending money on experiences, not food," she explained. "It's ridiculously expensive to eat at restaurants in Rome. One of my friends got ripped off and had to pay a hundred and fifty Euros for a pasta dish. Thanks for warning me to always ask about prices before ordering. When I realized I might have to pay a lot more, I decided to conserve my money. I had tea for breakfast."

I felt a lump in my throat at the thought of her not eating just to afford this trip. It made me feel like a glutton. She was trying to do something amazing and was willing to sacrifice eating just to experience the world. "I'm sorry."

She looked at me, frowning slightly. "For what?"

"I've had a lot of time to think since you left my hotel room in Houston," I began. "I know where I went wrong. For starters, I shouldn't have brought you all that way for a hookup. And I definitely shouldn't have assumed that's all it was or assumed that you had that kind of free time to spend commuting or being with me. I was only thinking about what I wanted in the moment, and not what you might want. I value your time more than my actions revealed. I did not want you there because I was hoping to get laid. I don't want you to think I was using you for sex."

She popped another chip in her mouth and took a sip of champagne. "I think we both knew what was going to happen."

I took a deep breath. "I'm glad you walked out on me. I needed to learn that lesson. I was disrespectful, and I'm sorry."

Rylee blushed, giving me a smile I hadn't seen before. She reached over and clasped my hand. "Thank you, Simon. That means a lot to me. And you're forgiven."

"That's it?" I asked, feeling a mix of relief and disbelief.

She winked. "The private jet and the grand gesture with the passport sort of helped, but yes, that's it. It was offensive in the moment, but like I said, I got into that car knowing sex was on the table."

"Rylee, I swear to you that was not my intention. When I got your text, I can't tell you how relieved I was to know I had one person in my corner. I reached out because I guess I was just looking for someone to lean on."

"I get it." She shrugged. "I just felt like it was a booty call."

"Definitely not," I assured her.

"Thank you for saying that." She smiled.

"How has your trip been so far?" I asked her.

I casually peeled the lid off the fruit bowl and pushed it toward her. I wanted her to eat her fill.

"It was great until I lost my damn passport," she muttered. "I met some people and we were supposed to be going to Ireland. It was nice having a group to explore with. Here I thought I was being safe by staying in a group and I still lost or had my passport stolen."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, genuine concern filling my voice.

"Yeah," she sighed. "But I'm still grateful for the experience. And this is a pretty cool consolation prize."

"Glad I could be the consolation prize," I teased.

"Stop." She giggled, popping sliced melon into her mouth. "You know what I mean."

"I do." I nodded. "I was looking for a chance to go to Europe."

"Liar." She grinned.

"It's weird to be here and not be on business," I said.

"How long are you going to stay?" she asked.

I couldn't tell if she was asking to get rid of me or asking because she wanted me to stay. "I don't know." I shrugged. "I'm just playing it out."

"Does that terrify you?" she teased. "Your schedule isn't planned out?"

I popped a grape into my mouth. "Honestly, after this last week, I'm so damn happy I don't have anything to do. If I see another reporter or photographer, I might just lose my shit."

"I can imagine," she said with a sympathetic smile, reaching for another slice of fruit. "You've been through a lot."

Pausing for a moment, I watched as her features softened, her eyes sparkling with an unspoken understanding that made my heart flutter. I believed her empathy. It wasn't her just saying the words. It was genuine.

"Thank you," I said.

She talked a little more about what she saw in Rome. I listened, engrossed in her tales of touring hidden churches, the breathtaking art in the many museums she visited, and the joy of sipping espresso in the shadow of the Colosseum.

I was glad she got to have the experience. She deserved it.

It wasn't long before we were landing in Ireland. "Do you want to get a hotel?" I asked her.

"Hell no." She laughed. "I have arrangements to stay at a hostel."

"A hotel?"

"A hostel ," she corrected.

"Like the place you were at before?" I asked with a grimace.

"Something like that." She grinned.

"I'll get a car," I said.

Once again, we climbed into a private car to take us to this new place. I assumed I would be dropping her off. I didn't want to crash her party. I would get a nice hotel room and fly home tomorrow. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was worth it to see her and to make her happy. I knew she needed help and I was glad I could be there to save the day.

When the car pulled to a stop in front of the building, I couldn't stop shaking my head.

"You're not staying here," I said firmly.

"Oh, yes I am, and so are you," she insisted.

"Um, no," I said. "I'm not staying here."

She leaned over and looked into my eyes. "Live a little. Have an adventure."

If it meant spending time with her, I supposed I could handle sleeping in a dorm room.

"Okay." I nodded.

We checked into the hostel together, and I had to admit, despite my initial reservations, it wasn't so bad. It seemed a little cleaner than the last. We made our way to the room. When she opened the door, we were inundated with shouts of joy. I stood back as Rylee was hugged by her friends, including two young men that I didn't appreciate being so friendly.

Rylee introduced me to her tour group and explained I had saved the day. I could see how much they cared for her. It was clear she had made a real connection with these people.

"Aren't you that oil guy?" Claire asked.

I looked at Rylee. "No," she answered for me, sliding her arm around my waist. "He's Simon. Just Simon."

I had a feeling they recognized me, especially since I had been all over the news all week. I knew it made international news.

I nodded, appreciating the way Rylee shielded me from their probing questions. Despite my status, being merely "Simon" felt liberating.

With introductions and catching up done, we headed out to explore Ireland.

Later that evening, we went to a local pub. I watched Rylee as she chatted animatedly with her friends, her face glowing with happiness. It struck me how beautiful she was and how much I wanted to see her look like this all the time.

I ordered a round of drinks. I paid. And it felt good to pay. Again, they didn't ask, but I wanted to do this for them because they took such good care of Rylee.