He yawns. “Hey. We’re going down for breakfast. You coming?”

I pause, and give my hair another good raking. “I’ll be down in a bit. I’m slow-moving today.” Don’t come out, Rue. Just stay in there a little longer.

“Okay, we’ll be on the pool deck.”

“The one with the wood lounge chairs or the white spongy ones?”

“I don’t know if I’d call them spongy… but those ones. Rooftop pool. Jenna’s already up there. Do you know where Rue is?”

“No. I’ve got Maya in here.”

His eyebrows go up and he makes a sound, looking to the ground. A sound I can’t ascertain the meaning of. Is he disappointed or relieved? He probably thinks it’s a good idea he warned Rue. My chest tightens with anger, but I bite my tongue. Now I want Rue to walk out. Show him he’s too late.

“Right. Maya. Tell her I said hello. I’d suggest you invite her to breakfast, but...” He hits the doorframe, sticks his hands in his pockets and strolls away, passing our room service cart on his way. He eyeballs it, reaches over to take a grape off the fruit plate, not knowing the breakfast is for me. He thinks I’m joining them downstairs, that this is for another room. I watch him say, “Thanks,” as he throws the grape into his mouth. He turns around and walking backward, says, “Mmm, that’s good.” He spins around again, ignoring the look of surprise from the guy pushing the cart. Just as Sean turns for the elevators and disappears, the room service cart stops in front of my room. I usher the guy in quickly and shut the door.

Rue pads out of the bathroom in a soft, white terrycloth hotel robe, a happy smile on her flushed cheeks. Seeing the spread, she claps her hands together. I sign the paper and give the guy a hefty tip. “Can you just wait a second before you leave?”

He nods, happy to do whatever I want, now that he saw what I tipped him. “I can put the food out,” he suggests, his Castilian accent reminding me of where we are. You forget, when you’re locked away in a club and then a hotel room. There’ve been so many times I’ve woken up and wondered why the hell Room Service was speaking Dutch, Italian, or some other foreign language, before I remembered where I was.

“That’d be great, thanks man.” I pull Rue to me for a kiss. “We should go out and explore today. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” she smiles, kissing my neck.

“Oh, and your brother was just here.”

She stops kissing it, and pulls back to look at me, a cloud replacing her smile. “Jack?”

“No. Sean. He invited me to breakfast.”

She sighs. “I’m so glad he didn’t see me.”

I tilt my chin to the side. “Why is that?”

She glances to the table, so well laid out it could be photographed for a magazine. The guy puts the last spoon on a napkin and motions to the curtains. “You want sunlight?” I nod and he goes to open them. Sun bursts in and Rue covers her eyes and groans. He stops, and looks to me for direction.

“Maybe keep ‘em closed,” I smile.

He nods. This isn’t the first hangover he’s seen. “Will that be all?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” I’m itching to ask her what she meant by that, even though I know. But still, I can’t shake the feeling I’m into her more than she’s into me. That guy she kissed in New York still haunts me. And I know she said that blonde didn’t mean anything, but it’ll be awhile before I can lose the green dragon firing up in me when I picture that kiss.

So as soon as the guy leaves us, I turn to her and ask again, “Why is that?”

She throws me an apprehensive look, and walks over to the table, plopping down and bringing her feet up on the chair, spreading the white robe over her legs. “We’re in a bad situation. Don’t look at me like that.”

I suck on my teeth as I stroll over to pick up one of the Bloody Mary’s. Grabbing the straw, I pull it out and toss it onto the tablecloth. “I know we are. Sean obviously thinks I’m a piece of shit not worthy of you, but I…”

Interrupting, she picks up her fork, pushing the eggs around, “Come on. He didn’t say that. And did you tell him I was in the bathroom? That I was here?”

“Yeah, he did say that.” I take a big drink and lick my lips, sitting down opposite her. “And no, I didn’t.”

“I think we’re both thinking we should play it safe. Let’s just admit it.” She pops a grape into her mouth and makes the same face Sean made. “Mmm, that’s good.” For the first time I see the resemblance to her brothers.

I exhale long and low. “You’re right. We should keep this quiet.”

Cutting into an egg, she glances over to me, her eyes masking what looked like annoyance. With a quick, nonchalant raise of her eyebrows, she says, “Deal,” and takes a bite, standing up and walking to the window as she chews. Her body is tense; she’s not fooling anyone. With one quick motion, she whips the curtains open and stands in the sun, squinting away the uncomfortable conversation. Licking her lips, she turns away and walks to pick up her dress. “I’m going to my room to shower.”

I don’t argue.

I just sit where I am, appetite lost. She doesn’t look back as she opens the door and pads soundlessly out the door. That was an enigmatic exit if ever I saw one. What did she want me to say? Did she want me to argue with her? I don’t do that.

She set me up for a fall.