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Just when I was starting to think this guy wasn’t a total dick, he had to prove me wrong. How could he be angry that Edward was ill? It wasn’t his bloody fault.

‘You stay here,’ he said. ‘I will go.’

‘But…’

‘I will tell Edward you wanted to check on him, so he knows that you were concerned. But if he is sick, he will not want you to see him at his worst so soon.’

‘Okay. Tell him I said get better soon and I’ll stay if he thinks it’ll help.’

Poor Edward.

So far today hadn’t gone to plan, but I was still optimistic.

Once Edward was back on his feet, things would be better.

I was sure of it.

12

ROMEO

As I stormed towards Edward’s room, anger bubbled in my chest.

Call me cynical, but something told me that Edward was not sick. Or if he was, it was because he had drunk too much last night.

When he arrived at the restaurant for dinner, I had asked if he was going to call Samantha to invite her to join him, but he said he preferred to eat alone.

It took all of my strength to stay calm. Why had he signed up to come to the hotel if he was not even going to make an effort with his match?

That was why I asked him what he thought of Samantha – just as I had done with Samantha earlier that morning. But when he replied, I wished that I had not.

‘Nice enough girl,’ he’d said. ‘I’d asked for someone who lived in London, was in their early thirties, who was pretty and wanted to settle down and yeah, she fits that criteria. She’s not as pretty as my ex, especially with her silly pink hair. But I also asked for someone who liked to keep fit and Samantha doesn’t.’

‘But Samantha enjoys swimming, no?’ I added, annoyance rippling under my skin. I remembered that was listed as her favourite hobby on the profile the hotel provided.

‘She says she does, but look at her. I thought she would’ve at least made an effort to lose some weight before coming here.’

That was the point that I wanted to knock Edward out. I was disgusted by what he had said. Then I reminded myself that I was on thin ice with the management. I told myself repeatedly that it would be best to keep my mouth shut, but I could not.

‘Many men would appreciate a curvaceous woman.’ Although I had no romantic interest in Samantha, it did not mean I could not see that she had a beautiful body.

‘Don’t get me wrong, mate,’ he’d said. ‘I appreciate curves, but in the right places, y’know what I’m saying?’ Edward had laughed. I did not. ‘I’m a sucker for a great pair of knockers. My ex had huge tits and I fucking loved them. She set the standard. I came here looking for someone atleastas good as her, if not better. The women in all the articles and ads I saw for this hotel were super hot.’

Of course he was entitled to his opinion, but he was wrong. But if I told him that I thought he was an ignorant sexist pig who did not deserve to be at this hotel or for any woman, including Samantha, to even spit on him, I would lose my job.

‘Love is about more than just physical appearance,’ I had said diplomatically, thinking I deserved an award for my restraint. ‘It is still very early. Tomorrow we have a great excursion where you will be able to connect on a deeper level.’

Even saying those words had made me feel sick. Although Samantha appeared to be a strong and confident woman, I felt like I was leading her straight to heartbreak.

‘Yeah, I dunno, mate. I’ve…’ At that point, his phone had rung. ‘Oooh, hello! Speak of the devil.’ He’d grinned, glancing at his phone.

‘Is it Samantha?’

‘No, mate.’ He’d jumped up from the table. ‘It’s my ex.’

That was when Edward had left the restaurant and I had messaged Victoria.

I had already expressed my concerns to her about the photos, but now I was even more concerned about his behaviour.