Page 39 of Accidental Getaway

Niko and I escape to his room, since I no longer have one, and collapse on the bed.

His room is slightly larger than mine was but not the giant suite I had been imagining.

There are little touches everywhere that are just so Niko it makes me smile—a stack of books on the nightstand, a collection of shells on the desk, a picture of him and his mom in California.

“Thank you for letting me collapse here. I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired.”

“Where did you go last night?” He rolls onto his side and tucks my hair behind my ear.

“That is a very long story involving an airplane, a bus, a ferry, and jumping in a stranger’s car when the taxi line was way too long.”

“It sounds like an adventure. I kind of wish I could have been there.”

“If you had been, I wouldn’t have had to race across the island!”

“Well, I’m glad you did.” He takes my hand. “I wish I had known everything you were going through. I would have done so many things differently. I made everything about me once Dad brought in another firm. I didn’t even pick up on any of it. I’m so sorry.”

I smile up at him. “Don’t apologize for other people’s mistakes. You had no idea, and I refused to tell you because I was scared you would look at me differently.”

“Never.” His face is so sincere. “You, and all women like you, are so strong. I would never think otherwise.”

“Well, I know that now .” I might be ready to talk about it, but I’m still not super comfortable with such open vulnerability and declarations. Something to work on, I guess.

Then, over his shoulder, I see two mosaic art pieces on his night stand. “Our mosaics! You picked them up!”

“I did. I stopped by yesterday morning. I was going to bring yours to you after the party.”

I pick up my sunburst and a smile spreads across my cheeks. It’s even more meaningful now that I’ve finally accepted the path my life has taken. The sun is shining and I couldn’t be happier.

“Thank you! I love it. They both look so good.”

Niko leans in and kisses me tenderly. I close my eyes and take it all in: the soft touch of his lips, the salty pine smell of him, the warmth of the bed beneath me. I could stay here forever.

And then my stomach growls and it’s quite possibly the loudest, most unattractive noise that has ever come from my body.

My cheeks flush and I try to pretend like nothing happened, pulling Niko closer into the kiss.

Still, he pushes me away. “You must be starving. You didn’t touch the refreshments in the meeting. When was the last time you ate?”

“I had a sandwich on the boat, but yeah, that’s about it for the last twenty-four hours.”

Niko jumps up from the bed and reaches for his suit coat and wallet. “Well, that is unacceptable. You stay here. Get in the bed. Rest. I will get us food.”

“No, I couldn’t. Please don’t leave.”

He leans down and kisses me one more time. “I will be back soon. I promise. You can’t survive on a breakfast sandwich.”

When Niko leaves the room, the silence finally gives me a minute to process everything from the last few hours.

I don’t want to go back to Chicago. I don’t even want a corporate job.

Without realizing it, I had been trying to make myself fit into a box that wasn’t right for me.

I had been so focused on squeezing into it that I never stopped to evaluate.

Meanwhile, in the last six months my life has been building up around me into something I really enjoy.

I just had to let go of that box. I had to accept that my dreams have changed.

I snuggle into the pillows. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to stay awake until Niko gets back. The bed is so cozy, and I’m feeling stress-free for the first time in years.

A knock on the door pulls me from the bed. Is Niko back with food already?

When I open the door, Alexander is there with my suitcase. “Mr. Psomas asked me to bring these up to his room,” he says with a wink.

I blush. “Oh, thank you, Alexander. I … we just came up here to relax since I don’t have a room anymore.”

He gives me a sly grin. “I could find you a new room, if that’s what you would prefer, Miss Swanson.”

I think about it for a second. I’m done shying away from the things and people I want. I’m sure Niko and I will talk about it later, but until then, I’m not going to run away just because I don’t know what he wants.

“Nope, this is good for now.” I reach out and take the handle of my bag. “Thank you, Alexander. I’m sorry I disappeared from your birthday party. I hope it was a good time. ”

“Don’t apologize. It was very special. I’ll let you rest, but please let me know if there is anything else I can do.”

He stops and considers something for a moment. He breaks character and gives me a hug. “I’m so glad you came back.”

“Me too.”

He leaves, closing the door behind him, leaving me in Niko’s hotel room with all of my things.

I look around the space and catch my reflection in the mirror.

Despite all of Ana’s efforts earlier, I could still use a shower.

So I lug my suitcase into the bathroom and lock the door.

Steam from the shower fills the bathroom and I disrobe.

I let the hot water pour over my body. Never have I appreciated a shower more than I do right now, not even after week-long backpacking trips.

I wash every morsel of dirt and grime from a day’s back-and-forth travel from my body and lather my hair in conditioner.

I cry into the water, releasing all the pent-up emotion from the last few days.

I can really let it out now that I’m on the other side.

It’s not sorrowful tears so much as cathartic ones, mourning the years I spent trapped in shame and guilt created by one man who never deserved an ounce of my energy.

When I step out of the shower, I check my phone. I have a message from Piper. I had sent her a quick thumbs up emoji when Niko and I left the meeting, letting her know everything went well. I was planning to call her later and give her the entire play-by-play.

Piper: I hope that means you nailed it! The presentation … or Niko ;) Amber was confused but relieved that you’re okay and still there. She wants you to call her after the presentation. I told her it might take a little longer to buy you some time, but you know her. The sooner the better.

Jenni: Thanks, you’re the best. I’ll call her. Cliff notes: Everything went well. Nailed the presentation. Malcolm got pummeled by Niko’s uncle. Made up with Niko, but haven’t nailed him.

Jenni: Yet.

Piper: Yesssss. Slay, queen!

I quickly dress and brush my hair. I consider finding a blow-dryer, but I’d rather just let my natural waves have their moment today.

Once I’m dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a plain white top, I sit at Niko’s desk and send Amber a text.

I know she’ll see that before an email, and I don’t want to keep her waiting any longer now that I have good news.

Amber: Give me three minutes and I’ll call you.

When my phone rings, it’s a video call. My first instinct is to decline and call her back with audio only—my hair is still wet and I’m not wearing any makeup—but after a second, I realize Amber is not the type to even notice, let alone care. She just wants to hear the news.

When the picture comes to life, I’m looking at an image of Amber in a hospital bed.

“Jenni, hi! How are you?”

She is in a blissful mood, considering everything that has happened out of her control the last couple days.

“I’m great. But how are you? Are you at the hospital? We can do this later.”

“No, no! Let’s talk now. I need to know how it went. And yes, I’m at the hospital, but it’s fine. I already had the baby. He’s sleeping in the bassinet.”

At that, she flips the camera around and shows me a little wrapped-up burrito of a baby with her husband sleeping on a recliner in the background. Of course, Amber would be taking calls from her hospital bed while everyone else sleeps.

“Oh my goodness! Amber! He’s adorable! Congratulations.”

“Isn’t he? But we can talk about him later. What happened at the meeting? I’m dying to know!”

I laugh. I’m so relieved I don’t have to tell her I failed as she sits there recovering from childbirth.

“The good news is that we got the client.” I can’t stop from grinning as I tell her. “We are going to finalize the paperwork tomorrow, but the presentation went well and they are really excited to work with us.”

I hear a small cry and see a nurse place Amber’s baby in her arms.

“And the bad news?” Amber croons in a baby voice.

“What?”

“Usually when someone says ‘the good news is,’ they follow it up with bad news.”

While Amber is making faces at her baby, the door to the hotel room opens and Niko comes back in, holding two greasy brown bags of food.

I gesture to the phone, so he knows to be quiet.

I was hoping not to have this conversation in front of him, but I can’t ask him to leave his own room.

He sits down on a chair next to the desk.

“Oh! No, Amber, there’s no bad news.” I say her name in the hopes that Niko will understand what conversation I’m having.

“Okay, tell me everything anyway. What happened at the meeting?”

Niko sets down a bag and pulls out a couple of loukoumades, dripping with honey. He makes a dramatic show of placing one of the fried balls in his mouth and then licking the honey off his fingers. He is trying to make me laugh, and it’s almost working .

“The director of the board brought in his own marketing team. He had wanted to work with a more traditional firm, one he had worked with before. So we ended up having to duke it out a bit.”

Niko, now with a chin covered in honey, whispers, “Tell her it was my fault.”

“No!” I mouth back.

“I missed that. What did you say?” Amber asks. She’s now breastfeeding, and I’m starting to picture how all our meetings will go for the next year.