Chapter 2

The man behind the counter didn’t look up from his tablet as Ryan approached. And he didn’t even seem particularly interested when Ryan announced himself. “Hello. I have a room under the name of Jackson.”

“First name?”

“Ryan.”

He didn’t look much over the age of eighteen or nineteen. Definitely not the kind of person Ryan would expect in an establishment like this. He was probably the manager’s son or the owner’s nephew or something like that. He was cute, though. Cute enough that he could get away with a bad attitude. He barely glanced at the computer before shaking his head. “No, I don’t see you.”

“Okay, well,” Ryan leaned forward, “I dohave a reservation. Can’t you search in another system or something?”

The young man—Paul, according to his nametag—sighed and typed something on the keyboard. He made a show of hitting enter several times and then turned the monitor so the screen faced Ryan.

“You’re not here.”

Ryan pulled his travel folder from his bag and plucked free the print-out of his confirmation. He presented it to Paul with a small smile. “As you can see, I’ve had my reservation for quite some time.”

“And as you can see, your name isn’t here.”

Ryan stared at him for a beat, waiting for an apology, or a solution, or anything other than the blank stare that accompanied the announcement.

“Can I talk to your manager, please?”

“Sure, I guess.” Paul picked up the phone and pressed a button. Ryan heard the beep-beep-beep through the receiver and the echoing ring-ring-ring in the adjacent office. The doorway of which was only about three feet away. When the manager answered, his gruff whatechoed from the speaker.

“There’s been a mistake with a reservation.”

“Handle it.”

“He wants to speak with you.”

“Fine. I’ll be right there.”

Ryan bit the inside of his cheek and tapped his fingers against the marble while he waited for the disgruntled manager to make his appearance. When he finally emerged from his little office, Ryan summoned his smile again, determined to be as pleasant as possible.

“What can I help you with?” He absently rubbed his bald head while he spoke, two heavy gold rings reflecting in the light. They were too big for the man’s pudgy fingers.

“I think my reservation was lost.” Ryan tapped his print-out. “As you can see, I made this reservation months ago.”

The manager fumbled his glasses out of his vest pocket and peered at the paper for a good minute, maybe two. “And you’re not in the computer?”

“I didn’t see his name,” Paul drawled.

The manager removed his glasses and slid the paper back across the counter. “I’m sorry, but we’re all booked up. There’s a convention this weekend, you know.”

Ryan took a deep breath. “Yes, I know. That’s why I made it a point to book my room in advance.”

“Sir, there’s no need to take that kind of tone.”

“I’m not—” He exhaled, realized his smile was gone, and dug deep to retrieve it again. “I’m sure we can find a way to solve this issue.”

“The casinos always have rooms available. Perhaps you can give one of them a call?”

“You know, if I were here for the hiking or the water skiing, that would be a good suggestion. But I’m here for the convention, and so I’d like to actually remain on the premises. I’m sure you can understand.”

“Sir, I do understand. But we simply do not have another room. We’re completely booked.”

“So you’re telling me there’s nothing you can do even though I paida nonrefundable deposit on the room? Are you at least going to refund me that money?”

“If we have no record of the deposit, we can’t refund it.”

“What do you mean, no record of the deposit?”

“You’re not in the system, sir. Not your reservation and not your deposit.”

“I can provide proofthat you took money from my account for the deposit!”

Another shrug.

“Can you take my phone number in case there are any last minute cancellations?”

“Of course.” He wrote down Ryan’s number with big, sloppy handwriting, folded the paper, and tucked it into the same pocket with his glasses. “If we have any availability, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He turned from the desk and saw Cat was busy with an onslaught of new arrivals. She handed out their bags and badges with the same smile she gave him. He wasn’t surprised they were all women. The weekend’s guest of honor was far more popular with the female viewing audience. It was almost a shame Ryan wasn’t interested in ladies. He was here for the same reason they were. A chance to meet the star up close and personal. Maybe shake his hand. Maybe get a hug and a smile or two.