Upon powering on,
several messages popped up all at once.
All from the same person.
Shawn Norton.
[Girl, are you up yet?]
[It's almost noon, are you still not awake? Respond when you wake up.]
[Are you still sleeping?]
[When you see this, reply to my message. Don't stand me up.]
The messages had started at eight in the morning and continued until the afternoon, with the last one sent an hour ago.
Nathalie Quinlan checked the time—it was five thirty in the afternoon.
Shawn Norton had mentioned that their dinner was scheduled for six o'clock, and it was to take place in this hotel.
At that moment, her alarm, set earlier, went off. Nathalie Quinlan casually turned it off, replied to Shawn Norton's message, and then placed the warm towel on the table. She picked up the hat beside her and put it on, making sure the brim covered her sleepy eyes in the mirror, before grabbing her room key and phone and heading out.
*