Perhaps because his best friend was related to the woman who’d treated him like shit.

“Checking in?” the valet guy asked.

Brynn nodded stupidly and gave a too-bright smile, her hands suddenly clammy.

Really didn’t think this one through, Brynn.

Which was kind of the point. No more psychotic planning as life passed her by.

But this might have been one time where a little bit of forethought beyond go there would have been useful.

Taking a deep breath, she headed toward the reception desk, already scanning the lobby for any sign of him.

There was nobody but an old couple, a family with two tiny kids, and a pair of twentysomethings who apparently hadn’t been able to wait to get to their room before making out.

“Checking in?”

Brynn felt a little seed of an idea sprout when she saw the hotel employee was an attractive guy about her age. Her eyes skimmed his left hand. No ring. And he was straight, if she had to bet on it. Perfect.

She let her hand go in for a casual hair twirl, only she hadn’t gotten used to her shorter haircut, and instead ended up swirling a big circle in the air in the vicinity of her boob. Shit. When had all her flirting skills gone out the window?

“Checking in?” he asked again, placid expression never changing.

“Right. Yes. Yes, I am.” Brynn leaned in closer, letting him get a glance of the boob shot Sophie had made her practice. She peered at his name tag. “So, Tyler…the thing is, my boyfriend’s here on business, and he doesn’t know I’m here to surprise him for our anniversary. Is there any way…”

Tyler expression didn’t change. Nor did he stop typing on his computer. Or even sneak a peek at her boobs. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you, it’s against our privacy policy to give any guest information.”

Normally Brynn would be quite approving of such rules, and even more approving of those who followed them. No exceptions.

But…

“Not even for…” She fished a couple twenties out of her wallet. Sophie’s idea.

“Ma’am, I can’t do that, but if you’d like to leave a message for your boyfriend, or we could have a note delivered to his room…”

“And the number of that room would be…?”

This time Tyler’s expression did slip, but luckily it was into an indulgent smile instead of an I’m gonna call the cops look.

He leaned a little closer, and Brynn’s stomach leaped in relief. He was going to help her.

“I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do,” Tyler said softly, looking from side to side.

“Yeah?” she said eagerly.

“Well, how about you tell me the name of your boyfriend. I’ll look him up in our system, and if he’s staying here…”

“Right, good…”

Tyler continued whispering. “And if he is staying here, I’m going to suggest he give his girlfriend a call.”

Brynn’s face fell. “You’re not going to help me.”

Tyler straightened. “Not in the way you want. But look on the bright side, I also wouldn’t give anyone your room number either, so you don’t have to worry about strange men knowing where you sleep.”

Brynn scowled. “But I’m not a strange man.”

“You’re not a man, no, but strange…?” Tyler said with a wink, as he slid the envelope with her room key across the counter. “I’ll be here until eight tonight if you want to give me his name. Maybe I can stick a note into his locker.”

Brynn made a ha-ha face and resigned herself to camping out in the lobby.

Except she wouldn’t have to. Because there he was, as though she’d summoned him out of sheer love and desperation.

Tall, golden, and wearing a suit, of all things. She hadn’t even known he owned a suit.

And he had his arm around a very, very attractive redhead.

“Will!”

His name burst out of her mouth before she could think it through. Before she could think anything through. But in all her mental scenarios about this moment, another woman had not been involved. She also hadn’t pictured verbally accosting him from across the lobby with a dozen spectators watching.

“Oh dear,” she heard Tyler mutter.

Will slowly straightened as he looked in the direction of her voice. He was too far away from her to read his eyes, but the tension in his shoulders and his unsmiling mouth told her most of what she needed to know.

He wasn’t happy to see her. At all.

Brynn mentally crossed off the run-into-each-other’s-arms scenario as she slowly, purposefully made her way toward him. She felt the redhead’s curious gaze on her profile as she approached. Hell, she felt the entire lobby’s eyes on her. But her eyes never wavered from the one person who mattered.

She stopped a foot away from him, not caring that they were blocking the path to the elevators behind Will. She didn’t care about anything but getting him back.

“So, you moved to Chicago,” she said with a little smile.

“What the hell are you doing here, Brynn?”

Her smile wanted to slip, but she kept it pasted there as she turned to the other woman. Unlike Lily, who she’d subconsciously known along was part of the game, this woman was a threat. Tall, thin, and composed, she looked like the premium version of the woman Brynn used to try to be. Perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect posture…

What if he’s already trying to replace me?

“I’m Brynn,” she said, extending a damp hand.

“Dana.”

Brynn watched the other woman carefully for the classic female signs. The narrowing of eyes, the proprietary shift toward Will, the Who are you? gaze. There was nothing.

And yet this woman had walked out of the elevator with Will. Had they come from the same room?

The thought of Will with his hands on another woman made her want to puke, but she forced herself to see this through. She owed it to herself. Owed it to them.

“Can we talk in private?” she asked, turning her attention back to Will.

“I’ll have the rental pulled around,” Dana said quickly, starting to move away.

Will grabbed her arm. “You can stay. Brynn and I don’t have anything to talk about.”

“That’s bullshit,” Brynn said primly, refusing to be pushed aside.

His eyebrow arched up at Brynn’s assertive tone and public swearing, and he released Dana, who made a fast getaway.

“Can we sit?” Brynn asked, gesturing at a cluster of chairs that were at least slightly more private than the main corridor.

He didn’t move.

“You have two minutes,” he said, checking his watch.

“So, out in the open, then, huh?” she said with a deep breath.

He glanced at his watch again.

“Are you sleeping with her?” Brynn asked, jerking her head in the direction Dana had gone.

“You’re hardly in a position to be possessive.”

“Are you sleeping with her?” she asked again. She had to know.

He ignored the question again. “How about you start by explaining how you happen to be at the same hotel where I’ve quite intentionally come to be as far away as possible from you.”

It stung. She’d known she was the reason he’d left Seattle, but it stung to hear it out loud.

“Are you sleeping with Dana, or not?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Not currently, no.”

“Do you plan to?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Can’t say that I’d thought much about it. Thought I’d give myself a break from women for a while.”

Her shoulders slumped in relief. “Then what’s she doing here?”

“She flew in from Austin to discuss an investment opportunity.”

Brynn’s eyes narrowed. “Your hand was on her waist. And she’s pretty.”

“My hand was on her waist because she almost tripped in her ridiculously high heels. And you have one minute.”

She licked her lips and gave him a pleading smile. “Can we please just go up to your room for a second?”

“Brynn, if the low-cut shirt didn’t soften me up, that pleading smile’s sure as hell not going to work either. Spit it out. What do you want? Another fuck?”