He Brought His Assistant On Our Honeymoon And Gave Me A Separate Room novel · Chapter 1 of 24
Chapter 1: Room 14
At the resort desk, in front of a line of guests, Tripp gives his assistant the Ocean Suite and Rochelle a garden room; she pays for it herself and learns he planned the split three weeks ago.
At the front desk of the island resort, with twenty guests standing in line behind us, my husband gave his assistant the best suite.
"Ocean Suite for my assistant, she needs the desk," he told the clerk, easy and cheerful. "And the quiet garden room for my wife. She sleeps badly near the surf."
I thought I had heard him wrong.
We had a courthouse wedding five years ago and a lunch at his mother's house.
Every year since, I had asked for a honeymoon, and every year he had said, "Next year, Shelly. After the quarter."
Three weeks ago he had come home and said, "I'll book it. Let's go."
I had cried in the kitchen.
I had packed for a week in the sun, and I had packed the green dress he once said he liked.
I had not packed for Camille.
She had met us at the airport gate with her suitcase and her black camera case, smiling, and Tripp had said, "Camille's coming for work. The investors want photos for the newsletter. You don't mind."
It had not been a question, so I had not answered.
On the little boat from the airstrip, Camille had held my bag in her lap so the spray wouldn't reach it.
She had asked if I still took my tea with honey, because she remembered.
She had brought me soup once, when I had the flu and Tripp had a board meeting.
I liked her, and that made this worse.
"Tripp," I said quietly. "Where are we staying?"
"Right here." He put his hand on my back. "Shelly, this is a working trip. Camille and I will be on calls half the night, and you'd hate it. This way you can sleep, and swim, and read. You get a whole room to yourself."
"I wanted us in one room."
"We will be. Tomorrow, or the day after. Let's not do this in front of everyone, okay?"
The couple behind us had gone very quiet.
A woman in a straw hat looked at my ring, then at Camille's suitcase, then at the floor.
The clerk stood with two key cards in his hand and no idea where to look.
Camille touched my arm. "I'll take the small room, Rochelle," she said. "Honestly. It's your honeymoon. I'll stay out of your way."
"Don't be silly," Tripp said. "You need the desk and the view. Rochelle won't care."
I looked at her face, and it was kind.
I looked at his face, and it was patient and pleasant.
Then I took my wallet out of my bag.
"Which room is mine?" I asked the clerk.
"Fourteen, ma'am. Garden side."
"Is it paid for?"
He glanced at Tripp.
"The whole booking is on Mr. Draycott's company card," he said.
"Take it off." I slid my own card across the desk. "Put my room on this one. And please put every charge from my room on it, not his."
Tripp laughed, short and light.
"Shelly. It's a company trip."
"Then it won't cost the company anything."
The woman in the straw hat made a small sound that was almost a cheer.
Tripp's smile stayed exactly where it was, but his jaw moved.
"Fine," he said. "If it makes you feel better."
The clerk ran my card and gave me a key with a wooden tag on it.
Camille picked up my suitcase before I could, and walked me to the foot of the garden path.
"He's been under so much pressure with the sale," she said. "Give him a day. I'll talk to him."
"Thank you."
I meant it.
Tripp caught up with us and kissed my forehead in front of everyone.
"Dinner's on the terrace at eight, but we'll be on calls," he said. "Don't wait for us. Take the beach path to the bar at the end, it's lovely. Go alone, you'll like it."
Camille shifted the black case on her shoulder, and a long lens clicked against the buckle.
"For the newsletter," she said, when she saw me look. "The investors love a sunset."
They walked away together, toward the ocean side, and neither of them looked back.
Room 14 had a white bed, a balcony the size of a table, and a view of a wall of hibiscus.
I sat on the bed with my suitcase unopened for a long time.
Then I went back to the lobby, because I wanted one thing before I let myself feel anything.
The clerk saw me coming and straightened.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry about before."
"It's not your fault. When was the room split?"
He looked at his screen, and I watched him decide to be honest.
"The reservation was changed three weeks ago, ma'am. Fourteen and the suite were booked separately that same afternoon."
"That same afternoon."
"Yes, ma'am. The day your husband made the booking."
Three weeks ago was the day he came home and said, Let's go.
He had told me it was our honeymoon, and he had already booked me a room of my own.
So I decided he could have his work trip, and I would have my honeymoon.
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend