Saved and Saving: The Single Daddy CEO

Chapter Four

Tiselle

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was already shining brightly. Right away, I looked over at the alarm clock by the bed and nearly had a coronary. It was already eleven in the morning, and I had so much to do to get ready for the banquet.

Despite the pain I was feeling, I dragged my ass out of bed and slowly made my way to the bathroom. After taking care of my morning needs, I splashed a little water on my face and ran my fingers through my hair. It was the best I could do without a brush or comb.

Thank goodness my shoes were slip-ons, so I was able to easily put them on. Next, I slid one arm into my coat and grabbed my purse, then I left my room and headed straight for the front desk.

I was late checking out and would probably get a fee, but there was nothing I could do about that. As I was explaining to the clerk that I didn’t want to pay for a second night and would rather pay the fee for checking out late, I heard someone walk up behind me.

Before I had a chance to look back, I heard an oddly familiar voice say, “Clarence, you can waive the fee and rebook the room for Mrs.??”

I spun around wanting to know who was instructing this man to rebook the room for me against my previous statement. Coming face-to-face with the black-haired woman from the elevator the night before, my jaw dropped and my eyes bulged from my face.

“You again?” I growled, feeling angry that she was telling him to book the room another night.

“I’m so sorry about last night. Please, let me make it up to you,” she insisted with sincerity.

Realizing she was offering to pay for my room, I returned the smile and responded, “That’s really not necessary.”

“Of course it is! I was so rude, running into you when you’re clearly injured. Please, my husband and I own this hotel. It’s really nothing for me to do this for you,” she said in an almost pleading way.

I thought about it for a second and was about to decline the offer, when she added, “If it makes you feel better, you can spend the day keeping me company.” Her smile dropped a little, then she lowered her voice slightly and added, “I don’t have many friends to talk to.”

There was no missing the flash of sadness that came across her eyes for just a second, but I simply didn’t have the time to just “hang out” so I responded, “I’m really sorry, but I have a busy day ahead of me.”

“Oh. That’s okay. I have a lot going on, too, with the banquet and all,” the woman admitted with a little shrug of her shoulders.

“Yep, the banquet is keeping a lot of us busy,” I admitted in return.

“What are you doing with the banquet?” she asked with curiosity springing into her eyes.

“I am a guest speaker,” I shyly admitted.

“Really? Which one? What’s your name again?” the woman asked, not even trying to hide her growing excitement.

I smiled at the woman, enjoying her energy, and answered, “I am Tiselle Lachlan. Pleased to meet you,” while extending the hand of my good arm out for a formal handshake.

She grabbed my hand and shook it while rambling, “Oh my gosh! You aren’t just a guest speaker! You are our keynote speaker! The up-and-coming designer who has been the highlight of conversation among many for the past month! I can’t believe I ran into you so rudely last night! Sincerest apologies, my dear!”

“It’s okay. Seriously. Accidents happen,” I assured the woman while glancing down at her name tag, then I added, “Mrs. Asralyn Dubois, I really appreciate the offer of the room, but it seems like a lot for such an innocent bump.”

“I don’t care. I want to do this and more! Come with me! We are going to get you all dolled up for the banquet! Did you bring one of your own designs to wear?” she asked, as she pulled me away from the front counter.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have access to any of them at this point in time,” I admitted, even though I didn’t want to talk about it.

“Too bad. Your designs are truly spectacular. I would have thought you’d have one of each of them,” Asralyn mumbled, basically ripping the band-aid off of a fresh wound.

Tears sprang into my eyes at the thought of all my custom-made outfits hanging in the closet at Seth’s house. Even if I wanted to grab them before leaving, I couldn’t. They were in the bedroom closet and Seth locked me out of the bedroom. f*****g asshole.

I couldn’t stop myself from sniffling, as I tried to fight back the tears and the urge to cry again. Asralyn didn’t miss it though.

Without hesitation, she spun around to face me, and her face fell at the sight of tears in my eyes. “Oh dear! What have I done? Please, don’t cry! How can I make this better?” she fussed, clearly upset with herself for upsetting me.

“It’s not your fault. I swear. I just had a terrible evening. I caught my boyfriend cheating with my best friend. There was an altercation that led to this,” I quickly explained, pointing at my elbow and ribs, then added, “All I was able to grab before leaving was my newest designs on paper and my purse. Oh, and the expensive ass gift I had just bought for that asshole.”

“Seriously?!” Asralyn asked with anger flashing in her ice blue eyes.

“Yeah, but enough about that asshole. I really do need to go buy something to wear tonight. That is where I was headed after checking out,” I sheepishly admitted.

“Honey, you don’t have to go anywhere! I will have the best of the best brought here for you to browse through. Come with me,” she insisted, moving to my side so she could lock her arm through my good arm.

“You are too kind,” I replied, feeling a tinge of true happiness creeping in.

It wasn’t often that someone had been kind to me, just to be kind. It sure was a nice change from what I had experienced with most people throughout my life.