White Space Season 2

later, OK?”
    “OK,” she said and hugged him hard, then went to her room.
    Houser came downstairs and filled Jon in with the story he’d already told Cassidy 20 minutes before when first getting home. He’d been taken in, a case of mistaken identity or some bullshit. It seemed more than anything, that they were trying to make him feel unwelcome, to maybe send a message, though he wasn’t sure why, other than a case of professional jealousy.
    “Ain’t nothing I can’t handle,” he said with a laugh.
    Jon asked, “You sure? I’ll call my dad tomorrow and settle this shit. Get those bastards fired.”
    “It’s all good,” Houser said.
    “And you’re sure you’re cool to watch Emma tonight at the hotel?”
    “You ever known me to turn down a five-star hotel? I bet they have some damn tasty onion rings!” Houser said, smacking Jon’s arm. “It’s all good. Enough about me, I wanna hear about this big ole fight at Rancho Conway!”
    Jon told them what happened, and Cassidy laughed, more at ease with the pills in her blood. The smile came easy. “Good thing I wasn’t there, I would’ve beat the shit out of him right in front of his daddy, and his wife!”
    “Now that , I’d pay to see!” Houser said. “You all better invite me to the next Conway dinner, especially if you’re inviting Bruiser Hughes, here!”

    **

    They left the house, stopping at the car rental place, at Houser’s insistence, and despite Jon’s objections. After making fun of Jon for 10 minutes, Houser finally got him to agree that it was silly to take their Blacklander on a ferry when they could rent a car in the Hamilton office, which wouldn’t be crowded this time of night, and have a car waiting on the other side. They could leave the rental in Seattle, and not worry about waiting forever to get on and off the ferry.
    Houser was right, Jon was wrong. In a few minutes, they were all four on the ferry, heading to Seattle and staring up at the lights of The Hillside as Emma oohed and aahed.
    The Hillside Hotel wasn’t on a hill, nor did it offer any hill or hill-related views. It did, however, boast a striking panorama of Seattle, and as one of Washington’s newest hotels, The Hillside was also a state of the art masterpiece — exactly the sort of place Jon loved to stay.
    Though he’d not yet been there, he seemed especially happy to have Cassidy with him for his first time, which made her almost uncharacteristically giddy. Cassidy kept their conversation on the hotel since that seemed better than listening to Jon discuss dinner drama, which she wasn’t especially in the mood to hear.
    The Hillside was urban chic, with miles of white like a blanket behind an occasional flash of fiery red, and a few other peppered colors spattering walls with vibrancy at random. As with most urban-themed hotels, The Hillside’s architecture was mostly sharp lines and well-balanced geometric shapes. It reminded Cassidy a little of Promises Kept, though The Hillside blended old and new in a way that made the entire building feel like a work of art.
    They checked in, then took the elevator to the 12 th floor together. Jon and Cassidy said goodbye to Houser and Emma at the end of the hallway before doubling back and heading toward their room, holding hands.
    They stepped inside their suite to Jon’s satisfaction and Cassidy’s awe. The room was lit in a warm glow, washing through the ample space and gleaming on the freestanding copper tub, then falling matte against a gorgeous, opulent bed with tons of pillows and the plushest, whitest, softest looking bedspread she’d ever seen. If heaven were a bed, this would be it.
    Cassidy was in the mood before they opened the door, had been since the lobby. Yet, now, a few minutes later, even in a beautiful room perfect for lovemaking, she felt inexplicably nervous.
    Her anxiety was back, dragged to the front of Cassidy’s mind by her Addict, then left to fester.
    As much as she wanted Jon, her anxiety craved a pill more. “Sorry,” she said, looking Jon in the eye as she grabbed her makeup bag from the small suitcase she’d packed, “I should have gone before the ferry. But I really, really have to pee now. I’ll be back in a minute, then I’m yours.”
    Cassidy smiled awkwardly, hoping Jon couldn’t tell that she was Jonesing for a pill.
    “You’ll be worth the wait,” Jon said, a bit too Hollywood smarmy for her liking, though again, it could have been her Addict