joking,â she added at his continued glare. âNothing would be worth having five or six of those suckers crawling on my walls. One was bad enough.â
âYou do realize you were never in any real danger. There was no need to tell housekeeping you had an emergency.â
âI didnât.â Was that why he was angry? Okay, so her voice might have been high-pitched and panicked-sounding, and she might have asked that they get to her room âright away,â but she never used the word
emergency.
âItâs not my fault your housekeeping staff takes panicked tarantula calls seriously. Is that why you came back? Because you thought I was in danger?â
âI was told it was an emergency.â
A point he seemed incredibly intent on repeating. â
Emergency
could mean anything. It could mean a broken water faucet. What made you think something happened to me?â
He didnât answer. Rather he strode to the large window on the far end of the bathroom. Hands clasped behind his back, he looked out the large window at the mangrove trees waving in the breeze. For a moment, Larissa thought heâd pulled inward again. âHowâs your headache?â he asked.
âBetter. Manageable.â What did that have to do with anything?
âAnd your mood?â
âWell, until Hairy the Spider showed up, I was planning on soaking myself into a better one. Why?â
âYou were pretty upset when I left.â
âI was annoyed because Iâm stuck paying for a wedding Iâm not going actually have. Wouldnât you be? I still donât get what that has to do withââ Seeing him wash a hand over his features, a horrible thought hit her. âDonât tell me you thought Iââ
âTo be honest, I wasnât sure what to think,â he said, turning from the window. âWhen I left you were shaky, upset, stumbling around. Any number of things could have happened. You could have slipped and fallen, cut yourself on a broken glass....â
âThrown myself off the balcony.â
âItâs not funny,â he snapped. âDistressed people behave unpredictably.â
So they did. But, considering his over the top reaction, Larissa had also managed to touch a nerve. She regretted the remark. âIâm sorry.â
âI am the one who should be sorry, Señorita Boyd. I overreacted. Hotel managers never like hearing thereâs an emergency situation. The word is somewhat of a hot button, Iâm afraid.â
Something about his expression, the way he avoided looking in her direction, said Larissa wasnât getting the complete answer. âHave you ever had a guest...you know?â
âA guest? No.â
But someone. Heâd avoided her gaze again. Larissa suddenly felt very, very bad about giving him a hard time. âI thought we decided you were going to call me Larissa.â
âSo we did. And you should call me Carlos.â
âFair deal. Thank you for saving me from the big mean spider, Carlos.â
âHousekeeping saved you, but youâre welcome anyway,â he replied with a smile. Finally. While he didnât look completely relaxed, the shadows had receded from his features. Larissa was surprised to feel her own spine loosening as well.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that sheâd held this entire conversation while curled up on the bathroom vanity. Slowly, she straightened one leg at a time, wincing at the stiffness in her kneecaps.
âHow long have you been sitting there?â Carlos asked.
âAwhile. I was afraid to move past the spider, so I climbed up here to call housekeeping.â
âTarantulas donât jump.â
âI didnât want to take any chances.â She swung her legs, trying to get back her circulation. Her joints clicked with the movement, sending sharp jolts across her kneecap. âLooks like Iâm going to need that soak more than ever
Learning to Kill: Stories