Just One Week (Just One Song) by Stacey Lynn

one could have planned it would all happen on the day my life went to shit.
    “Never mind,” I say, not completely understanding why I’m agreeing to this. “We’ll just take the suite you have already planned for us.” The suite better have two bedrooms with locking doors, or I’ll be hauling my little butt back down here and demanding a new room on a completely different wing of the resort. I give Evan a genuine smile as he finishes our check-in and hands us our keys.
    “You’re booked in our hillside suite which will give you a view in the morning of the gorgeous Napa Valley hillsides and olive groves.” Evan gives me a terse smile. “Hopefully this will meet your standards and provide a relaxing atmosphere for your stay this weekend.”
    Well played, Evan. I laugh softly, acknowledging his little dig at me. Taking the keys from his hand before Chase can grab them, I head for the elevator, leaving Chase steps behind me.

 
     
    Mia gasps as soon as we enter our hotel suite on the top floor of the resort. I bite back my smile, not knowing if she’ll be able to tell that I’m thrilled she’s finally showing an emotion other than completely irate.
    I knew she’d be pissed I tricked her, I just didn’t think I’d see her get so mad I was afraid her head would spin in circles. This could end up being a really shitty idea. I just hope once she’s had a good night sleep and takes advantage of the spa day I have set up for her tomorrow morning, it’ll loosen her up some.
    She makes a slow circle around the room, admiring the artwork and the view out the window that we can’t see. But there’s a private terrace right outside with our own personal hot tub. She pauses at the kitchen table, running her hands slowly against the softest Italian leather made. And then she smiles. It’s faint, just a hint of it on her perfect pink lips, but I see it before she quickly smothers it.
    Yeah, she likes this place.
    “This is some place.” I breathe a sigh of relief. Besides barking at me in the hotel lobby, she hasn’t said a single word to me since she slammed the door to our rental car. Not that I don’t deserve the anger.
    But what I said is true. If we would have gone straight to L.A. there’s no way I’d get a chance to talk to her. To find out what in the hell went wrong and how I can fix it.
    Because I’m determined to.
    I put my hands in the back of my jeans pockets, waiting for her as she walks into the bedrooms that are on opposite sides of the living area. I frown when I see her check one of the rooms for a locking door.
    So she’s still pissed off.
    When she walks out of one of the rooms, she passes by me and heads for the kitchen. It’s fully stocked, and she reaches for a bottled water before sitting down on the couch in the living room.
    I want to go to her. Explain everything to her about how I feel. I love her. For the first time in my life, I’m not afraid of the words or the feelings, I’m simply afraid of her reaction. If I tell her now, she’ll hail the first cab to the closest airport and be gone before we have a chance at anything.
    But I don’t. Instead, I grab my own water and chug half of it before I leave the kitchen.
    “This is some place Nicole picked out.” I grind my teeth together at the insinuation.
    “I picked it out.” Her mouth drops open and I grin. “The only thing Nicole did was to tell me to go after you. Again.”
    I can’t help but take the small dig at her. It was almost two years ago when Mia was first offered the job in New York. Nicole and Zack were getting closer, and when Nicole told me about Mia’s job, the next words out of her mouth were, “Go get her, Chase.” I feel like I’ve been chasing her ever since. Giving her space when I know she needs it; when I see her put up her walls and step back from anything more than the occasional sexy night. But I’m tired of chasing her. I finally, just once, want her to admit that we have more than that and to