Free First (A Crescent Chronicles Novella) by Alyssa Rose Ivy Page B

guys.
     
    “That’s not good enough. You’re not going to let Toby ruin the entire summer are you? So you dated a jerk, who cares, forget about him.”
     
    “I’m not going to let Toby ruin anything. I’m the one who dumped him, remember?” Thinking about Toby threatened to put me in a worse mood. He had only been the latest in a string of disappointing dating experiences. First there was Steve, we broke up when I found him cheating on me—with my best guy friend. After that was Matthew, who took commitment phobia to a whole new level when he actually set a cap on how often I could text message him. With Toby it wasn’t anything dramatic, the romance just didn’t live up to my expectations. Somehow, his declarations of how great of a power couple we would make didn’t cut it. As relieved as I was about avoiding him all summer, I still had to deal with him at Princeton in the fall.
     
    “So does that mean you’re ready to move on?” Jess asked excitedly.
     
    “No. I told you, I’ve sworn off men.”
     
    “Sweetheart, you do realize that men have many valuable roles other than boyfriends, right? Instead, how about you swear off boyfriends and just have fun?”
     
    “I don’t care what you do with guys, but I am never going to be the girl that just hooks up, okay?”
     
    “We’ll see about that.”
     
    Wanting to avoid a fight, I decided to ignore her last comment. Sometimes it was easier to let her think she won.   
     
    When I didn’t answer, she decided to continue. “Maybe getting away from high school boys will help.”
     
    “Maybe,” I mumbled under my breath.
     
    She appeared not to hear me and changed the subject. “It was so cool of your dad to let us come down and hang out at the hotel all summer!”
     
    “You mean it was cool of him to give us jobs, right?” I tried to keep a straight face, but really, I wasn’t surprised by her choice of words. When Dad called to ask if I wanted to work at a hotel he had recently purchased in New Orleans, I agreed only if Jess could come with me. She wouldn’t be much use as a coworker but she did have the ability to make any situation fun. I was counting on her working her magic.
     

     
    ***
     

     
    The Crescent City Hotel looked exactly as I expected; a historic building complete with wrought iron balconies and the dangling ferns that were in every picture I had seen of the French Quarter. Following along with the GPS, I turned onto Royal Street and pulled up front to the valet, not sure where I was supposed to park. Before I could worry for long, my dad knocked on the window.
     
    He opened the door once I unlocked it, taking my hand to help me out. “Hey sweetie, how was the trip?” He pulled me into a hug as soon as my feet hit the pavement. If you didn’t know any better you’d think we had a normal father-daughter relationship.  
     
    “It was fine, we made great time.”
     
    “Hi Mr. Davis!” Jess yelled as she ran around the car.
     
    “Hi Jessica, I’m so glad you were able to come down with my Allie.”
     
    “Of course! Thanks again for the job!”
     
    “It’s my pleasure; I hope you girls have a nice time.” He caught my eye over Jess’s head. Even as little as he knew Jess, he was under no misconceptions about her work ethic.
     
    Dad glanced behind him, lifting a finger and a bellhop a little older than us started unloading bags from the back of the car. Before he had finished moving our bags to the cart, Jess was already chatting him up. With my dad watching, the poor guy was trying to stay professional.
     
    “Let’s go Jess.” I grabbed her arm and led her inside. Dad had already gone ahead.
     
    The lobby felt huge, much larger than it looked from the outside. All the money my dad had poured into the updates showed. Large travertine tiles covered the floor and dark wainscoting framed the room, while a beautiful chandelier with dangling crystals helped light the space. The etched glass in the sidewall