Free Saving Summer by J.C. Isabella Page B

I knew you were supposed to tip in these kinds of places, but I was never sure how much.
    I shut the door and took a step back to get a good look at our new companion.
    “He’s a mix,” I said. “Maybe a doodle?”
    Summer laughed. “A labradoodle.”
    “We can’t call him Wilbur.”
    “I think it suits him.” She patted the bed and—that poor dog—Wilbur jumped up with excitement and licked her face. He was sweet. His fur was honey colored and full of curls. Had to have been someone’s pet. No telling how we would find his owners though.
    We spent the rest of the evening eating and messing around with the TV. The front desk delivered an Xbox and a ton of games, plus treats for Wilbur. He was in doggy heaven with all the love and attention from Summer. At one point I might have wished she would scratch my belly and talk in the cutesy voice to me. But then I decided to man up and deal with it.
    Later that night, I pushed the cart into the hall and shut down all the lights and turned off the TV. Wilbur was curled up with Summer in the giant bed, covered in pillows and fluffy bed stuff that was way fancier than the cheap sleeping bag I crashed in the other night. This bed was like sleeping on a cloud. I curled myself around Summer, settling my hand on Wilbur’s furry head, and decided this was the most comfortable position to ever sleep in. I had the girl I was falling for, and a pretty cool dog, in the best hotel ever.
    “Gael…”
    I blinked, having just started to fall asleep. “Yeah?”
    “You hear that?” she asked in a groggy voice.
    I didn’t understand at first, but then I heard a mechanical groaning sound. Knowing she wouldn’t go back to sleep until I investigated, I walked around the room trying to pinpoint where it was coming from.
    The windows.
    I pulled aside the drapes and in the darkness just barely made out the shutters the front desk clerk had told me about. If it got really bad, they would cover the windows like armor.
    I let the drapes drop and backed away, about to crawl back into bed, but the phone rang on the nightstand.
    “Yeah?” I answered, wondering if I’d ever get any sleep.
    “Hello, this is a courtesy call from the front desk.” It was a recording. “The manager is asking all guests to join us in the main ballroom on the third floor. This is just for precautionary measures as we endure the worst part of the storm.”
    I hung up and pulled on jeans and a shirt and some shoes. Summer did not want to get up, but I got her out of bed and dressed. Wilbur dutifully followed, and even he looked a little groggy as we got in the elevator and went from the tenth floor to the third. Other guests were still in their pajamas and bathrobes, some carrying kids pissed about being woken up. We all huddled in the ballroom, sitting on cushy chairs, and were served hot chocolate or tea. There were snacks and cookies. They played a movie on a big screen that was usually used for weddings and conferences.
    It was the longest three hours I’d ever endured.
    Summer slept through most of it slumped against me. Wilbur had to relieve himself and was taken somewhere by one of the hotel staff. They had an indoor garden, apparently, and were more than happy to let him do his business there and clean it up rather than risk going out in the storm.
    I expressed my thanks several times, knowing that they went above and beyond. But isn’t that what hotels do for good paying customers?
    “Come on.” I helped Summer out of her chair when we were given the all clear to go back to our rooms. We slept in till lunch time, and the next day decided to go outside and see what the city looked like.
    It wasn’t pretty.

Chapter 15
    I’d never seen so much devastation.
    We were safe in our hotel, taken care of by people who no doubt were worried about their lives outside of work. I wondered if they’d have anything to go back to. I wondered if I had anything to go back to. If my brothers were safe. If Vic was