Chapter 3 - THE CHAMPAGNE SOURS
Upstairs at the terrace restaurant,
the atmosphere was beginning to shift from celebration to irritation.
The second bottle of champagne was empty,
and Diane was looking at her watch.
"Where is she?"
Diane asked,
tapping her manicured nails on the table.
"It’s been over an hour."
Trevor leaned back,
trying to ignore the slight gnawing of anxiety in his stomach.
"I told you,
she's probably just being dramatic,"
he said,
though he had sent three more texts that remained unread.
"She'll show up with the bags and a long face,
and we'll all have to pretend to be sorry."
Brooke laughed,
checking her reflection in her phone screen.
"Maybe she got lost in the lobby,"
she joked.
"It is a very big resort for someone so small-minded."
Russell,
who usually stayed out of the fray,
looked at his son.
"Did she actually check us in,
Trevor?"
"The rooms were all set,"
Trevor replied.
"She showed me the confirmation emails weeks ago."
"Well,
I'm hungry,"
Diane announced.
"Let's just order dinner. Audrey can join us for dessert if she behaves."
They signaled the waiter,
a tall man with a polite smile.
They ordered the lobster,
the prime rib,
and another bottle of the resort's finest vintage.
The total on the bill was already climbing toward a thousand dollars.
When the meal was finished,
and the sun had completely disappeared,
Trevor signaled for the check.
"Just put it on the room,"
he said with a confident wave of his hand.
The waiter took the room key,
disappeared for a moment,
and then returned with a confused expression.
"I'm sorry,
Mr. Parker,"
he said,
his voice low.
"But the system is showing that this room key is no longer active."
Trevor frowned,
his heart skipping a beat.
"That’s impossible. We just used it to get into the elevator."
"Furthermore,"
the waiter continued,
"the credit card on file for this suite has been removed."
The table went silent.
Diane’s smile vanished.
"What do you mean,
removed?"
"It means,"
the waiter said,
glancing at his handheld device,
"that there is no longer a payment method for your party."
"You will need to provide a new card for the dinner,
and for the rooms."
Trevor reached into his wallet,
his hands suddenly trembling.
He pulled out his corporate card,
the one he knew was nearly at its limit.
"Use this,"
he said.
Five minutes later,
the waiter returned.
May you like
"Declined,
sir."
