Chapter 264

Conrad couldn't help that small twist of helplessness inside-but it was quickly replaced by a warm, almost giddy joy when he saw how genuinely worried Calliope was about him. He gently took her hand, thumbing the back of it softly, and said earnestly, "Relax, Ethan isn't as bad as he sounds." "I mean, we did crash here all night, and nobody showed up to bother us. That says something, right?" Calliope paused, thinking it over. Yeah, that actually made sense. Whatever else, Ethan had helped her out a lot. Now that she and Conrad were basically doing him a favor in return, it evened out. With that thought, the uneasy lump in her chest softened and faded. ***** After breakfast, a hotel staff member brought back their clothes-cleaned and dried. Calliope picked up her black dress, only to find that the side clasp had been torn off, threads sticking out all over the place. She shot Conrad a look, half annoyed, half amused. Totally his fault for getting a little too enthusiastic last night. L