Chapter Eighteen

LARA

The bell above the door gave a cheerful little chime as we stepped into the lobby. Sunlight filtered in through the open windows. It smelled like sea salt and lavender, like warm wood and something faintly citrusy. The kind of place that made you want to walk barefoot and forget your phone.

The reception desk looked like it had been built from reclaimed olive wood, smooth and honey-toned,