The Export by J.K. Kelly (read along books txt) 📕

excited to see her again, and the expression on his face made her smile even more.

“Excuse me,” a woman interrupted their moment. “What’s a girl got to do to get some of that?” she asked jokingly.

“Matt Christopher,” Eve stated, “this is my best friend and roommate, Vicki.” Matt stood up from his seat and gave Vicki a hug and passed on the two-cheek kiss he had just received from Eve. He had checked her outfit, too, and that wasn’t lost on Eve.

“She’s built like a Ferrari, isn’t she,” Eve suggested, giving Vicki the same up and down Matt had just performed. Wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sandals, she had dressed down for the occasion, preferring Eve to be the center of attention.

“I’ve never seen anything less than a ten in this town,” he said admiringly and then gestured for one of the girls to take his seat. Vicki wasted no time and stepped in between them.

“You two can suck face if you have to, but after the week I’ve had, I need tequila, STAT.”

“American?” Matt questioned.

“Nope,” she responded, “I just watch a lot of American television.”

An hour later, after many drinks and two rounds of tequila shots, Matt gestured to the girl staffing the reception desk. He was ready for dinner.

“How’d you get a table at this place with such short notice?” Eve slurred as she broke into a laugh when she caught herself.

“I know the owners,” Matt said.

With Vicki following close behind, the three took their seats at a balcony table on the second floor that gave them a panoramic view of the action below. Hours later, as the three descended the steps and headed out of the restaurant onto the still very busy sidewalk, Eve asked Matt where he was staying.

“I’ve got a room at the Sheraton a few blocks over,” he told her. “Care to see it?”

Vicki gave Eve a look, and then Eve smiled.

“Only if she can come,” Eve replied. “She’s got a thing for stealing hotel soaps.” Matt laughed and then extended his arms to both women, Eve taking his right while Vicki waved off his left.

“I’m not that drunk,” she laughed. “At least not yet.”

The next morning, as the sun lit up the suite, Matt crawled from the king-size bed in the master bedroom, pulled on his jeans, and then stumbled into the living room area in search of a coffee maker. As he entered the room, Eve, wearing Vicki’s t-shirt, startled him with a loud greeting.

“Mornin’ sunshine!” she said in a bubbly tone.

“Oh shit, you’re a morning person!” he chuckled. He looked back into the bedroom and realized Vicki was there, under the covers. He gave Eve a hug, kissed her cheek, and then stepped away to admire the view out the window.

They waited an hour for room service to arrive. The smell of fresh-brewed coffee, bacon and eggs, crepes, orange juice, and fresh flowers woke Vicki from her tequila-induced sleep-in. She wasted no time in putting on Matt’s t-shirt from the night before and grabbed a seat at the dining room table. As they focused on the meal and beverages, Matt grabbed the remote and put on CTV, the Canadian equivalent of CNN.

“I still can’t believe he’s dead,” Eve remarked as she watched the broadcast intently.

“Yeah, it seems like just yesterday he was checking out your tits,” Vicki remarked.

Matt laughed to himself. “Oh, I like you,” he said, looking toward Vicki as he refilled their coffee cups.

They continued to focus on the news, listening to more details about the American official’s death in Quebec and the shooting of his lead bodyguard in the hotel lobby. Videos taken by bystanders of the incident were played over and over, and the three watched every moment.

Matt continued looking at the videos, hoping he wouldn’t see his own image appear. To his relief, only Leclerc’s face, and the arm of someone as it pulled him to safety, showed up on the broadcast. As the headlines switched to local news, Matt began to scroll through social media and various apps, many of them secure, on his phone.

“Is that a new phone?” Eve asked, noticing it was a different model than the one she had keyed her number into days ago in Quebec.

“No, it’s a back-up,” Matt managed to rebound with. “I’ve got a tendency to lose these from time to time, so I always have one stored in my bag just in case.”

“So, where’s the one from Quebec?” Eve persisted.

“Not sure,” he responded. “Lost it somewhere between here and the Chateau, I guess.” Eve looked at him for a moment. Matt could see the doubt in her eyes.

“I told the hotel and the train line that I’d check back with them to see if it turned up.” He hoped that would be the end of the line of questioning, and focused back on the phone in his hand. A text from Claire Dale had come in hours earlier:

Hope you are staying out of trouble in Canada ☺

Be in my office Monday 0900

When the roar of Formula One engines came from the television, Matt put down his phone and focused intently.

“I think I told you ladies last night that I can get us all-access passes to the race if you want to go,” he said in a tone that let them know he hoped they’d join him.

“Watching playboys speed around a track wasting fuel and knowing all the private jets that come to these really pisses me off,” Eve stated emphatically. Remembering that she had expressed her passion for protecting the environment, and in particular her concerns over global warming, Matt took on the challenge.

“Actually, Eve, the fuel they burn is now made entirely from renewable resources. Regulations restrict the amount of fuel they can burn, so it’s much more eco-friendly than ever,” Matt explained. “Plus, I’ve heard an F1 race brings in millions to the local economies.”

“You can’t sell that argument here, young man,” Vicki said as she sat up in her chair to participate