I wanted to walk over to him right then and there, but something held me back. “After the wedding, you’ll go to Alaska.”
“After, I’ll go to Alaska,” he echoed, his voice calm but final.
Outside, the wind kicked up and blew snow against the windows, the first warning the storm wasn’t bluffing. I shut the bedroom door, leaned my forehead against it, and told my heart to shut up.
Tomorrow had to be perfect. Once the wedding was over and I’d made sure Harper got the very best start to her happy ever after, I could decide what to do about Hayes. Until then, I’d have to be content with replaying the memory of how it felt to feel his lips on mine and the solid feel of being pressed up against him.
CHAPTER 7
HAYES
The storm hadn’t just arrived.It had taken over. Snow fell in heavy, relentless sheets while the wind whipped across the lake hard enough to make the walls of the lodge groan. The world outside the windows had narrowed to a blanket of white noise and motion. There was no way to make out the ground or sky. It was all a big blur with no sign of stopping. A plow growled past the front drive, carving ruts that filled back in before the taillights disappeared. Guests huddled in the lobby, watching the weather like it was a tiger pacing just outside the glass.
I sipped from a mug of lukewarm coffee and scanned the room until I found Sidney. She stood near the concierge desk, her phone pressed to her ear and the clipboard balanced on her hip. She gestured to a bellman with one hand, scribbled something with the other, and answered questions from the mother of the bride. Her voice stayed even, but her eyes seemed too bright. I’d seen that look on guys who were ten seconds from dropping but refused to admit it.
“I need them here in the next hour or they won’t acclimate in time. Yes, I know the roads are bad. Please tell me you’re already on your way.” She paused. “Then you’re already going to be late.”
She hung up, blew out a slow breath, and for half a heartbeat didn’t move.
I moved toward her. “Which fire is this one?”
She didn’t glance up. “The flowers for the wedding arch.”
“Are they still coming?”
“Supposedly.” She flipped through her notes, muttering under her breath. “The quartet’s grounded in Spokane, the power’s flickering in the east wing, and—” Her phone rang again. “Bluebird Events.”
I watched her face go still. “Wait… what do you mean, slid off the road? Is the driver okay? Where did it happen?”
Her clipboard wobbled in her grip.
“Highway 93,” she said, her voice too calm. “Twenty miles south. The cake truck’s in a ditch.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“No.” She swallowed. “But they’re stuck waiting on a tow. If the cake shifts, it’s ruined. And even if it survives, it won’t get here in time.”
I set my coffee on the counter. “I’ll go.”
That got her attention. “What?”
“I’ll go get it.”
Her head shook before she even thought about it. “No. Absolutely not. You can’t just… this isn’t some sheet cake from the local grocery store. It’s five tiers with sugared cranberries and spun-sugar snowflakes and?—”
“It’s still just cake,” I said. “A very expensive cake. In a ditch. That you can’t leave to rescue.”
Her jaw clenched. “If it’s ruined?—”
“Then it’s ruined whether you’re here or not. But if you go and the florist shows up or the power cuts or Harper needs you?—”
Her shoulders slumped, just for a second, like she was about to buckle under the weight of everything that had gone wrong. Then she handed me her phone.
“The driver’s name is Lily. She’s with Mountain Delight Catering Company. If you get it here in one piece, it goes on the table by the dance floor. There’s a floor plan on the back of my clipboard.”
“Got it.”
Her eyes met mine. Fierce, exhausted, and full of something that made my chest go tight. “Please don’t drop it.”
