“Is that yet another new sweater?”
“Maybe. Possibly.” Anna turned pink. “Suits me, don’t you think?”
“It’s the big smile that looks good on you.” Erica picked up her coat and closed the door of her room behind her. “You actually had us worried for a moment. We’re relieved to know that you and Pete are back to your normal state of sickeningly idyllic marital harmony.”
“I can’t wait to see him, although I’m going to miss you and Claudia.”
“You’ll see us again soon.” She looked up as Hattie appeared in the corridor. “Any luck?”
“Yes.” She beamed at Erica. “Just had a cancellation. A couple flying in from San Francisco has had a family emergency and they’ve had to postpone their trip, so I have a room for three nights. Does that work?”
Erica felt a little flicker of nerves. No turning back now. “It works.”
Anna looked at her curiously. “You’re coming back?”
“I am. Jack and I are coming here for a mini break over Christmas.”
“What?” Anna’s shriek carried along the length of the corridor. “That’s the most romantic thing I ever heard.”
“This is me we’re talking about, so it probably won’t be,” Erica said. “You know I don’t do romantic.”
“That’s a shame.” Hattie was grinning. “I was planning on filling the room with giant pink heart-shaped balloons and I’ve already asked Claudia to make a cake—Erica loves Jack.”
“Don’t forget to fling rose petals over the bed.” Anna was smiling, too. “This is great news. If you get lucky, you might even be snowed in for Christmas.”
“I wonder if it’s too late to check in somewhere else?” Erica wondered what sin she’d committed to end up surrounded by romantics. “And I don’t want to be snowed in. That would be inconvenient.”
“You’re far too practical.”
“And you’re too much of a dreamer, particularly for a woman of forty.”
“Almostforty.” Anna lifted her chin. “And those forty years have taught me that romance doesn’t have an age limit.”
Erica thought about herself,and about Jack, and thought that Anna might possibly be right.
Not that she was going to admit that.
Instead, she looked at Hattie. “You see what I have to deal with?”
“I’ve given you the Mountain Suite,” Hattie said. “It has an incredible view. I’ll stock a fridge with champagne. You won’t have to leave the bed.”
Erica didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. “Are you in league with Anna?”
“Not exactly in league, but like Anna, I’ll take a happy ending wherever I can find one.”
Erica had seen Hattie arriving back from her date with Noah and had a feeling her own happy ending wasn’t too far in the future.
“The champagne is a nice touch but if I see a rose petal anywhere I’m checking out.” She turned to Anna. “We’re going to drive from Manhattan. Apparently, Jack often does that trip to ski in Vermont. We could visit you and Pete on the way if you’re around, providing you promise not to interrogate him.”
“I can’t promise that,” Anna said. “It so happens that we won’t be around. We’re going away.”
“For Christmas? You always stay home for Christmas.”
“Wasn’t it your suggestion that I change some of our traditions? I decided that instead of Christmas at home, we’d come here. The kids are excited, and I’m even more excited now that I know I’m finally going to meet sexy Jack.”
Erica’s idea of a quiet, discreet few days away was vanishing into the ether. Was it a good idea to introduce Jack to her friends at this delicate point in their relationship? Maybe not. But on the other hand, if this really was a relationship, then it was going to have to include her friends.“Are you going to embarrass me?”
“I will try very hard not to, but it would be wrong of me to promise.” A dimple appeared at the corner of Anna’s mouth. “Apologies in advance.”
