“Anything to get better than I am right now. Thank you so much!” I try to overcompensate for my fiance’s jaded response by being incredibly grateful.
“Well, why don’t you two just take the rest of the day to relax at the resort, and we’ll start fresh tomorrow morning?” Andri points back down to the cozy main cabin a few hundred yards away from the bottom of the bunny hill.
“That would be nice, I haven’t seen any of it yet—we’re in the private cabins.” I turn to Gerald. “Maybe we can grab lunch and cozy up to the fire with a good book?”
He rolls his eyes at me.
“Darling, why don’t you take it easy at the resort? I didn’t fly across the country to sit next to a fireplace with you. There’s a double black diamond trail calling my name—make a reservation for dinner and I’ll see you later.”
Even if I wanted to protest, I don’t have time to. Gerald pushes his ski pole into the snow and starts sliding his way over to the lift.
“Well, he seems—”
“He’s stressed, the wedding planning has been really hard on him,” I say almost robotically, as if the phrase is something that’s been preprogrammed into my brain.
Andri’s perma-smile drops.
“Hey, let’s get you back to the lodge—we even have a guest library you can borrow from if you need something to read by that fireplace.” The snowman winks.
I look down the bunny hill and almost laugh. For being the easiest of all the trails, it looks incredibly steep from my novice perspective.
“I can help you, if you’d like,” he says as if reading my thoughts.
“Yes please, that would be a big relief,” I admit.
He steps behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Luckily for you, I don’t need skis with these big old feet.” He rocks back onto his heels. “Just lean back.”
I do as he asks, and we start sliding down the snow. I would be scared at how fast we’re going, but Andri holds me so steady that I’m just in awe. We reach the end of the hill. He lets me go, leans over, and unclicks my boots from their mounts. He swings both skis over his shoulder and offers his arm as he leads me into the warmth of the bustling lodge.
Chapter four
Andri
IdroppedDaphneoffhours ago before I went to do the boring parts of running the lodge. I had to sign for the liquor shipment for our bar, do a quality control on our rental equipment, and run a bit of payroll.
The entire time I was doing those menial tasks, all I could think about was Daphne. She’s beautiful, sure. Her strawberry blonde curls frame her wide blue eyes. Even her crooked gold-rimmed glasses add to her charm. And god, does she smell good. Like an orange cinnamon roll, the scent that rolls off her is spiced warmth.
But what sticks in my head most of all is the fact that she seems so kind and so gracious, and she’s somehow engaged to one of the rudest men I’ve ever met. I don’t even know his name, but his slimy, pompous attitude hangs over my head like a storm cloud. And the way Daphne automatically apologized for him, like she’s done it thousands of times before, makes my stomach churn.
How on earth did someone so reprehensible take the hand of such a ray of sunshine? I don’t even know her, and it makes me sick. But I suppose she’s not the first woman to be trapped by such a dick. I’m not sure what I can do to help her, but I certainly won’t let him speak to her like I saw him do earlier. The only reason he got to do it today was because I was in shock.
I bite at the skin of my lip with my canine, somehow worked up by total strangers. I’d have probably stayed in my head, imagining how the conversation earlier could have gone differently, if not for a quick rap on my office door.
“Come in,” I sigh, wondering what kind of problem I’m dealing with next.
Lerana pops her dainty faun head through the door, a trepidatious look on her face.
“Hey there, handsome.” She steps through the door, her hands wringing together.
“What do you need?” I cut through her posturing.
“I know I just got here…”
“But what?”
“It’s Jack, they called the front desk right as I came in, and he’s running a fever. I know I said I’d pick up a bar shift tonight, but I really have to go get him, and I wouldn’t do this to you unless—”
