We were less than a week away from the winter solstice, and the sun had already dipped behind Sugar Peak. I remembered the dark winter afternoons in Chance Rapids from when I was a little kid, but it still caught me off guard when it was dark at 3:50 in the afternoon.
Nick headed directly to the inn and I pulled into the parking lot beside him. A light flickered in the cab of his truck and then it bobbed in the darkness as he made his way to the driver’s side of the Cadillac.
He opened the door and shone the flashlight at the ground next to the car.
“Are you always this prepared?” I laughed.
The main street of Chance Rapids was so bright from all the Christmas lights that you could’ve navigated it from space, but behind the inn, a lone streetlamp hummed at the edge of the parking lot.
“Always.” He held out his hand and I stared at it for a second before I realized that he was being chivalrous. It was something that I wasn’t used to, and I debated swatting it away. I was a modern woman after all. But, every bit of that independence melted at the thought of holding his hand. It was not a patronizing gesture, it was a sweet one. My breath hitched as I slipped my hand into his. I hoped that the trembling that was shaking my entire body from the inside wasn’t translating to the outside.
GJ’s snowsuit and the leather seats were a dangerous combination, and I literally slipped out of the car. Nick gripped my hand tightly as I regained my footing. “Whoa, Nelly.” He chuckled. “That was an aggressive dismount.”
His comments brought me back to my horseback riding years. “I used to be able to ride bareback.”
“Really?” His eyebrows shot up, almost disappearingunder the wordottersthat was embroidered on the back of his baseball hat. “I don’t know if that is hard, but it sounds impressive.”
“It just takes practice.”
“Evie Newton. Are you being modest? Riding without a saddle sounds more like expert level to me.”
“Says the guy who just, how did Clementine describe it? Slayed pow on Wolverine Way.”
Nick laughed. “I’ve got a long way to go before I can keep up with Clem.”
My eyes were glued to his. Gold specks dotted the crystal blue behind a curtain of dark lashes. I had two feet safely on the ground, but my hands were still in his. Snowflakes swirled in the glow of the streetlamp. Nick let go of my hand, but only to brush away a melting flake that had smacked into my cheek. I shivered. After being hot all day, nervous sweat had mixed with exertion, leaving me with a chill.
“Come on, you need to get warmed up.”
Nick reached for my hand and I intertwined my fingers with his. It was as though we had done it a thousand times, like we were on autopilot as a couple. My mittens were on the passenger seat of Edward’s car, but they wouldn’t have been able to warm me up like Nick’s touch.
As we reached the covered awning at the rear of the hotel, reality set in. Nick and I released our hand clasp simultaneously. The mountain and our day together had been a brief escape from real life. But, as I stuffed my hand into the pocket of GJ’s snowsuit I started to wonder, why was Nick Tinsel off limits again?
That’s right. Heartbreak. Men. It was only a matter of time before the sparkle would wear off and he’d go searching for novelty somewhere else.
The Christmas tree glowed in the corner, its white lights casting an ethereal glow on GJ’s curly hair. She was bent over the reception desk, her head in her hands.
“GJ?” I rushed to her side.
She looked up and blinked, then picked up her glasses and put them on. A smile spread across her face as she looked at me and then Nick. “How was your day with Clem?”
I shook my head. “Clem bailed on me. If it wasn’t for Nick, you’d be sending search and rescue up to the top of Sugar Peaks.”
“Oh, that Clem.” I swore GJ winked at Nick. She didn’t sound surprised at all that her pal had abandoned me on the mountain.
“What are you working on here?” I pulled the sheet of paper from under her bony elbow. It was her reservation map. “Are you still trying to figure this out?”
GJ’s voice trembled. “We’ve got that family of six coming in late tonight and I’ve got nowhere to put them.”
Nick stepped beside me. “What’s going on?” His brow furrowed as he focused on the ratty piece of paper.
“Nothing, dear. It’s nothing.” GJ flipped the paper over.
I pressed my hand on Nick’s chest and steered him to the corner by the tree. A clothespin reindeer with its googly eyes stared at us as I whispered, “We have a reservation for a family, but we don’t have any suites left.”
Nick blinked. “That’s easy. Give them mine.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond and strode to the desk. “Janie, I don’t need a suite all to myself. Please give it to the family. I can have my stuff out of there within the hour so you can get it all cleaned up.”
