“Alright well, just let me know. Although, honestly, I am dying to dive into this book.”
“Haven’t you read Outlander before?” I ask.
“Twice. But there’s no such thing as too much Jamie Fraser,” she says.
“So, is Jordan a thing of the past?” I ask.
“Maybe. He’s a guy who’s used to getting what he wants. So I’m making him sweat a little,” she answers.
I smile at that.
* * *
As I assumed, Gavin is here. I park my car next to his and make my way to the main desk. The Patagonia-clad woman looks up at me with a rehearsed customer service smile. Ben and Holly won’t be here for another hour from what we planned, so I have time.
“Hello! Welcome to Snowcap Summit. How can I help you? Oh, and just so you know, we have a special on cabins right now. Buy two nights, get the third free! And it comes with a beer and coffee voucher as well.”
Of course she doesn’t remember me.
“I’m looking for Gavin,” I tell her, cutting right to the chase.
Recognition flashes in her eyes, and her smile dips into a small frown. “Oh. Right. He’s not?—”
“I know he’s here,” I say. “His car is outside.”
“He’s in a meeting.”
“I need to talk to him,” I insist.
“He isn’t taking visitors outside of appointments,” she says.
“Fine. Then I’ll make an appointment,” I tell her.
“Oh. Well, he doesn’t have any appointments available,” she says.
“Ever?” I ask.
“Not today,” she says flatly.
“Well then, I’ll stay the night. Or two. Or three, since the third night is free. I have time.”
“We don’t have any available cabins,” she lies.
“But you just said–”
“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” she finally admits, and I narrow my eyes at her.
“Well, that’s too bad. Because he’s going to talk to me whether he likes it or not,” I say before dashing off towards his office.
“Ma’am. You can’t go back there. Ma’am!”
I avoid the Karen squad and stop in front of his office, rapping on the door with my fist.
“Gavin. I know you’re in there. Can we talk? Please?”
Nothing. But I’m not giving up that easily. My polite knocking escalates to pounding, and I call out again. “Gavin! You can’t hide from me forever! You can’t hide fromus…”
Nothing.
