4. Olivia
OLIVIA
I woke to sunlight streaming through the crack in the room-darkening curtains and the solid weight of Garner's hand still in mine. His face was relaxed in sleep, his usually guarded features softened, those dark lashes I’d always been jealous of fanned against his cheeks.
My heart did a slow roll in my chest. He looked younger like this, more like the boy who'd climbed through my window a thousand times growing up than the tattooed mountain man who made women swoon when he walked into a room.
His words from last night echoed in my head. What had he meant that I was different? Different how? Different like a sister? Different like a best friend? Or different like... I didn’t dare let myself go there.
I carefully extracted my hand from his and slipped out of bed. The bathroom mirror reflected my wild bedhead and flushed cheeks. I twisted my hair up and splashed cold water on my face. Last night was some good acting. Garner didn’t mean anything by it.
By the time he woke up, I was dressed in jeans and a light sweater, sitting in a chair facing the window and scrolling through the retreat schedule on my phone.
"Morning," he said, voice rough with sleep as he pushed himself up on his elbows. His dark hair was messy, the ink on his arms catching the morning light.
“Good morning. Coffee's here. I ordered room service."
He grunted his thanks and disappeared into the bathroom. I headed out to the balcony, where I’d set up our breakfast of pastries, fruit, and a carafe of coffee. The view was stunning with mountains rising majestically against a cloudless blue sky, the lake below like polished glass.
A few minutes later, Garner joined me, freshly showered and dressed in another one of his henleys that stretched across his broad shoulders. He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the balcony railing.
"What's on the agenda today?" he asked, taking a sip.
I scrolled through my phone. "Relationship warm-up games at nine. Then a hike at eleven." I glanced up at him. "I think the hike might be our best chance to look around."
He nodded, his expression unreadable. "And what exactly are 'relationship warm-up games'?"
"I’m not sure, but I apologize in advance."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "You're the one who got us into this, baby girl."
Baby girl. He'd been calling me that since we were teenagers, but now it sent a flutter through my stomach that had nothing to do with friendship.
"And you're the one who agreed to come," I pointed out, reaching for a pastry to distract myself.
"I never could say no to you." His eyes held mine for a beat too long, and I looked away first.
"We should get going." I left the uneaten pastry on my plate and stood. "We don't want to be late for whatever fresh hell Serena has planned."
Turned out "relationship warm-up games" involved blindfolds, which immediately sent my mind spinning into places it definitely shouldn't go when thinking about my best friend.
"The foundation of intimacy is trust," Serena told us as we stood in the resort's Zen Garden. "Today, we'll practice trusting our partners with our physical safety."
She handed a silky blindfold to each couple. "One partner will wear the blindfold while the other guides them through an obstacle course. No touching allowed, just verbal instructions. Then you'll switch."
I looked at the blindfold in my hand, then at Garner. "I'll direct you first," I said, passing him the blindfold.
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure? You're the one with the control issues."
"I don’t have control issues," I said.
He glanced at my wrist, where I was snapping my hair tie against my skin again.
"Fine." I snatched the blindfold back. "I'll wear it first."
The material was cool against my eyelids as Garner tied it behind my head. Immediately, the world went dark, and my other senses heightened. I could smell the pine trees surrounding the garden, feel the slight mountain breeze on my skin, and hear Garner's steady breathing near my ear.
"Ready?" he asked, his voice closer than I expected.
I nodded, fighting the urge to reach for him.
"Take three steps forward," he instructed, his deep voice guiding me.
I moved carefully, my hands slightly outstretched.
"Good. Now turn right. No, not that far. Just a quarter turn."
I adjusted, hyper-aware of every sound and shift in the air around me.
"Two steps forward, then stop."
I did what he said, surprised by how completely I trusted his directions. There was something oddly intimate about putting myself entirely in Garner's hands like this, even if he wasn't actually touching me.
His voice continued to guide me through the course, around potted plants, between small obstacles, and over a low footbridge. When I finally reached the end and removed my blindfold, I caught him looking at me.
“You did a good job,” I said. He hadn’t let me trip or bump into anything during the entire course.
“Is that your way of saying you like it when I boss you around?” he teased.
Heat crept up my neck. If only he knew how often I fantasized about him telling me exactly what he wanted me to do to him in bed.
“Your turn." I handed him the blindfold.
He was still smiling as he slipped the blindfold on over his eyes.
As I guided him through the course, I realized how much I enjoyed watching him follow my instructions.
This big, strong man who moved through the world with such natural confidence was completely dependent on my voice. It was kind of a turn on.
"You're doing great." I encouraged him as he navigated a tricky part of the course. "Now one big step over the rock, then five small steps forward."
When he removed the blindfold at the end, he grinned at me. "Not bad, Vale. You'd make a decent air traffic controller."
I laughed, and any tension remaining between us drifted away.
Once Serena was satisfied we’d all passed the test of trusting our partners, she led us out of the garden and onto one of the paved trails.
It wasn’t much of a hike, but being out on the resort property gave us the opportunity we needed to look around.
As the group paused at a scenic overlook, I tugged Garner's hand.
"Look," I whispered, nodding toward a partially hidden path branching off from the main trail. "Should we check it out?"
He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then nodded. "Let’s do it during the break after lunch.”
After stuffing ourselves on salad and sandwiches, we slipped away from the group and headed back to the path. It wound through dense trees before opening onto a clearing where a cluster of identical cabins stood. A sign read "PRIVATE RESIDENCES – STAFF ONLY."
"There’s got to be something here," I said. The whole charade of pretending to be married had to lead to something. If I’d spent all of my savings and forced my best friend to be my fake husband for nothing… I wouldn’t let myself think about it.
We stayed close to the tree line as we moved closer. The cabins appeared to be vacant, with blinds drawn and no cars parked outside.
"Look," Garner said, pointing to a small office building at the far end of the clearing. "That might be a good place to check out."
We made our way toward it, trying to look like we belonged there. As we neared the building, I spotted a door marked "PRIVATE" at the side.
"Let's try it," I said, heading for the door.
Garner caught my arm. "Whoa. We can't just walk in."
"Why not? We're paying guests." It was a weak argument. Even I knew it.
"Not in an area clearly marked staff only." Garner leveled a gaze at me that told me he wasn’t on board.
I rolled my eyes. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
"Right next to my sense of not wanting to get arrested," he fired back.
I was about to argue when the sound of voices coming our way made us both freeze. Two staff members in resort uniforms were heading right toward us, deep in conversation.
"Come here." Garner grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner into a narrow space between the building and the cabin next door. We were hidden from view, but the voices were getting closer. If they turned the corner, they'd see us for sure.
His eyes met mine. A silent question flashed between us. I nodded slightly, understanding his plan without words.
In one smooth motion, he pressed me against the wall, his body shielding mine from view. Then his mouth was on mine. Everything else faded away.
His lips were warm and firm, his stubble rough against my skin. For a heartbeat, I was too shocked to respond. Then instinct took over, and I kissed him back, my hands sliding up his chest to hold onto his shoulders for dear life.
It was supposed to be a cover, a distraction in case we got caught. But there was nothing fake about the way his palm cupped my cheek, or how my body arched into his. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, and I opened for him with a small sound that I barely recognized as coming from me.
The voices passed, continuing on their way. We could have stopped then, but we didn’t.
Garner deepened the kiss, his hand slipping into my hair, dislodging my bun. My hair tumbled around my shoulders. I clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer, every single one of my nerve endings lighting up with an unfamiliar and desperate need.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. He rested his forehead against mine, his eyes closed.
"I think they're gone," I whispered, my voice shaky.
He pulled back, his eyes opening to meet mine. They were darker than I'd ever seen them, his pupils dilated.
"Yeah." His voice was rough, and he didn’t step away.
For a moment, we stared at each other, the air between us charged with something I was afraid to name. Then one of the voices floated back to us.
"...private residence on the other side of the property. That's where all the plans are kept."
Garner and I both snapped to attention, the spell broken.
"Did you hear that?" I whispered.
He nodded, finally moving back and creating space between us. The distance felt like the width of a canyon even though I could have reached out and touched him.
I ran my hands through my hair and twisted it back into submission, securing it with my hair tie. "Let's go check it out.”
We followed the voices at a safe distance, trailing them to another, more secluded, much larger cabin set apart from the others. This one looked lived in. The blinds were open, matching planters full of flowers flanked the front door, and an expensive SUV sat in the drive.
"Look," I said, pointing to a mailbox near the driveway. "Can you see the name?"
Garner squinted. "Mountain Peak Investments, LLC."
I frowned. "That doesn't tell us much."
"No, but it's something to go on. We can look it up later."
We watched the cabin for a few more minutes, but nothing happened. Defeat settled in my chest. We were close to finding out something, I could feel it. But there wasn't much more we could learn without breaking in. Even I wasn’t ready to do that.
“We should go,” Garner said. “Don’t want to be late for the next activity and have Serena send someone looking for us.”
I nodded. As we walked back to the main resort, the silence between us grew heavier with each step. Neither of us mentioned the kiss, though it was all I could think about. My lips still tingled, and I kept reliving the way his body had felt pressed against mine.
"So," I finally said as the main building came into view. "Mountain Peak Investments."
"Yeah. I'll see if Priest knows anything about it when we get back."
I nodded. "And I can check property records through the town hall database."
More silence.
"About what happened back there—" I started.
"We don't have to talk about it," Garner cut in. "It was just for cover."
"Right." I ignored the sting of disappointment. "For cover."
That night, we participated in more couples' activities, ate dinner as a group, and did an after-dinner meditation that left me feeling way too relaxed. If I leaned into Garner’s touch a little more than necessary, or if his hand lingered at the small of my back longer than it should have, neither of us acknowledged it.
Back in our room, I wandered around while Garner showered.
I was restless, all worked up over that kiss from earlier, wanting to talk about it but afraid to bring it up and destroy our friendship.
I wandered around the room, peeking out the window to look at the moon, turning the TV on then off again.
Finally, my fingers trailed over the desk where Garner had left his sketchbook.
I shouldn't look. It was private.
But something compelled me to open it, to take a quick peek.
I flipped through pages of stunning tattoo designs until I came to a different kind of drawing—one of a woman with her hair twisted up in a messy bun, her head bent in concentration.
The drawing was so intimate, so familiar, that it took me a moment to recognize myself.
The shower shut off, and I quickly closed the book, my heart pounding. By the time Garner came out of the bathroom, I’d jumped under the covers and was pretending to read a magazine left in our room.
"Anything interesting?" he asked, rubbing a towel over his damp hair.
I looked up at him and lied. "Nope.”
“Bathroom’s all yours, baby girl.” He hung the towel on a hook and plopped down on the bed.
“Thanks.” As I got ready for bed, I studied my reflection in the mirror. My lips were still slightly swollen from our kiss, my cheeks pink from spending the whole day thinking about it. He’d kissed me for cover, but it had felt so real.
That night, we lay side by side again, not touching but I was acutely aware of his big body warming the sheets just a few inches away.
That drawing he’d made of me meant he'd been seeing me all this time. Really seeing me. And it made me wonder if I'd been the blind one all along.