Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Teresa
S uze answered on the third ring, a little out of breath.
“Hi! It’s Teresa. I?—”
“Teresa? Do you have a new number?”
“This is my colleague’s phone. I’m stuck in Cozy Creek. We came to look at an office space and I lost the car key, and my phone is locked inside the car.”
Her voice rose in alarm. “Oh, no! What are you going to do?”
“It’ll be fine. We’ll get the spare key tomorrow, I think. But we have to spend the night.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
“Oh, don’t worry. There’s a cabin…”
I’d talk Trevor into letting me stay at that cabin. It had to be a better option than the empty office.
“Wait. It’s Valentine’s Day! Wes is taking me out tomorrow because we couldn’t get a babysitter for tonight. But weren’t you supposed to go out with Richard?”
“Yeah…” I took a deep breath and explained the situation. I had to find the volume buttons on Trevor’s phone when the expletives began flying. My sister was the sunny one compared to me, but she could be quite expressive.
“How are you?” I asked, to get us back on track. “How’re the kids?”
She gave me a quick update on her two toddlers before jumping straight back into our earlier topic. “I told you, didn’t I? That guy was as dry as a piece of toast. No passion! Nothing. You can’t fall in love with someone like that. He doesn’t have the necessary parts.”
I almost laughed at her choice of words, despite the bitter taste in my mouth. “He seemed plenty passionate with his ex.”
She sighed so forcefully the speaker rattled. “Okay, fine. But you guys had no zing! I don’t understand why you waste time on anyone who’s not crazy about you. You can’t fall in love unless you’re both ready to jump, headfirst. Why would you settle for anything less?”
The memory of Trevor and me jumping into the pool resurfaced, and I pushed it down. “Well, you found it straight out of school, so I don’t think you realize how rare it is.”
I didn’t even feel like defending myself. She was right. After their first night together, Wes had stayed up to learn Suze’s favorite song on the guitar so he could play it to her before breakfast. After our first time, Richard had ordered me an Uber before ordering himself a pizza. I’d settled for a lot less.
“It’s out there! And you’re a catch!” Suze insisted.
I heard the soundtrack of a kids cartoon in the background.
“And what did you do today that wasn’t work?” she finally asked. “Quite a bit, I assume, since you’re out of office.”
“I’ve done absolutely no work since one p.m.,” I announced proudly. “I’m freaking out over the emails I’ve missed.”
“Oh, right! You locked your phone in the car! That’s why you’re not working.” She laughed as if she’d figured out a mystery.
“Pretty much.”
“I guess this is the only way for you to vacation.” I heard the smile in her voice. “Even if it is in Cozy Creek. Is it… awkward?”
“I’ve already run into Peony and Mom’s nosy friend Selma. She runs a gift shop now.”
“Peony? Oh, my God! How is she? Did she ever… graduate?”
“I don’t know. She seemed well. Married. Three kids.”
“Oh.” Suze sounded surprised. “After what happened with Julian, she seemed so quiet and depressed. I was worried she’d never be okay.”
There it was. Julian. She’d casually dropped the name I’d been trying to block out for such a long time. Julian Neville. The guy I never wanted to see again.
“I don’t want to talk about him,” I pleaded. “I’m only here for one night, maybe two, so I’m really hoping I don’t run into him.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” Suze said in a soothing tone. “Just stay in the cabin of… who’re you with again?”
I swallowed. I’d been trying to not say his name. “Trevor.”
“What? The Scottish jerk who ruined your chances on that design job?”
I sighed. “Yeah. But I don’t know. He’s been… nice.”
“Nice?” she repeated, her voice oozing suspicion. “Maybe he’s gathering more information to ruin another aspect of your life.”
“What other aspect?”
“Fair enough.” She laughed.
“Honestly, I think he’s changed. He’s quit smoking and picked up knitting and?—”
“Knitting? Dear Lord.”
“It’s sweet,” I insisted. “I’m the one who lost the key, but he’s been so good. He even found us a table at this restaurant and?—”
“Hang on. You’re in a restaurant, on Valentine’s Day, with the guy who betrayed you?”
“Well, he didn’t betray me… I mean, he was misguidedly trying to protect me?—”
“From making a shitload of money?”
“He didn’t know it was going to be so successful.”
“Teresa.” Suze switched to her mom voice. “You bitched to me about this guy for months. Months. He was the reason you almost didn’t take that job with Charlie and Bess. I had to talk you into it. I didn’t want you to lose your condo.”
“And I appreciate it. I needed this job, and it’s been good.”
“You told me that you were doing your best to avoid this dude at all costs. How did you even end up in Cozy Creek with him? Did he kidnap you?”
“No,” I said, but my voice faltered.
“Listen. It sounds like you’re warming up to him, and I don’t want you to get hurt. You’ve just broken up with someone. You’re in a vulnerable state, right? Anyone would be. And I know the Scottish accent is irresistible, and it’s probably tempting to have this rebound thing. But I want you to find something real! That’ll never happen if you keep picking these terrible guys.”
I wanted to argue that Trevor wasn’t a terrible guy, but how could I possibly know that? I’d been wrong about Richard. She’d watched my sorry dating history for a long time. I couldn’t blame her for being concerned.
I ended the call, promising her I’d be careful, and returned to the table, my thoughts a jumbled mess. Suze was right. I was warming up to Trevor, and if I let myself get any more comfortable… if I got myself invited to his cabin… who knew what would happen? I was feeling too vulnerable, and Trevor was being too nice.
I had to tough it out on the office floor. It was the only option. But I’d try to make myself as comfortable as possible.
“Do you know if Cozy Creek sells any clothing these days?” I asked. “Anything at all? I don’t want to sleep in my jeans.”
“You don’t sleep in the nude?” He looked disappointed. “So, the location in your dream was not a bedroom, then?”
We were still on the sex dream, then? I had to smile. “I don’t think that dream scenario would ever happen in real life.”
“Are we talking about an alien planet or just in the supermarket aisle?”
It had been a scorching-hot dream, one I hadn’t thought about in a long time. He’d never guess it, which was for the best. I’d take that one to my grave.
“I’m not giving you any hints. You must guess all three things correctly.”
I thoroughly enjoyed the frustration on his face as he got up and settled the bill.
When we stepped back outside, it was pitch dark. The streetlamps glowed along Main Street. We walked towards the lights, and I noticed myself huddling closer to Trevor than before. It felt safer. With my body still warm from the meal and my head a little light from wine, I didn’t feel like questioning it. In extenuating circumstances, even enemies had to work together. For survival.
Trevor kept throwing me wild guesses, mostly locations around Denver, and I kept laughing him off.
“I don’t think it’s even possible to have sex on an escalator.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised. There was a news story…”
“Seriously? Like, how?” I hiccupped.
“I think it starts with being under the influence of something that removes any shred of shame.”
“Obviously.”
“And then… they probably got turned away from every other establishment.”
“People are insane.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” He scooped a hand around my waist when I missed our turn. “This way.”
I felt the warmth of embarrassment on my face, but the warmth of his hand quickly overpowered it. I got so flustered that my foot slipped on the icy ground, and I nearly went down. But Trevor was faster, catching me between his giant hands, holding me upright. “D’ye want me to carry ye the rest o’ the way?”
“Yes, please,” I laughed. “I’m clearly not fit to walk.”
I meant it as a joke, but he swept me into his arms with such force I nearly dropped my purse. “As you wish.”
The sudden loss of contact with the ground sent me into a full-body flush, panicked and aroused at the same time. We were so close to the office entrance it only took him a few steps to get there. But as he lowered me to the pavement, I felt hot and out of balance, as well as weirdly out of breath.
“Here we are.”
“Thank you.” I leaned on the door, rummaging through my bag for the key he’d given me. Dear God, don’t let me lose that one! After a moment of frenzy, my fingers curled around the jagged shape, and I sighed with relief.
“Are you sure you’re okay to sleep here?” His voice was soft.
“I think it’s for the best.”
“We could call your friend… Peony?”
“No. She… we… have a history. It’s a bit complicated.”
He nodded, quietly watching me work the key. Not a word about that cabin of his. Did it even exist? And if it did, why didn’t he insist that I stay there with him?
The door creaked open to the dark staircase, but I didn’t step in. “What if something happens?”
“Like what?”
“Like… an alarm going off. Or a fire… Or a friendly ghost who starts turning on the faucet in the kitchen?” I tried to joke as a cold sensation crept up my throat. Why was I trying to scare myself?
“Hmm. We know you don’t like loud noises. But a friendly ghost like Casper?—”
“How far is your cabin?” I finally blurted, holding onto the doorknob, my fingers stiff from the cold.
“It’s about three kilom… two miles, I think.” He bit back a smile, gazing down the street, into the darkness that continued beyond the row of streetlamps. “No, three miles. Three and a half.”
“Is it moving away from us?”
He huffed an awkward laugh. “It’s a blimp. Did I no’ mention that?”
Okay. He clearly didn’t want me in his cabin.
The air felt colder, nipping at my cheeks. The snow on the ground had crystallized into a blanket of diamonds. I could only hope the office had some sort of central heating. My toes, which had thawed nicely during our dinner, were going numb again. There was no way I could walk to his cabin in them, even if he invited me.
He took a step back in his sensible winter boots, rubbing his hands together. He didn’t have gloves, either. They were probably in the car, just like the scarf he’d been knitting. “Well, I better get on the road. Good night.”
Looking a little torn, he turned around and headed down the street.
“Wait!” I cringed at how my voice chimed with alarm.
He halted, looking over his shoulder.
“Are we meeting here in the morning? What time?” I asked.
“Does it matter? You don’t even have a watch.”
Dread shot through me. I didn’t have a change of clothing, either, or a toothbrush. What if the office toilets didn’t work? We’d never tested them. It was going to be a long night.
He turned around to fully face me, waiting. I stepped a little closer and filled my lungs, gathering my nerve. “I know it’s awful and I shouldn’t even ask… but could you stay with me? Just long enough to make sure the alarm doesn’t go off.” I suddenly felt like crying, and it took a lot of effort to keep the tears at bay.
He closed the distance between us, grabbing my arms and rubbing them up and down. “It won’t. I already checked with the realtor. There is central heating. The power is connected. The toilet works. I wouldn’t leave ye here for a minute otherwise.”
“Thank you. I should be fine then. You don’t have to?—”
“I want to,” he cut me off, looking at me openly. “I’ve wanted to be with you for a long time, but I couldn’t. Not with Richard the Dick in the picture. Not with you avoiding me at every turn.”
I swallowed a lump. “I was just protecting myself.”
“I get it. And that’s why I never want to force my company on you. I know I practically kidnapped you to bring you here, and I already feel awful about that. But I was never planning to keep ye overnight. So, it’s your call. D’ ye want me here?”
“I do,” I choked out.
“Then I’ll stay.”
A big fat tear let loose, running down the side of my nose. “Why are you so nice? I haven’t been nice… You don’t even know me. There are more secrets. Worse secrets.”
He peered into my eyes like he was looking straight into my soul. “I’m counting on that.” He caught the tear with his thumb before it made it to my lips. “Okay, let’s go inside, crank up the heat, and see if that office is survivable overnight.”