Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Trevor
I t was amazing how you could tell someone was scandalized, even if you didn’t understand a word they said. As we woke up to a group of Germans muttering in the doorway, I picked up on the unmistakably judgmental vibe before my brain caught up to the situation.
I rolled over on the cold, hard floor, my eyes searching for Teresa. There she was, already standing by the cable pole in her wrinkled elf outfit, smiling at them.
“Excuse me?” Our realtor appeared from behind the Germans. “I thought you were coming in later for the second viewing! I have another key, so…”
“I’m sorry!” Teresa’s voice was bright and cheery. “I lost Trevor’s car key, and we got a bit stuck.”
Annalise scanned our little campsite, and her professional smile morphed into shock. “You slept here?”
“That’s my fault,” Teresa continued. “Trevor offered his cabin, but we had no car, and my shoes are not made for walking.”
Annalise cocked her head, palpable confusion on her face. “And you’re dressed as an elf because…”
“Wardrobe issues.”
I was amazed at the way Teresa faced them with a smile, not flinching. It was reassuring to find yourself impressed by someone you’d already fallen for. I would have loved Teresa regardless, but everything I learned about her pulled me in a little deeper.
I scrambled to my feet and gathered our things, heaving the bags onto my shoulders. “I apologize. Here’s the key. We’ll be out of your hair.”
Annalise accepted the key, her mouth still hanging open, and the Germans shifted to let us pass. Once we made it to the sidewalk, we both burst into hysterical laughter.
Teresa pulled herself together first, quickly throwing her overcoat on top of the elf costume. It didn’t hide the striped leggings, but she looked a little less like she was headed to a poorly-timed Christmas party.
“I’m so lucky I was already awake when they showed up! I was brushing my teeth when I heard the door,” she said.
“That explains why you look way more presentable than me,” I replied, desperately trying to straighten my achy back and peel open my eyes. I felt exhausted and beaten, yet almost giddy after last night.
She looked down at her legs. “I look like I’ve escaped from an institution.”
“What do you mean? That could easily be a fashion choice. You don’t even have the pointy boots with jingle bells.”
“I jingle, though,” she said, throwing her purse over her shoulder. “Okay. I don’t know about you, but I need coffee. So badly that I don’t care what it tastes like.”
She headed down the street towards Cozy Confectionary, sounding like the intro to Jingle Bells, playing over and over again without the song ever starting. Insanity-inducing, but she was that to me anyway, so I just rolled with it.
Moments from last night played in my head, making my step feel lighter than it should have.
We received a few sideways looks from other patrons, mostly due to that incessant jingling, but the smell of cinnamon and butter was as heady as ever, and we were both too hungry to care. I bought us protein smoothies and cinnamon rolls and watched Teresa mix four creamers into her coffee.
The morning was cloudy, with muted daylight competing with artificial lighting. The pink decorations still hung everywhere. Softly floating snow behind the window added to the ambiance. Valentine’s Day was technically over, but Cozy Creek clearly wasn’t done celebrating love.
I checked my phone for messages. Charlie hadn’t given any updates, but I knew they were traveling. Even if all went well, he wouldn’t make it here before tomorrow. If I wanted to avoid bringing Teresa to my cabin, I had to find her a ride out of here today.
I’d been warned about Cozy Creek not having Uber, and that its alternative, Huber, wasn’t necessarily available to outsiders. I wanted to think of myself as an insider, but I’d only just bought the cabin, and was still in the process of selling my place in Denver.
“So, I was thinking we could maybe ask around and pay someone to give you a ride back home? There are tourists stopping here on their way through as well; someone might have room in their car.”
She looked up from her smoothie, frowning. “What? Are you staying here?”
“I have Charlie and Bess coming up to bring the car key, so I’ll have to stay. But you don’t have to.”
She pinned me with a look that made my every muscle tense simultaneously. “Why am I not welcome in your cabin? Do you have a secret wife up there, or a dead body?”
I laughed, trying to shake the tension. “No.”
“Or are you trying to get rid of me before Charlie and Bess arrive so you guys can make a decision about the company moving without me?”
“No! They wanted to see it, but I’ll make sure no decision is made before we’re all back in Denver.”
She propped an elbow on the table and leaned closer, looking distressed. “Then, what is it? I’ve tried to explain this to myself and everything I can think of is… bad. It’s freaking me out.”
“It’s nothing,” I said quickly. “I thought your shoes weren’t good for walking.”
The whole point of this was to not freak her out. If I couldn’t avoid it, I might as well show her the cabin.
“Then let’s get me another pair of shoes!”
I bit back a smile. “Aye. Do you want another outfit, too?”
She was being a good sport about it, even removing her coat as the heater blasted next to us.
“You look good in green,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear it.”
“I feel like I’m in disguise.” She looked relaxed, sitting back in her chair to finish her smoothie.
Did she want to be in disguise? What had she left behind when she’d fled the town? I could barely contain my curiosity, but I knew that pestering her wouldn’t work. I had to wait until she was ready to tell me.
The door swung open and a middle-aged man in a puffer jacket stepped in, shaking snow off his shoulders. He headed straight to the counter with a stack of flyers. After a quick exchange with the young woman behind it, he turned to the rest of us, raising his voice. “Good morning, everyone! I’m here to spread the word about the sled contest. We just heard some of our contestants have dropped out to join the search for the missing tourist, so we’re a bit short on entries for tomorrow. Please consider joining! We have new prizes that were just donated. It’s going to be an amazing event!”
He began handing out the flyers. “All you need to do is turn up with your sled!”
I grabbed one, reading it out loud. “Cardboard Sled Contest, sponsored by Neville Architects.”
Teresa stiffened, her face pale.
“What is it?” I asked. “This sound fun.”
Teresa shook her head. “Nothing… anyway, I don’t think we can make it.”
The flyer guy stopped at our table, smiling at her like she’d been talking to him. “Well, if things change, we’d love to see you. There’s prize for the best dressed, and you, young lady, are well on your way to winning.”
When he left, Teresa took the flyer and studied it, her eyebrows drawn. “I’d forgotten about this contest. We never built anything, but it was fun to watch.”
“Sounds like all you need is a box with some duct tape on the bottom. And someone to give you a push.”
She slid the flyer back to me. “It’s way more elaborate than that.”
I read the small print. “Warm cider, cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, and you can place bets! I think the spectators are having more fun than contestants.”
“Probably why they’re short on contestants.” Teresa finished her coffee with a grimace.
“If I was into gambling, placing bets on cardboard boxes going down a hill would be my number one choice. Imagine the adrenaline!”
She gave me an eyeroll and a smile. I loved seeing her smile—it soothed my soul. Whatever was on that flyer, or whoever it was that had drained the blood from her face, was momentarily forgotten. Despite my curiosity, I didn’t want to dredge it up.
I gathered my courage and asked, “So, how was your Valentine’s Day?”
She sunk her fingers into her hair, messing up those adorable curls even more. “Yesterday was insane. I’m still processing it. I keep thinking, if I hadn’t caught Richard with Carolyn, I would have gone out with him. He might have told me about her and broken up with me. Or…”
“The ‘or’ is more likely,” I said gently. “Would you rather not know? You could have had a nice date with him. Chocolate soufflé, then going back to his place…”
She shuddered, gripping her hair with both fists. “No! Don’t say that. He would have broken up with me. We would have never…”
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “I don’t know him.”
I didn’t want to think about her sleeping with Dick. The last year had been hard enough.
“I’m glad I was here with you,” she finally said, releasing her hair and dropping her hands into her lap. “It’s been eventful, but I feel like I needed a distraction. I needed an elf costume.” She chuckled, shaking her head.
Teresa always had bed hair. Or maybe I saw it that way because I kept imagining her in bed, a dark, curly halo around her face, naked and smiling. If she’d really had sex dreams about me, I had sexy daydreams about her, constantly. Mine didn’t involve exciting costumes or locations. I couldn’t really focus on anything but her. And now that I’d gotten a taste of her, my imagination was running wild, visualizing things that before had been hazy. She was every bit as sexy and incredible as I’d always thought. Yet, reality trumped fantasy every time. It was messy, scary, and profound.
That deep dimple on her left cheek, the way her eyes lightened to the color of whiskey in the sun and the way she bounced on the balls of her feet when she was excited. That tattoo on her hip. Everything I knew and didn’t know fascinated me.
“I’m glad, too,” I said, taking her hand across the table. “And I’m not trying to get rid of you, I promise. But I thought you had a lot of work on, so you might want to get back.”
Panic flashed behind her eyes, and I regretted bringing it up. “I’m getting behind. I can feel it. There’s no deadline today, but I need to send stuff on Monday.”
“Sweet. We’ll ask Charlie to swing by the office and bring your laptop. Then you can email updates and whatever you need to do before we head back to Denver.”
“Yeah. Okay.” She relaxed a little.
“Shoe shopping, then?”
“Do you think they sell those pointy elf shoes anywhere?” she asked as we exited the cafe.
“Let’s find out.”
I grabbed her arm to help her over the slippery steps. To my surprise, she hung onto mine and didn’t let go. My heart glowed as we walked down the street, browsing the selection of shops along Main Street. There was a hairdresser, a real estate company, an adorable bookstore, a ski shop… and finally, an old-style shoe shop and repair store with a giant leather boot in their window. At the door, she finally let go of my hand.
“Bingo!” She bounced a little, turning her excited eyes to me.
Emboldened by her move, I slid my hand to her waist, guiding her inside. I never wanted to stop touching her. Her short winter coat showed off her perfect butt, highlighted in red and green stripes, framed by the jingle bells sticking out from underneath the jacket’s hem. She was the hottest elf I’d ever seen.
Would she ever go for it again? Did she think last night been a mistake? I was too scared to ask.