Chapter Thirty-One
Enrique felt the blood drain from his face. He had just revealed to a woman that he had feelings for her that he had never experienced before and never thought he would, and she was talking about falling in love. His heart raced. What should he say?
Luckily, he didn’t have to because Leigh couldn’t keep a straight face any longer and burst out laughing. “I wish I had my phone out. The look on your face is absolutely priceless!” She had to hold her stomach; she was laughing so hard.
“Very funny. I was having a serious conversation, pouring my heart out, and you made a joke of it. I’m honestly not sure how to take this.” His voice betrayed his hurt, and Leigh stopped quickly.
“That is why I did it. This is deep stuff, and we needed a moment of levity. And… I actually want to know what your thoughts are on “Love at First Sight.” I was going somewhere with the question but couldn’t help the shock factor. You have to admit, after everything you have put me through the last few days, I’m entitled to a little payback.”
Her grin was so big it was clear to Enrique that her laughter was just below the surface, but she had a point. He owed her... big time.
“Okay, that’s fair, but I think you could have chosen a more appropriate time. That was hard for me.”
“I know, and if we are going to get into such personal matters and confess things like that, then we need to trust each other. I would never laugh or make light of your feelings. I was trying to give you a break from them so you didn’t get overwhelmed, and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mess with you a bit. So, really, what do you think about it? This inquiring mind wants to know. Then it will be my turn to get all deep on you, so I hope you brought a life vest.”
Enrique took a moment to think through his answer. He had never really thought about it, and his initial answer was, No way! “I’m not sure where you’re going with this, but my gut answer is no. No, I do not believe in love at first sight. I believe in attraction, which is what I felt for you. Lust is definitely a common experience for many people. True love? No. I’m a cynic when it comes to love, though, so I’m not sure I’m any authority on the matter. What are your thoughts, and why did you ask?”
Leigh had leaned back into her corner of the couch and looked pensive. “I think we should eat first, then dig into this topic. What are your thoughts? We have beef stew, teriyaki chicken, chili macaroni, chicken pesto pasta, and pulled pork that I guess could go on crackers.”
“I am feeling daring; let me try the macaroni this time.” Enrique started to get up, but Leigh motioned him to stay where he was.
“I got this. There isn’t enough room for two in the kitchen.”
Minutes later, she brought the warm packages of MREs to the couch, and they ate silently. Leigh mulled over how she was going to handle the coming conversation. Her emotions were all tangled. This was as much new territory for her as it was for Enrique.
After cleaning up after their meal and washing the spoons from brunch, as well as the forks from dinner, Leigh rejoined Enrique on the couch, sitting cross-legged facing him, her back supported by the large, padded arm.
“Okay, the real reason I asked you that question was not to shock you, although that worked out beautifully, but because my family believes in it.”
Enrique looked interested, “Do tell. This is a story that Curtis never shared.”
“So, my grandparents met eons ago and married three days after first setting eyes on each other. The way Grandmother tells it, she knew the moment she saw Grandpa that he was her “one”. He was a gentle soul in every way, and they hit it off immediately. He stopped at the diner she was working at when he came through town, and she served him several meals. When he was ready to roll out, he asked if she wanted to go with him, and she said, “Only if you marry me first.” They got the license, stopped by the church, and off they rode into the sunset, never to look back. When Grandpa died thirty years later, she was heartbroken.” The look in Leigh’s eyes could only be described as wistful.
“I’ve heard stories like that from the older generations. I personally think times were simpler back then. People were better. Commitments once made meant something. The expectations in a marriage were more clearly defined. I’m not saying that times changing isn’t a good thing; just that it is very different now. To move that fast is a scary thought. What do you think?” Enrique adjusted his position; his ribs were starting to hurt pretty badly again. He hoped the conversation would help keep him distracted.
“Oh, I’m not finished with my family history. See, my mom and dad also have a love-at-first-sight story. Curtis told me that Mom was a waitress in the Avalanche Crest restaurant. Dad was a lift mechanic, amongst other things, and made rounds to all the resorts in the area. The Baileys always fed folks to show appreciation, and Dad sat in Mom’s section. They hit it off, and the next thing you know, he starts popping up on the regular. They started dating on the third meal and were married a little over a month later. You know how that story goes. Dad is the love of her life, and when he gets into an accident on his way home from a six-day long haul in his semi-truck, she is so devastated she just stops living. Forget the kids and the life they created together. I heard Grandma tell a friend on the phone that she was pretty sure her daughter would have died from a broken heart if it weren’t for us kids. So, that is two love-at-first-sight stories that ended in true love and tragedy.” Leigh pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on top, her arms wrapped around her shins to hold them close.
“Some of the most famous love stories are tragedies. Look at Romeo and Juliet. Everyone has heard of that one, whether they read it or not. Perhaps the point here is that even though they lost their love, at least they had them in the first place?”
“And you said you were a cynic. I think you’re a romantic at heart.” She grinned at him, but he could see it didn’t reach her eyes. Something was bothering her.
“You still haven’t shared your thoughts on the topic,” he encouraged.
“I don’t know what my thoughts are. Like you, I instinctually reject the very possibility. Then again, I have never felt love for anyone but my brother, the Baileys, Gina, and a very small number of other people. At least I hadn’t. Part of me has to acknowledge that it seems to have happened for two people in my immediate family. But regardless of whether it can or cannot happen, I have always thought that I didn’t want it to happen. I wasn’t open to the idea. To be honest, I have never been open to the thought of romantic love at all... until now.”
“What’s changed?” Enrique probed.
Rolling her eyes, Leigh regarded him suspiciously. “Fishing for compliments now, are you? I wondered how long Mr. Arrogant would rest before popping his head back up. ”
“No, I’m not. Did meeting me change your mind? My confession of attraction and wanting more? Nearly dying coming down that mountain and thinking that perhaps there is something missing in your life, and it could be staring you right in the face? What made you reconsider your stance on love?”
“It was meeting you, yes. I have been around plenty of attractive men, men I thought were nice to look at. You know, ‘Man, God did good when he made your face’ type thing.”
“Actually, I’ll have to take your word on that. I can’t say I’ve ever had one of those moments.”
“Whatever. I’m not the first person you saw and thought, ‘Wow, she’s stunning.’ And, if you say I am, I won’t believe you. I saw you at the red-carpet events online. You were surrounded by gorgeous people only a blind man wouldn’t have noticed. Moving on… My point is that I have been attracted to men before but never drawn to them. I was so taken aback by your reaction to me when we met that it ruined everything, but I remember feeling more than thinking you were attractive. I’m a scientist; I’m sure it has to do with pheromones, but it is a surreal experience. Even when you were being a jerk, I couldn’t keep you off my mind. I have never had that problem before. However, a large part of me still wants nothing to do with love, no matter how life-changing it could be. After experiencing what losing it did to my mother, I’m not interested. At least I didn’t think I was interested until I saw you laying at the bottom of the mountain motionless, and all the what-ifs played in my head for a split second. ”
“What ifs?”
“Yeah. What if he hadn’t been such a jerk? What if he had listened to directions and we had skied the slopes together for ten days? What if we hung out at his ridiculous chalet instead of me sulking about like an intruder? What if we could be close friends like he and Curtis are? What if he became a regular in our family? All the possibilities that could have been but were wasted. But then, as I lay here this morning trying to go to sleep, I replayed those what-ifs in my mind and realized that if I was thinking about them, it was because I was interested in more than a simple instructor-client relationship. Fulfill the contract, get paid, and move on.” Leigh wasn’t meeting his eyes anymore but instead stared into the yellow and orange flames of the fire as she continued to process her thoughts.
“This makes me think you are on the same page as me with a desire to see where this could lead and that these ten days are simply not enough.” Hope welled in his chest at the prospect.
Turning her head to meet his gaze, she said, “I’m saying I have already chosen to love you, and it is not purely platonic. My heart wants me to explore the possibilities with you, but my brain warns me there is only hurt and heartache down that road. I’m honestly not sure what I want. Let’s play it by ear.” Sitting up and stretching her legs, she stood. “The adventures of yesterday and the deep discussions of today have exhausted me. I’m going to turn in early and see if I can catch up on some sleep. You can do whatever you want. Once I nod off, I won’t wake up even if a tornado comes down on us. Hopefully, this storm blows over tomorrow, and we can get out of here.” Leigh prepared for bed and got comfortable as Enrique prepared a cup of hot chocolate for himself and resettled on the couch, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the gentle glow it cast over the now-dark cabin.
He thought Leigh had already nodded off when she spoke softly, “I will say this, Enrique; before any progress can be made, we need to talk about your treatment of others. Love at first sight or not, I will never be treated poorly by any man, be he a friend or more. You have gotten away with it this long because of the number of people depending on me to complete this contract and get paid. I won’t take the disrespect and blatant disregard for my instructions ever again. Before we leave this cabin, you and I will come to an understanding one way or another.” Within moments of making this last statement, her breathing evened out, and she dropped into dreamland.
Guilt ate at Enrique for everything he had put her through. The next day, he would have to explain, and it wasn’t going to feel good, but maybe once it was said, it would.