Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
RHETT
Winter came in fits and starts in the valley, with snow fluttering down between days of blazing sun.
The air was bitterly cold as November wore on, but I felt only warmth as I stood in the lodge’s main room, watching the dining area come together.
Carpenters installed long banquettes, and the tables we’d ordered were stacked against the far wall.
The seating area by the windows was ready for furniture.
Through the windows, a few skiers and snowboarders carved curving lines along the wide, gentle hill that ended at the lodge.
Our snow machines were running every night to make sure we could open in the unusually temperate weather, though it was only a few brave locals who had bought passes so far this year.
A temporary container had a canteen for hot drinks and snacks to feed them.
Once we opened the doors to the lodge, our marketing efforts would begin in earnest. It wasn’t ideal, and the project had been far from smooth, but I couldn’t complain. If everything had gone according to plan, I’d never have needed to hire Piper at the last minute and watch her work her magic.
“I got a killer deal on this lighting, even with the rush order,” Piper told me, pointing to the big custom lights that had been installed the day before.
“I noticed they were under budget in the last report Nora sent through,” I said. I’d shoved my hands in my pockets the minute Piper walked onto the site, because I knew my palms would drift toward her and my arms would want to circle her if I let them hang free.
Piper beamed at me, and the light from the big windows shone on her like even the sun loved to stroke her skin.
I hadn’t kissed her since last night, when we’d met at the house for a few minutes to check on the progress of the floors, and I hadn’t touched her body since last week, when she’d come to my place.
It was too long. Now that I’d had a taste of her, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting more.
“Delivery!”
We turned to see Ollie backing up the staircase, a big, plastic-wrapped armchair in his arms. Another worker held the other side of the chair, and the two of them shuffled toward us. Piper let out a tiny squeal and clapped her hands together at her breast.
“Where do you want it, Pipes?” Ollie asked.
“Over here, by the window,” she replied, hurrying ahead to gesture to an open spot by the windows.
“Oh my goodness, it looks amazing!” She looked at me and lifted a finger.
“Not a word, Rhett. Not until everything’s in and you see the vision.
I don’t want to hear the words ‘Grandpa’s cabin’ come out of your mouth. ”
I lifted my hands in surrender. “I trust you,” I said, and was surprised to realize it was the truth. I trusted her with the design of the lodge and with the vision for the house. I trusted her to be honest with me, and to guard my secrets as fiercely as I did.
She knew me, she’d seen me, and she hadn’t turned her back on me. No—Piper had leaned in. She’d heard about my ugly past and the way I pretended to be better than I was, and she kissed me like I was worth something despite it.
As she tore off the thick plastic wrapping the chair, I couldn’t help but smile at her excitement. The chair was upholstered in that god-awful plaid fabric, but seeing it here, against the rich wood and the snow-covered slopes with the evergreens framing the view…
It made sense. Grandpa’s cabin was exactly what we needed—especially when it was elevated the way Piper had envisioned.
“We’ve got one more armchair and then that yellow couch.”
Piper straightened, frowning as she met Ollie’s gaze. “Yellow couch? That was delivered here?”
“Eric said you requested he work on those first.”
“Oh no,” Piper groaned. “The couch is for the house.”
“We can drive it over,” I said.
Ollie glanced out the window. “Better be quick about it. Looks like a storm’s coming in, and I’m not sure it’s wrapped well enough to survive the outdoors.”
Piper jumped into action, and within minutes she was in the passenger seat beside me as we drove back to town, a big yellow couch strapped to the bed of my truck.
Soft country music played on the radio as Piper’s fingers flew over her phone screen.
I glanced over and saw a to-do list and a few emails flash across the device.
She worked hard and got things done. I admired the hell out of her.
“We’re ahead of schedule,” she announced. “For the house, I mean. The lodge is still pretty tight if we’re looking at finishing before the new year.”
“Good work, Darling.” I reached over and put my hand on her thigh, squeezing gently as we lapsed into silence.
I could get used to this. The energy that Piper injected into the office—into my life—made me feel like anything was possible.
I wasn’t on my own, trying to build my business year after year.
Right now it felt like I was working on something meaningful.
Her palm slid over mine, soft and small, and she curled her fingers around my hand. We stayed like that until we got back to town, and I had to take my hand away to snake through the streets that led to Lovers Lane.
Our house waited for us, surrounded by a lawn dusted with snow. The trees had lost their leaves, the evergreens looking vibrant against all the white, gray, and brown of the landscape. The snowfall had grown heavier, with thick clouds clinging to the tops of the mountains.
“Let’s get this thing inside,” I said.
We got the couch down off the truck and up the porch steps.
Getting it through the front door was a challenge, and we banged two walls and the doorframe before we finally set it down in the living room in front of the fireplace.
Piper closed the front door, then collapsed onto the plastic-wrapped sofa with a long sigh. “I need to work out more,” she said.
I took a seat next to her and threw my arm around her shoulders. “I can help you out with that,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows.
She laughed, elbowing me in the ribs, then gave in and melted against me as I kissed her. The protective plastic crunched under our bodies, and Piper pulled away. “Help me unwrap this thing.”
We revealed a dark yellow sofa with soft curves, its back, legs, and arms framed in rich wood. Piper tossed the plastic away and let out a gasp of delight. “Oh!” Her smile was blazing as she looked at me. “What do you think?”
“Beautiful,” I said, but I wasn’t looking at the couch.
“It’s better than I imagined,” she said, running a finger along the arms. “Eric did such a good job. I’m going to have to go thank him personally. Look at these buttons on the tufting. He wrapped them all individually.”
“I don’t remember this in our spreadsheet,” I said, finally tearing my gaze away from Piper. “Where’d you get it?”
“The boys and I went antiquing a few weeks ago,” she said.
“I paid for this—and for the upholstery—because I’ll keep it when we’re done.
” She took a few steps back to look at the sofa from another angle.
Her eyes were on the delicate, spindle-like legs when she said, “I’ve made a pact with myself to stop delaying making a home.
Since the divorce, I’ve been trying to save money to make sure the boys and I are secure.
But it means once we move out of Mrs. White’s place, our house will look like a bachelor pad.
It’s been long enough now, and I want to be surrounded by things I love.
I want my home to actually feel like home. ”
My chest squeezed. She’d been through so much, and she still found the courage to start over.
Piper had to be strong not just for herself, but for two young kids.
There was so much more on the line for her than there was for me, and yet she managed to be genuine through and through.
I respected that. Maybe one day, I could be a little bit more like her.
A bit more honest, more myself. I cleared my throat, overcome with emotion.
“And your lease…isn’t it up soon? Have you found somewhere else to live? ”
“It’s up in a week. I’ve reserved a short-term stay at a condo for a few weeks, and I’ve got a line on a place over in Ridgeview, but the lease doesn’t start until January.”
I frowned. “Ridgeview?”
Lovers Peak was safe overall, but there were pockets of it that were higher in crime.
The town hugged the valley between mountains, with the freeway and a set of train tracks separating the main part of town from a smaller, less affluent area.
Ridgeview was literally across the tracks; the houses were more run-down, and break-ins were common.
“It’s not ideal, but the house looks pretty secure.
It’s all I can find on short notice. Once the ski season ends, I’m hoping I’ll be able to get somewhere longer term.
” Piper met my gaze, her shoulders straightening.
“That’s the downside of living in a ski town, I guess.
I moved here at the wrong time. Right before peak season. ”
I opened my mouth, wanting to invite her to move in with me. My house was too big for one man, and it had never felt like home to me. I already missed Piper when we were apart—having her by my side day and night would be no hardship.
But something stopped me. If I were generous with myself about my intentions, it was the idea of making Piper uncomfortable that stayed my tongue. But if I were honest, I might admit that it was my own fears that stopped me from inviting her to move in.
Things had progressed quickly with Sarah.
It was my only real long-term relationship, and she’d moved into my place within weeks, and then my whole life had started revolving around her moods.
She’d demanded more and more and more, and I’d been so desperate for affection that I’d wanted to give it to her.
Then she turned around and left me for another man, making sure to tell me it had been my fault that she’d fallen for someone else.
I hadn’t been present enough, even though I’d been working to give her what she wanted.
I hadn’t been good enough, or strong enough, or generous enough.
I’d been exactly what my parents had always told me I was: worthless.
Maybe I still was.
“I’ll see if I know anyone who has a place this side of town,” I finally said. It wasn’t enough; I wanted to give her the world.
Piper’s brow arched. “Does this mean you’re not going to fire me the minute the lodge is open?”
My lips twitched. “I haven’t quite decided yet.”
She laughed, shoving at my shoulder as she rolled her eyes, then squealed as I picked her up. She bounced on the cushions of her pretty yellow couch, then reached out to cling to one of the arms while I dropped to my knees in front of her.
“I like this dress,” I said, pushing the fabric up to reveal her thighs. I couldn’t move her into my place, but I could show her I cared in other ways. My fingers skimmed over her tights, reaching up to the waistband hidden beneath the dress.
“It’s my lucky dress,” she told me as she lifted her hips, a flush growing on her cheeks. “I’ve gotten three free coffees in it.”
“You’re about to get something better,” I said, my lips curling.
Her eye roll was exactly what I wanted. I laughed, tugging her tights down to her knees. I pulled her boots off one at a time, then pulled the sheer black fabric off to reveal her skin.
“I haven’t shaved my legs,” she said a little breathlessly. “Sorry.”
“I’m not worried about a little leg hair, Darling,” I said, and I pulled her legs so her ass was perched on the edge of the sofa. Then I ran my lips along the inside of her knee and placed kisses all the way to the crease of her hip. Piper shivered and sighed, thighs spreading in invitation.
And I got to work.