Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Noah
After Nellie left, I wanted so desperately to follow her, to find out what had put that devastating look in her eyes. But I held back, locked in place by her calling me Boss.
I couldn’t help but mentally kick myself for hiring her and blurring those lines. But at the same time, I knew that hiring her had been the right move, and that decision had been bigger than the both of us.
I felt this tug toward her, and I wanted to explore it. Boss or no, promises to my brothers or no. I couldn’t ignore that tug, that feeling that this was it—she was it. Every second I spent in her company affirmed that feeling, that our souls were somehow connected. Entwined.
I wondered if she felt it too, and if she was fighting it because I was her boss, or if there was something more going on, something I was missing.
But I felt like I couldn’t talk to anybody about it.
I’d promised my brothers I hadn’t hired her to get her in my bed again, and everyone else thought I was a playboy who had an aversion to serious relationships.
That had been true, before Nellie, before that night we’d spent together after the Witches’ Ball. One night with her rewired my brain.
Something had awoken in me that night, and at first, I hadn’t noticed—or I hadn’t let myself notice. I didn’t realize until I saw her again that she’d been the last woman I’d had in my bed, and the only one I wanted in there now. Something about her clicked with me.
I knew that was all so heavy, so sudden, for what it was supposed to have been: a casual night between two strangers. But I got the sense that she was so much more than a one-night stand, and I didn’t know what to do with that information now that I’d acknowledged it.
The sounds of the party felt muddled, as if I was underwater. I set my untouched glass of champagne down and tried to discreetly leave. Tabitha caught me trying to slip into my jacket.
“Leaving so soon?” she asked, looking disappointed.
“Yeah, I have to be at the resort early,” I replied. It was an excuse, and we both knew it. Tabitha tilted her head, looking at me.
Out of all my cousins—and I had a lot of them—Tabitha and I were probably the closest. We were the same age, but beyond that she’d ended up married to my best friend. I’d spent a few years living in their apartment over the garage while my cabin was built.
I knew without Tabitha saying a thing that she sensed something was off with me, like she knew without me saying a thing that something was off.
“I saw you and Nellie talking,” she said. “Looked like you guys were getting along.”
“I thought we were,” I shrugged, looking away from her penetrating blue eyes as I slipped into my boots.
“Give her time. She probably needs to feel more settled here.”
Tabitha’s advice made sense, but I bristled anyway.
“Don’t get any ideas, Tabs. It’s not like that,” I told her.
Tabitha could be just as bad as the Hartley triplets with her meddling in my love life. She’d tried to fix me up with so many women over the years, I’d lost count. She’d stopped after she realized the most they’d get from me was a casual hookup.
“Oh, I think it’s like that,” Tabitha smiled. “But I promise, I won’t interfere. Whatever’s going to happen, will happen.”
“Sure, cuz. Well, I’m going to head out. Thanks for the invite, the party was great.”
Tabitha hugged me before I could open the door. “Happy New Year, Noah. I have a feeling this year is going to be unforgettable for you.”
“And I have a feeling you’ve had a little too much champagne,” I retorted, patting her on the head and releasing her. I turned around and opened the door. “Tell Parker I said bye.”
With that, I was on my way out. My gaze went to the apartment above the garage.
A part of me wanted to go knock on her door, ask her why she’d run like fire licked at her boots, but I reminded myself that wasn’t a good idea.
There were no lights on, giving no sign that Nellie was even still awake, or wanting company for that matter.
My head was pounding, and it wasn’t from a hangover.
I hadn’t had much to drink the night before, and I’d been in bed by one thirty, but I ended up tossing and turning for hours.
I might have finally fallen asleep around six or seven, but when my alarm went off at nine, I felt like I’d been run over by a transport.
I had to go to the resort. I didn’t have a choice. We’d gotten more snow again sometime after two o’clock in the morning, and the pathways needed to be cleared for guests. The office was closed, but guest safety was a priority, and Easton wouldn’t be functional enough to do it.
With Damien and Charlotte home with both girls sick, that left me. Thankfully, it had stopped snowing, so it only took me a couple of hours to clear and sand the pathways. I’d cleared the parking lot by the front office and the road leading to the resort on my way in.
Once I was finished, I made sure none of the guests staying needed anything and then I headed back to my place.
My quiet, empty place.
I couldn’t help but think about Parker and Tabitha’s house, how full of life it was, even when it wasn’t jammed packed with guests for a party.
With three kids, there were always toys laying around, or some sign of kids and family life.
It was warm and inviting, and chaotic in a way that made me homesick.
My cabin was sixteen hundred fifty-nine square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a cozy loft. It was a blend of modern comfort and classic charm, the windows in the vaulted great room offering me a panorama view of the woods surrounding my little slice of property.
The great room had a woodstove that heated the entire cabin.
The primary bedroom also had a vaulted ceiling, and so did the dining room and kitchen area.
There was a walk-in closet and an ensuite, and a sliding door that opened onto the back deck from the primary bedroom and a sliding door on the opposite side, in the dining room.
At the front of the house, I had two guestrooms for company that had yet to see a single guest outside of one of my brothers.
The kitchen wasn’t massive, but it wasn’t small either, it had plenty of storage and counter space.
The dining room was separated by an island and had an open concept floorplan with the great room.
Off the dining room and kitchen was a small hallway that led to the front door, the front closet, and the second full bathroom.
Everything was masculine and minimalistic, almost completely devoid of a woman’s touch—or personality, for that matter. The only photographs in frames had been gifted to me by my mother, and the only art hanging were paintings of the resort and lake my grandmother had done.
It was beautiful and rustic, and I was proud of it, but right now it was somewhere for me to sleep and eat when I wasn’t at work or out. Compared to my cousin’s house, and to my older brother’s place, it felt sterile, like an updated version of one of our cottages.
I didn’t even have a pet. I’d always loved dogs, but I hadn’t wanted the responsibility of another living creature. It’d mean I couldn’t come and go as I pleased, not that I’d been doing much coming and going since October.
But I was too tired to think about why things had changed. The physical labour of clearing snow had me peeling off my outer layers and heading straight back to bed. I crashed before my head hit the pillow, falling into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
Nellie
Ten days had passed since Tabitha and Parker’s New Year’s party, since I’d all but run out on Noah after he genuinely wished that all my dreams would come true.
I’d worked Thursday and Friday with had the weekend off, which I’d spent catching up on laundry, resting, and reading.
Then I was back to work on Monday, and it had been a strange week.
I was on my own a lot in the office, seeing the other employees for only brief periods throughout the day, at lunch or when the housekeepers brought in loads of laundry.
I saw Noah plenty, but he seemed to be keeping his distance from me, too. His smiles were more reserved. I didn’t need much help when it came to managing the front office or staying on top of laundry. Any questions I did have, Noah answered with a polite indifference.
I hated it.
I preferred the way he was before, the flirty smiles, the long glances.
But it was my fault. I’d drawn the line in the sand by ignoring his flirtatious comments and jokes, by never showing him that I felt something more.
I’d made it clear I wasn’t interested in even talking to him outside of work, not with how I’d taken off mid-conversation at New Year’s.
It appeared Noah agreed that crossing that line wasn’t in either of our best interests.
I tried to tell myself that was fine—that was the way it should be, the way it needed to be.
It didn’t stop the ache in my chest when he was around, but so distant.
Still, I put a smile on my face and carried on, throwing myself into doing the best job that I could, especially since I’d need them to accommodate my appointments.
Today, I’d cut out early to make it to Springwood for a 3 p.m. appointment with my new obstetrician.
Dr. Kramer was a high-risk OB and wanted to see me every week to ensure that everything was going smoothly.
So far, it was looking good, but she warned me that it didn’t mean I wouldn’t encounter issues down the road.
I was still at risk for miscarriage, and I’d be at risk for preterm birth, too.
She’d confirmed that my due date was July nineteenth. I’d be having a summer baby—right smack dab in the middle of peak-season at the resort.