CHAPTER TWENTY
Brody sat huddled on his couch, wearing his coat and wool hat, the bedspread wrapped around his shoulders.
The power had only been out for a few hours, but already his cabin was freezing. He cursed himself for not moving up to the rec cabin like Alex had suggested. A fire sounded downright glorious.
Alex. She’d been on his mind a lot since the basketball game. She was beautiful, funny, sassy, and confident—all qualities he liked. He found himself mulling over the idea of bailing on the whole fake dating thing—and actually dating.
Part of him wondered if it was too soon after the Chloe debacle to be thinking of someone new. Then again, Chloe barely ever crossed his mind, so maybe he’d moved on without conscious effort.
Truth be told, because of all his traveling, he and Chloe had probably spent less than three weeks cumulatively in each other’s presence. Looking back objectively, he could admit that he’d pushed too hard for something that wasn’t really there.
Well, lesson learned. He wouldn’t let it jade him. And like he’d mentioned to Nick, he wasn’t opposed to trying again. So why not with Alex?
He toughed it out another hour before realizing he’d die if he tried to stay here overnight. That might be overstating it a bit, but why be miserable when he could solve his problem with a quick walk?
Outside, his flashlight showed a lot of white—easily a foot of snow on the ground.
The weather forecasters hadn’t exaggerated when they said this storm would come in hard and fast. He trudged down the steps, visibility near zero.
Trees lined the trail, so even in the dark, he made it to the parking lot.
He’d put some straw in Daisy’s house, but now, amid the storm, he realized that was inadequate. He detoured to the boathouse to check on her, but neither the duck nor her shelter were anywhere to be found. Was the wind fierce enough to pick up the house? Maybe. Or maybe Alex had moved it.
Too cold to linger any longer, Brody returned to the parking lot, where he hit a fork in the road. Go right, to the rec cabin, where he’d have to light a fire in the dark and start from zero to heat up the huge room. That could take hours.
Or, option two, take the trail on the left, which would lead him to Alex’s. She would certainly already have a fire going, meaning he could get warm and dry instantly. The decision was a no-brainer.
It was full dark, and the howling wind and continuous snowfall made it tough going. There weren’t as many trees on this trail to guide him, and twice he thought he’d lost his way—which terrified him. But finally, he saw a faint light up ahead.
A tree branch had fallen over the path, which he had no choice but to climb over. If he hadn’t been thoroughly soaked before, he was now.
Wet, freezing, and tired from battling the branch, he crawled up Alex’s porch steps and knocked. It took a minute, but when she finally opened the door, her mouth fell open.
“What are you doing out in this weather?” she asked.
His teeth chattered too hard to answer.
“Get in here, you complete idiot.”
He’d take the insults if it meant warmth. She hurried him in and shut the door.
“I…I…I’m freezing,” he finally got out.
“Well, no duh. You’re soaked to the bone. Strip.”
She might be bossy, but she was also right. He had to get out of the wet clothes. Quickly, he shed his coat, hat, gloves, and boots. Snow had leaked down the back of his jacket and onto his hoodie. His jeans were soaked through, but he didn’t want to take them off right here in her entryway.
“I’ll find something for you to put on, but those have to come off too.” She glanced at his pants. “Don’t you know cotton kills?”
“Tess did mention that in our pre-campout class. I didn’t realize how bad the storm was. My place was freezing, and I wasn’t sure spending the night there was a good idea. Safety-wise.”
“That’s why I suggested you go to the rec cabin. PS, why didn’t you go to the rec cabin?”
“Honestly,” he said. “By the time I got to the parking lot, the thought of lighting a fire in the dark seemed impossible. I knew you’d have one going.” He eyed her fireplace with longing.
She waved a hand, inviting him to sit by her fire, but when he started toward it, she stopped him. “Pants off first. I’ll go find some sweats.”
After she left the room, he peeled off his jeans, which was no small feat, and put them atop the heap of soggy clothes. He noticed a chair barricade surrounding Daisy’s house. As he approached, Daisy popped out and quacked.
“Hey,” he said. “So this is where you ended up. I was worried about you.”
He heard a chuckle from behind and couldn’t blame Alex for laughing. Bent over and talking to a duck in his boxer briefs wasn’t his classiest moment.
When he turned, she threw a pair of light green sweats at him. At his dubious look, she scoffed.
“It’s that or your skivvies,” she said. “And no, there’s no way they’ll actually fit properly, but it’s the biggest thing I have.”
He forced on the sweats. They were too short and too tight, but she was right. It was better than his undies.
“Lookin’ good, Collins.” She eyed him up and down, tamping down a laugh.
“Now may I?” He gestured to the fire.
“Yes,” she said, picking up his jeans and handing them to him. “Lay these out to dry on the hearth. I’ll make you some tea.”
“You’re an angel sent from heaven.” A moan escaped his lips when he plopped down in front of the fire, hands and feet as close as he could get without actually climbing in.
Once the chill wore off, he turned and sat with his back to the flames and took in her setup. Lantern and candles for light, fire for heat, a set of radios on the counter, books for entertainment, and Daisy for company.
“Wow. You’re good and prepared. I thought storms like this didn’t roll through very often.”
“This is all Tess,” she said, waving a hand around the room and landing on a stack of black totes. “She insists we’re all always ready for any emergency. Those totes are full of everything you could imagine. Well, except men’s clothes.”
“Of course not.” He smiled. “Anyway, over-prepared’s better than under.”
“Yep,” she said. “I’m not worried about any of my friends. In fact, Tess preemptively linked all our radios together, so I’ve already talked to everyone. All good in the hood.”
He raised an eyebrow at her nerdy colloquialism.
“Yeah, sorry. I heard it when I said it.”
The kettle whistled, and she poured hot water into a cup before dropping in a tea bag.
“You hungry?” she asked. “I have dinner leftovers or an obscene array of MREs.”
“I could eat.” He walked to the kitchen and picked up the mug. The tea wouldn’t be steeped yet, but it warmed his hands just to hold it. “This is fine though,” he said, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter.
“I’ll cut some cheese and get out some crackers.”
“I wouldn’t mind getting in on that wine.” He nodded to the half-empty bottle on the kitchen island. She pulled a glass from the cupboard and gave him a strong pour.
He took a long sip. “Oh, yeah. That’ll warm me right up.”
She sat on a stool with her own cup of tea, looking pensive and brooding.
“What’s wrong? Should I not have come here?”
“It’s fine,” she said. “Just unexpected.”
“Right. Yeah. I’m sorry about that. Once my clothes are dry, I’ll trek over to the rec cabin.”
“No. I can’t let you go back out in this. You’re committed now.”
He didn’t see that as a bad thing, but her expression revealed nothing as to what she thought about it. What the hell? he thought.
“Look, this probably isn’t the best time to bring this up…”
“Yes,” she prompted when he trailed off and stopped.
“Well, I was thinking, what if we didn’t fake date anymore?”
“That’s already the plan. We’ll take care of it after this storm business settles. I get to break up with you though. Don’t worry, I’ll be nice. You know, it’s me, not you, stuff.”
“No, I mean, what if we actually date?”
Her face froze, and then her brows knitted in confusion. “Huh?”
“You and me. Go on a date. Or multiple dates.” His timing was terrible. If she said no, they still had to spend the evening together. Dumb, dumb, dumb. He mentally smacked himself on the forehead.
“You don’t have to do that. I already said you could stay here tonight.”
“I know I don’t have to. I’m saying I want to. Would that be so bad?”
“Um. I guess not?”
Oh, man, he was an idiot. “You’re not into it. I get it. It’s okay. Forget I said anything.”
“No. It’s not that.” She stared into her mug. “It just never crossed my mind. I mean, why?”
“Why do I want to go out with you?”
She nodded.
“You’re acting like it’s impossible to believe such a thing.”
“Brody. Look at you. You’re gorgeous, famous, well-traveled, established. And then look at me. What am I supposed to think?”
Holy cow. Under all her bravado, her confident swagger, she wasn’t as self-assured as she let on.
“Alex,” he said, putting his hands on her waist. “You are funny, thoughtful, smart, and beautiful. Any man would be lucky to date you.”
“You barely know me.”
“I know you care about people—your grandpa, your friends, your duck.” That got a chuckle out of her.
“You’re ambitious enough to buy a small business and brave enough to try something new with it.
You’re a hell of a three-point shooter. And as to your beauty.
Well, that’s just an objectively true thing. ”
While he was talking, she’d moved her hands to his chest, and he pulled her closer.
“Those are very nice things to say,” she said with a smile. “But it’s really hard to take you seriously in those sweats.”
He looked down at his lime-green legs and laughed. “Alex. I like you. I can’t promise I’ll be around forever. But if you’re willing, I’d like to spend time with you before I have to go.”
In response, she went up on her tiptoes and slid her arms around his neck. “All right. All right,” she said. “You don’t have to beg. Is that what all the kissing’s been about?”
He smiled against her lips and kissed her. This time, she was expecting it and leaned in. She was warm in his arms and tasted like fruity tea. To negate their height difference, he hoisted her onto the counter and went back to kissing her.
“Hmm. I knew it,” he said. “We can add ‘great kisser’ to your list of phenomenal traits.”