CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Kissing Brody Collins had not been on Alex’s bingo card. And him asking her out was even further down the list of plausible things that might happen that night.
It was sheer coincidence that she’d been thinking about him when he burst through the door. The surprise of it left her in a raw, weak place when he’d made his move.
Her brain initially skipped over the “until I have to go” part, but of course, that was what the future held. While they patched together a light dinner, ate, and polished off the wine, she’d talked herself into the notion of a temporary thing.
Going into a relationship knowing it would end took the pressure off. She could do or say whatever she wanted. She didn’t have to be on her “best” behavior. If he left early, so what? The idea was liberating, and she liked it.
They discussed his book ideas and her troubles with the cabins.
“It’s just one disaster after another,” Alex griped. “The fugitive thing cost me two weeks of renters, and this storm will cost another. I’m leveraged to the hilt and have got to start making some money going into the slow season.”
“Not to toot my own horn, but my review should help with bookings. I’ve done my part, and it’s in my editor’s hands now. It comes out at the end of the month, both the print and online versions.”
They’d moved to the couch, and she snuggled deeper into his arms. “Does that mean you’re giving me a good review?”
“I had to do a little revising after my first impression, but yes.”
She chuckled. “More like completely whitewash it, but thank you. I’ll take any and all help. That’s not why I’m making out with you, but I wouldn’t have been above groveling. Glad to know I don’t have to.”
“It’s beautiful here,” Brody said. “And I really do love the Wi-Fi-free idea. I mean, not for me while I’m working, but in general. People need to unplug now more than ever.”
“Well, I’m betting on lots of other people feeling the same. So, you turned in your last article. How does it feel to be untethered from the magazine?”
“Weird,” he answered quickly. “Been with them since the beginning of my career. It’s all I’ve ever known. But it’s also freeing in a way. Now there’s no one to tell me where to go or when. I can do whatever I want.”
“’Course, that means they’re not picking up the tab anymore.”
“Yeah. That part sucks.”
“But you’ll keep traveling?”
“Honestly, even before they canned me, I was planning on doing less. I don’t mean to sound like an ingrate, but it gets monotonous.”
“But you must see so many beautiful things, meet all kinds of people, and have such great experiences. Other than a few big cities on the East Coast and one spring break trip to Cancun, I haven’t been out of Green Valley Falls.”
“It’s been a wonderful ride, and I don’t take it for granted. I’ve loved every minute of it. I’m just saying, I’d like to cut back a little.”
“They do say once you get past a certain age, all you want to do is watch birds and the weather channel.”
“Ha. Ha.” He slid from his seat to put another log on the fire, and she watched the firelight bounce off his gloriously handsome face as he used the poker to push around the wood.
“If you could revisit anywhere you’ve been, where would you go?” she asked.
“Whew. That’s a toughie.” He paused to think. “Montenegro, the Maldives, wine country in France. I can’t pick just one. What about you? What’s your dream vacation?”
“Beats me. It’s one of those you don’t know what you don’t know situations. Any pretty beach looks inviting.”
He moved back to the couch, slinging his arm around her again.
“You think your lack of travel has anything to do with your mom?”
She’d thought of this before. Was she a homebody just to spite Blossom?
“Maybe. Probably.” She shrugged. “It’s like whatever she wants, I have to want the opposite, solely on principle. Which is silly. It only hurts me.”
“No, I get it,” he said. Alex doubted that, but it was nice of him to pretend.
“How’s your relationship with your parents? Do they drive you crazy?”
“Pretty good, I guess. My mom and I are close. She lives in Hartford. My dad passed away when I was twelve.”
“Oh, Brody. I’m sorry.” She squeezed his knee. Of course he got along with his mom. Was there anything not perfect about him?
“It’s okay. It’s been just me and Mom for a long time now. I’m used to it. What about your dad?”
“No idea,” Alex said. “Blossom never mentioned him other than to say it was ‘complicated,’ which I took to mean he was married, and not to her.”
“Hmm.” He stared into the fire. “So, I was thinking. It’s going to get pretty cold tonight, and I wouldn’t want you to freeze.”
“Oh, yeah. What are you suggesting?”
“Tess taught us about using body heat to stay warm.”
Alex smiled. “Tess does know her stuff. It might be the only way to survive the night.”
“It would be silly to freeze to death if we could avoid it.”
“Very silly indeed.” She had no intention of sleeping with him, but wasn’t above some flirting.
“I’m here if you need me.” His smile said he was just teasing too.
“How very gallant of you.”
In the end, they dragged the top mattress off her bed and into the living room and slept in front of the fire. There was cuddling, but it didn’t get cold enough to warrant emergency measures of skin-on-skin contact.
In the morning, they woke to bright sunlight beaming through the windows. The fire had died, and it was frigid!
“Hey.” Brody had his back to her, and she gave him a shove. “You know how to start a fire?”
“Good morning to you too,” he said, rolling over to face her. His hair was sticking everywhere, but he still looked better than anyone had a right to.
“Please don’t tell me you’re a morning person.”
“Not really. But waking up to a pretty girl always makes for a good start to the day.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. “You’re sweet, but it’s freezing. You start the fire, and I’ll start the teakettle. On three?”
“Okay,” he grumbled.
As soon as she got out from under the blankets, icy air engulfed her. She wrapped herself in a fleece throw and ran to the kitchen.
Daisy was out of her house and wandering around her little chair prison.
“You need to go out?” Alex asked. There was no way the duck was waiting to poop outside, but she seemed restless for something.
Alex put on a coat and opened the door, intending to let her out for a minute.
“Holy crap,” she mumbled. Brody came up behind her.
“That’s a lot of snow,” he said, looking over her shoulder at a solid white landscape. The storm had passed, but flakes from the trees drifted down in windy flurries, making it appear as if it were still snowing lightly.
“Way more than they predicted,” she agreed. Two feet had piled up at the door, and outside the covered porch, closer to four or five. The steps were completely buried. “It’s like we’re in a snow globe.”
Alex set Daisy gently on the snow. The duck froze in place. “Shouldn’t her little webbed feet work like snowshoes?”
“Not sure about that.”
Daisy sniffed around for a second, apparently decided she didn’t like snow, and jumped back into the house at Alex’s feet.
“Humph. Guess cleaning up poop is in my future.”
Brody snatched up the duck and placed her back in the enclosure. “I’ll help you.”
“Gray. Come in, Gray,” Tess’s voice cackled through the radio. “You survive?”
Alex walked to the counter and picked up the radio. “Gray here. Yup, we’re fine.”
There was a pause before Tess replied. “We’re?”
“Brody and Daisy are here too.”
Another pause, and Alex didn’t have to be in the same room with Tess to know it was heavy with questions. Had Brody spent the night? How had that happened? What was going on? All things Tess couldn’t ask with Brody presumably standing next to her.
“Okay. Well, NOAA says the snow’s gonna freeze, so we’re likely snowed in until further notice. You good?”
“Thanks to you, yes,” Alex said. “I broke into my emergency supplies, and they saved me.”
“Ten-four. Keep in touch. Walker out.”
“I’m gonna have some explaining to do with that one,” Alex mumbled, setting the radio back on the counter.
Brody had changed into his jeans and was feeding the fire. “Good thing you brought in all this wood. Will it be enough to last?”
“If not, I’ve got another pile on the porch we can dig out. Thank goodness I thought to cover it with a tarp.”
“I’m just glad I hiked up here. No way I’d survive this cold for days.”
“Yeah, I should have forced you to the rec cabin.”
“This is more fun,” he said with a smile. “What’s for breakfast? I’m starving.”
“I don’t usually eat breakfast,” she said. “Just coffee. But help yourself to whatever you can find.”
She used the hot water from the kettle to make two cups of instant coffee. It wasn’t the best, but it was definitely better than nothing. Brody made peanut butter crackers and ate them with hard-boiled eggs.
Once the cabin was warm, they took turns shoveling the porch. Alex cleaned the enclosure while Daisy waddled around, Brody keeping a close eye in case she tried to make a break for it.
After lunch, she started a puzzle, and he started a book. She liked that he didn’t feel the need to interact with her every second.
When it got dark, they turned the battery-charged radio to a soft rock station, opened another bottle of wine, and snuggled on the couch, basking in the heat of a blazing fire.
“So, how’s your vlog coming? Done a video yet?”
“Nah,” he said. “I’m still in the planning stages. I need to record like a dozen before I even start the channel.”
“That’s a good idea. Won’t you have to travel to do the videos?”
“Probably. Yes. I don’t know.”
“You sound conflicted.”
He sighed. “I guess I am. I say I want to travel less, but how can I start a travel vlog without going places? I have money to last a while, maybe I should lean into the book idea first.”
“Okay.” She untangled from his arms and sat up. “This is something Faith taught me, so you know, it may or may not work, but sit up straight and close your eyes.”
He smiled and did as she said.
“Take a few deep breaths.” Once he had, she continued. “Pretend you are no longer tied to the travel industry. You can start fresh and do anything. Quick, what do you want?”
“To settle down and get married. Have some kids.” His eyebrows shot up in surprise. When he turned to look at her, she was sure her stunned expression matched his own.
“Um. Maybe we should wait for Faith and try again,” Alex said. “I’m not sure I did it right. She could bring her tarot cards.”
He ignored her offer. “Wow, I’ve never said that out loud, but now that I have, I feel better. I think that’s what I want. A family.”
Surely, he didn’t mean right this second. Like with her? No, of course not. He was killing time before he figured out what to really do with his life. And once that happened, he’d be gone, and she’d be a memory. Any idea that this was more than temporary needed to skedaddle on out of her head.
“That convo took a wild turn,” Alex muttered, causing him to laugh.
They played a few games of gin rummy and talked long into the evening, finishing the wine. Then they spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms by the fire. Only this time, there was some skin-on-skin contact. Not because it was too cold, but because things got really hot.
By the weekend, three days later, the snow began to melt, and the power flickered back to life. Brody stood at the threshold, holding Daisy’s house—Daisy inside, ready for the free ride to the lake.
Tess had radioed that the roads in town were plowed and most businesses were set to reopen later that day. They agreed to convene at Faith’s for their weekly watch party.
“Well, it’s been fun,” he said. “Seems weird to say goodbye after basically living together.”
“Yeah, that was a wild first date,” Alex said. “Honestly, I’m surprised I tolerated you so long. I thought for sure I’d wanna throw you headfirst into the snow after a day.”
“Thank you?” His brows knitted.
“No offense. I even get tired of my friends after a while.” She paused, realizing she’d said too much. “Don’t tell them I said that.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I warned you I was irresistible.”
“Oh, dear.” Alex’s eyes popped open. “You realize we’re falling smack dab into the romance writers’ plan, right? I mean, snowed in together? That’s the oldest trope in the book.”
“Not if we don’t fall in love.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “Good point. And since there’s no chance of that…”
He did a mini double-take but didn’t rebut it. And why would he? She was not the type of woman someone like him could ever fall in love with. He would wise up to her imperfections soon enough. Until then, she could handle hanging out with a hot world traveler.
And just to keep herself safe, she’d call into action the barrier around her heart. The one she’d fortified over the years. Once the drawbridge was up, nothing got in. None of those pesky emotional inconveniences. Certainly not anything close to love.
“So, I’ll pick you up for dinner later?” he asked.
Dang, she’d wanted a night off from him to talk to her friends about this latest development, but what could she say other than, “Sure.”
“See ya around, Gray.” His kiss goodbye had her mentally tightening the hinges on the drawbridge.
After she cleaned up Daisy’s mess, ran the dishwasher, and swept the entryway, she jumped in the shower.
Normally, she didn’t wear much makeup—some mascara and lip gloss every now and then—but if she and Brody were going to actually date, she had to at least try to live up to his standards. Plain Jane from Nowhereville would have to step up her game.