16. Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Juniper
R achel was usually the one to run errands, but I had her shift gears to work that brilliant marketing mind of hers. I decided a grocery and errand run was the perfect excuse to stretch my legs and take my mind off the pre-opening stresses for a few minutes. I saved the grocery store visit for last, not needing too many perishables, but I always preferred to play it safe, even though it was cold enough outside that my car could probably double as a freezer.
As I weaved through the aisles in the small mom-and-pop grocer, I found myself in the aisle with feminine hygiene products, ovulation tests, and condoms. When I looked at the wrapped box, I knew I should grab a few. I probably should have ordered these online lest someone see me and blab to the paparazzi. But I was right here, and to wait a few extra days might be a waste. There was no way Rachel got an infinite supply of them at that baby shower.
Better to be safe than sorry.
Once I’d returned to the lodge and dropped everything off, I felt worse than I had when I left. What was supposed to be a mind-numbing trip to the store ended up being more trouble than it was worth. The box of condoms stared at me as I ripped the plastic to retrieve a packet from the box to place in my wallet. I almost felt like it was taunting me, reminding me this was what I got for not going online and ordering a box for delivery the second I had service after leaving the cabin.
I tossed the box in the top drawer of my nightstand without bothering to bend down, kicked the drawer closed, and then put on some extra layers. All I knew was I needed fresh air. Whenever I was stressed and jittery like this, I went to the mountains to let the fresh air hit my face and ground me. Maybe Rachel would join me—though I definitely couldn’t tell her about today’s unfortunate encounter. The last thing I needed was her worrying about how public our relationship could be when we hadn’t defined anything. I wasn’t even sure there was anything to put a label on: in a moment of vulnerability last week, we had sex. Ideally, we’d do that more often and exclusively, which I didn’t worry about too much after Rachel confirmed she, like me, wasn’t in it for a one-night stand.
But I also needed to know what she wanted. After seeing how she handled the VIP cabin situation, I could say with certainty that Rachel wasn’t just a good employee or coworker, but a good person. I needed to know exactly what she wanted before I let my brain think she’d be a good girlfriend. A good wife, even.
When I found Rachel in the lobby, she juggled her laptop and a phone call. She smiled and waved at me, then held up her index finger as she mouthed, “One second.”
I nodded and propped my elbows up on the front desk to stretch my leg as I waited for her. I felt the stretch pass down my hip and through my entire leg as soon as I did. Rachel was off the phone not even a minute later and sighed in relief once it was down.
“And that was the last station I wanted to cover our grand opening,” she said. “We’re all set.”
“Need a screen break?”
“Do I ever.” She closed her laptop.
“Quick hike sound good?”
“Wait for me here. Let me toss this back in my room.”
She didn’t leave me waiting long. Rachel had thrown on a coat I’d given her, a scarf, and a beanie for some extra warmth, and then we made our way out. For a while, the only sound was the snow crunching beneath our feet. During the first five minutes, it was decompressing.
But after ten, I felt like I was going to explode.
“By the way,” I said, “I’ve got a few more job listings ready to put on LinkedIn and to send out to the local sites. Since we’re getting close, it’s time to bulk up our staff. And after that near run-in with that elk, I don’t exactly want to deal with that anymore.”
“You mean you don’t want to be stranded in a cabin with me again?” She scoffed and clutched her chest in mock offense. “Rude.”
I laughed. “As much fun as we eventually had, no, I’d rather not.”
“Can’t say I blame you. We can keep that to our rooms.”
Even though I kept a blank expression, I was relieved to hear her say that. I feared that bubbling up everything I wanted would be too much all at once, and since I was horrible with words whenever it really mattered, it was best to keep my mouth shut.
“In all seriousness, I hope I can pay these people what they deserve and not have it bite us in the ass. So many resorts barely pay their crew. But I’ve seen how much work they put into it back when I was snowboarding, and even firsthand now. So many people think this sort of thing is a fun, minimum wage job with free ski passes, but it’s serious work.”
“I think that’s admirable. If anyone can pull it off, it’s you.”
“Couldn’t do it without you.” My voice trailed off as I looked at her.
She came to a sudden stop. “Did something happen today?”
“No, no.” I folded up my trekking poles to stick them in my bag. The trees surrounded us, giving us a private cocoon from the world. “Just overthinking.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“What I want is to kiss you until my brain turns off.”
She answered wordlessly, just with a smirk. Her arms draped around my neck as she craned up to meet my lips. I wasted no time embracing her, the need to feel her close to my body taking over. This time, I wasn’t sure I’d let her go.
When we paused for a breath, Rachel poked my nose. “Better?”
“Hm, not quite yet. We’re getting somewhere, though.”
She giggled at my joke as she kissed me again, harder and deeper and hot and open-mouthed. Our tongues reunited as I clung to her, basking in that scent of raspberry and vanilla and the way it blended with the crisp snow and pine trees, like a hint of summer in the dead of winter. My senses heightened when she reached through my hair, lightly dragging her nails along my scalp.
It felt good to be kissing her again. It felt right. She was easy for me to get lost in, to the point where every time I was around her, my anxieties all but melted away. My desire to be with her, to embrace her and never let go, always triumphed.
It was dangerous. There was also a primal urge to protect her, to shield her from the bullshit that came with being with me, but I sensed she could defend herself. As our kiss deepened, I considered pulling away, but Sasquatch nudged the back of my right leg, even though my pain levels were manageable right now. When his snout pushed against my thigh, I stumbled closer to Rachel, bringing our bodies closer. I felt her smile against my lips as she draped her arms around my shoulders, keeping our chests pressed to one another as she rose to her toes.
“If it were up to me,” I said when we parted for a breath, “I’d stay here kissing you all day.”
“You wouldn’t have to twist my arm.”
I chuckled as I kissed her again and tightened my grip around her waist. Behind me, Sasquatch nudged me again and then barked, loud and deep.
Sasquatch never barked.
We pulled away, not fully untangling our bodies as we scanned our perimeter. Over Rachel’s shoulder, a herd of mule deer stared right at us. Snow dusted the brown fur on their backs, and some bore larger antlers than the others, each with muscular legs and proud stares.
“Rachel,” I said, voice low and in a whisper. “Move very, very slowly, okay? Follow me.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s mating season,” I said as I slowly dropped my hands, “and there’s a huge herd of mule deer right behind you. They’re looking right at us, and the last thing I want is for any of us to get hurt.”
“Wait, I thought we were out of mating season?”
“For elk. Mule deer’s is later.”
“Oh. Great.” Rachel glanced over her shoulder as she moved her arms back to her sides, then laced our fingers together as she looked back at me. “Beautiful, but yeah, we should go.”
“Come on, Squatch.” We took slow, soft steps, gentle enough the snow hardly crunched beneath us. “Slowly, slowly. That’s good, bud.”
My mind raced as fast as my heart was beating. Worst-case scenario: we’d be running for our lives as some temperamental, territorial, and horny mule deer charged at us. The likelihood of them killing us? Low, but still a miserable experience. I tried not to envision that but kept my eyes on them as we crept forward back down the trail. Their eyes never left me, either, watching the three of us as closely as I watched them.
Rachel squeezed my hand. “It’s okay,” she said. “We’ll be okay. Besides, you’ve got your sticks.”
“Poles.”
“So you can fight them off with your poles.”
I rolled my eyes. “They don’t work like that.”
“You know, I’ve survived worse wildlife encounters.”
“Such as?”
“Florida’s like the Wild West. When you’re not dodging the people, you’re dodging gators, bears, snakes, sharks, you name it.”
“So, the stories are true?”
“And they don’t exaggerate, either.”
“Well, I’m glad one of us is prepared to throw hands with a buck.”
“You know,” she said, as deadpan as I was on any given day, “gator wrestling is a required course in elementary school.”
I knew she was fucking with me, likely hoping it would distract me from the mule deer having a staring contest with me as we walked down the path, but I entertained it since it was partially working. “No shit?”
“Yeah, we’re all pros by the time we’re seven. So, if I can handle that, then some mule deer are nothing.”
I laughed. “I’ll be sure to film it so we can go viral. Maybe we’d get some people booking rooms out of pity.”
“Perfect! Fuck 9-1-1, right?”
We both laughed, and I set my gaze forward; the deer hadn’t moved in a while, and we were getting close to the end of the trail. I realized now I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.
“So, in all seriousness, what happens if a deer does charge for you?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Run like hell and hope they don’t hit you.”
“And if you can’t?”
“Fetal position. They’ll poke at you a few times and then get bored.”
“Good to know,” she said as we approached the lobby. Once we stepped inside, I froze.
Three reporters—two men and a woman—from different crews were here, some with camera people and others with notepads. Based on the way they dressed, they weren’t with the news, but for different tabloid publications. They all turned to look at us as we entered, but Rachel didn’t let go of my hand. I debated on dropping hers, protecting her by distancing myself from her, but I also didn’t want to give her the wrong idea. The reporters spoke all at once, making it even harder to hear myself think.
“Mr. Hart!”
“Juniper!”
“Rachel, is it?”
Ever the professional, Rachel slipped her hand out of mine but immediately landed it right on my shoulder: less intimate than hand-holding, but still a grounding touch that both comforted me and sent a clear message to the reporters. Rachel wasn’t afraid: not of us being seen together, not of what anyone might think, and not of what they might call her. To say I was in awe of her was an understatement.
“How can we help y’all?” I noticed while Rachel still kept that customer service voice of hers tucked away for moments like this, she’d toned it down in the months she’d been here.
One man said, “We were curious if you’d like to comment on the recent rumors circulating about the two of you.”
The physical reaction was instant. My jaw clenched and my body tensed, but Rachel spoke up before I could tell them to fuck off.
“I’m not sure what rumors you’re talking about. We’ve been so busy getting everything ready for The Fox’s Den to reopen, as I’m sure you can see.” Rachel flashed them a million-dollar smile and then said, “So, no comment other than I look forward to seeing everybody back when we open next month. I’m sure I speak for both of us when I say that.”
I wasn’t sure where to go next. I didn’t want to go to our rooms so they couldn’t follow us there, but Rachel must have been a psychic. She simply walked in the other direction, heading toward the laundry room instead of the first-floor suites. Acting like I knew where we were going, I followed her as she said, “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a few more last-minute touch-ups to make. Have a great rest of your day!”
The second we were down the hall with our backs turned, Rachel whispered, “You okay?”
I couldn’t find the words to express my gratitude, so in the privacy of the laundry room, I pressed her back into the washing machine and kissed her, my arms wrapping around her torso and fingers tangling in her hair. Every time I kissed her, I felt euphoric and light in a way I hadn’t in ages. Rachel gripped my shoulders for support, but never pulled away; instead, she arched her back into me, our bodies as close as they could be with clothes on.
Thanks to her, I was okay.