15. Hunter
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
HUNTER
“ Y ou’re kidding.” Ashlie paces outside the office door at Shower Tree Lodge. “Both cars? Do you want me to come get you? …Okay… Got it. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I ask. She was talking to Kayla or Chase, I’m not sure who, but it didn’t sound like whatever is going on is a good thing. It’s almost three. Between lunch and the store, I’m ready to get inside and relax.
“Someone went on a tire slashing spree in their parking garage and got both of their cars. The tow truck can’t pick up for another hour, and the tire shop won’t be done with them until the morning. They’re going to leave first thing, but it looks like it’s just us tonight. Chase is calling the front desk now so we can check in.”
I puff out a breath and look toward the trees. The plane ride over here was hard enough, especially when Ashlie fell asleep on my shoulder. I had to spend forty-five minutes smelling her perfume, resisting the urge to wrap my arm around her. Now I have to make it through an entire evening with her in a cozy cabin. Alone? I might need to call it an early night just to survive this.
Ever since I kissed Ashlie in my car, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head. It’s not that she’s ever really left, but thoughts of her are usually a dull roar that I can ignore in the background. The last two weeks, they have been a constant clanging in my ears. What is she doing ? Who is she with ? Is it Wednesday yet ? I can’t shut it off like I could in the past. I’m not even sure how much I want to anymore.
Ashlie starts toward the office while I open the back for our bags. The secluded two-story lodge is set high on a hill, surrounded by redwood and oak trees. Wrapped with tawny-brown log siding and a forest green metal roof, it would be the perfect fall hideaway for someone who doesn’t hate this town. Inside, large windows lining the walls give an airy ambiance to the otherwise cozy main room and kitchen. Light hardwood floors span both rooms, with the same logs from outside trimming the walls and staircase. I lean against the leather couch as I take in the space, my eyes landing on the stonework fireplace that’s already burning.
“Perfect, right?” Ashlie asks from behind me. “I’m taking a room upstairs.” She breezes up the staircase with her suitcase and disappears down a long hallway.
I continue through the living room and down the hall to a glass door at the back of the cabin, revealing a large patio that overlooks the redwoods. A hot tub sits to the left, with the lodge’s namesake tree just beyond it. The craggy bluffs lining the Pacific Ocean in the distance make this view look like one of those old-timey postcards.
Ducking back inside, I drop my bag in the room closest to the back patio, far away from the others. I’m the last person who wants to hear any late-night couple noises on this trip. And being upstairs where I might bump into Ashlie in the middle of the night isn’t the greatest idea either.
I head back out to the car, the cool autumn breeze sending a chill through me as I unload the groceries. Even with the sun peeking out from behind the clouds, this place is always gloomy, rainy, or both. It’s horrible. I need sun and warmth. Noise. The weather here just makes me want to stay inside and sleep. But it beats the hell out of being stuck at a dinner table with Charlotte.
Once I’ve put everything away in the kitchen, I realize I haven’t heard any movement upstairs since Ashlie disappeared an hour ago. Curious to see what’s got her attention, I climb the stairs and find her curled up on a bed, breathing softly through her parted lips. The muted rays of the sunset streak across her face, her long lashes casting soft shadows across the freckles on her nose. My heart skips a beat, and my jaw goes slack. She’s so fucking beautiful . No. Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe her. Exquisite . Inimitable . Radiant—without even trying .
What am I doing ?
The force it takes to tear my eyes away is borderline pathetic. Watching her sleep, pining like I’m some jackass doped up on love, is fucking pointless. She needs more than I can give— deserves more. Someone who can offer commitment. Stability. Communication. I can’t give her any of that.
With a sigh, I walk straight down to the kitchen and pull out ingredients to cook her dinner. Like that’s any less dopey . Fucking dummy .