Chapter 10 Jonathan
JONATHAN
The light hits first. Thin winter sun cutting through the big cabin window, laying gold bars across the mess we made of the floor.
The fire’s nothing but a scatter of glowing embers now, still hissing quietly, the smell of smoke tangled with the faint spice of sex in the air.
Lizzy is warm against me, her back pressed into my chest, her hair tickling my jaw. One arm is still locked around her waist like my body refused to let go through the night. Her heartbeat is a soft, steady thrum against my ribs.
I lie there, unmoving, because moving would mean breaking it. Last night’s taste is still on my tongue, her moans still echo in my head.
I thought I’d wake to regret, to awkward silence, to her pulling away. Instead, it feels maddeningly natural, like my body already knows hers, like we’ve been doing this forever.
The thought unsettles me.
I never cared for the whole “making love” bullshit—sex was sweat, friction, release, nothing more. But last night, I slowed down, listened, felt.
And she gave it all back. It scared the hell out of me, how much it mattered.
She stirs with a tiny sigh, stretching against me before rolling over. Those ice-blue eyes blink open, catching the sunlight, brighter than the snow outside. My chest pulls tight.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I murmur, pressing my lips to her forehead. She hums, then burrows deeper into me, her mouth brushing my skin like she can’t decide whether to hide or taste me again.
“I know,” I chuckle, tightening my hold. “I could stay like this all damn day. But we need to get up, call the garage. We’ve got work to do.”
She pouts, lips jutting in a mock sulk before she breaks into a giggle and tosses the sheet aside. The sight of her bare, flushed body scrambling for clothes on the floor makes my cock twitch like it’s forgotten the night’s over.
“Fine,” she says, wriggling into her blouse. “I’ll start the coffee. You make the call.”
“Deal,” I mutter, dragging myself up with far less grace, tugging yesterday’s clothes back on. Every muscle protests—partly from the hard floor, mostly from the way we fucked each other raw.
My phone’s still plugged into the wall. A buzz of notification saves me the trouble of dialing: the garage texted. The car’s fine. Just scratches. Ready for pickup. Good news, since the meeting is less than two hours away.
I look up. She’s bent over the counter, hair loose, humming while she fiddles with the coffee pot, still glowing from last night. And for the first time in years, the idea of leaving the cabin feels like the worst plan in the world.
“Here, it’s piping hot.” She comes up beside me, hands me the mug, and we look out the window, enjoying the last few moments of peace before getting back into the work madness. The tall pine trees are coated with a fresh powder of white snow, and a few birds take flight through the air.
This is a sight right out of a dream. This is what I’d imagine when hearing of a winter wonderland.
“Thanks,” I reply, taking a sip. “Since the garage is only a few blocks away, we should start walking to make the meeting on time.” I can see the sadness wash over her face. It’s not ideal having to leave our mini, unexpected vacation, but we still have a job to do.
After fetching our things, which isn’t much since we had no time to prepare for the trip or be stranded overnight, we leave the rental and head down the road.
It takes us around twenty minutes to reach the garage, and I see my car already sitting outside with a note under the windshield wiper. Giving Lizzy a curious look, I read it aloud.
“The key is in the wheel well. Had to close early. No need to pay since there was nothing wrong with it. Just consider the tow as a gift. Merry Christmas. Well … that was incredibly thoughtful.”
We immediately hop in and hit the road. With only an hour left of the trip to Rochester and the meeting starting soon, I can’t afford to waste any more time in this practically empty town.
The hour flies by as we talk, and I get a show as she sings along to the radio’s Christmas songs. It’s becoming clear that it’s nearly impossible to be in a sour mood when she’s around.
When we pull up to the destination, I see Bill standing outside the doors, and he waves with a large smile.
“Hey, I hope the trip was alright for you,” he says as I step out of the car and walk over to get Lizzy’s door. “And who is this?”
“This is Elizabeth Morgan. She’s the one behind the emails.” Lizzy shakes his extended hand. “And the trip was … interesting, but we are here and ready to talk business.”
He ushers us inside, and sitting at the long table is an older gentleman with white hair, and beside him is a younger man in a suit. “Hello, I’m Jonathan Clark. I’ve heard so much about you,” I greet Mr. Goldman.
He smiles and introduces the other man as his lawyer, and after taking our seats, the meeting begins, going as well as expected. It starts with the basic rundown of his farm and production, and ends with the money side of things.
It hurts me knowing that he loves his company but can’t handle the workload any longer. It’s hard to see a passion fade.
“So, what do you think, Mr. Clark?” Mr. Goldman says in a shaky voice. “I have to say, without that meaningful email, I may not have considered selling.”
My eyes shoot to Lizzy, and I smile, subconsciously thanking her. “I think that if you are all on board, I’ll get the paperwork started and sent over for your signature. Just make sure your lawyer is here to witness.”
With everyone’s agreement, we shake hands and are back on the road before we know it. I feel as though I have whiplash from how quickly and smoothly the meeting went. Before this, it was always a back-and-forth battle of negotiations.
Lizzy goes on about how incredible the meeting went and how she wishes this trip would never end, and I couldn’t agree more. However, we have a whole life to get back to, and within seconds of being in the car, mine is now calling my cell phone.
Hitting the answer button on the Bluetooth stereo, I greet Chase. “Hey, how’s everything back home?”
“Fine, fine. Tell me how the meeting went. And why haven’t I been able to reach you?” His rushed tone makes me chuckle.
“The meeting was a success. We made our first sale for the new year. As for the other thing, it’s been a trip.
Our car went into a ditch and had to get towed, and we ended up staying in some cottage for the night, but we are on our way home.
My phone died on the ride, and there was hardly any service. ”
While the service part was a lie, I couldn’t tell him that Lizzy and I had our own little vacation away from all the madness that is Clark M & A.
“Jesus, man. I’m glad you’re alright. So, should I expect you later?”
Chase’s question cuts through me. I’m not ready to take on the responsibilities just yet. Before I answer, I look over to Lizzy, whose once-lit face seems a bit dim. She is feeling the same way I am.
“Actually, no.” Lizzy looks surprised as I answer. “There are a few stops I need to make, so I’ll be in the office tomorrow.”
Before he has time to question anything, I hang up the call and chuckle.
“What stops do we have to make?” she asks curiously.
“Well, for the past few miles, I’ve been seeing signs for a Christmas festival. Want to go and blow off work?”
Her face lights up once more, and she all but jumps out of her seat. “Yes!” Seeing her happy is worth every worry that I have. It’s worth every missed day at work. Her smile is enough to fuel me to get through my day.
I turn the car down a snowy back road, and within miles, we come up on a large red and white sign, hanging from power lines above the road that reads: Christmas Wonderland.
I can’t hide my amusement as I watch her practically vibrating.
She doesn’t even allow me enough time to open her door after we park before she’s out of the car and grabbing my hand, pulling me toward the festivities.
Vendor stands line the pathway, each filled with foods, candles, and crafts. Snow falls from the sky, giving the perfect aesthetic. Cheerful music plays off in the distance as people dressed in festive, Christmas clothing wander about, entertaining some of the younger children.
I feel the smile on my face becoming permanent as Lizzy pulls me from stand to stand, pointing out different decorations or interesting food.
We finally reach the end of the row and follow the signs for Santa’s Workshop, a large building that has actors as elves, showing each step on how the toys are made.
As we walk through, snowmen walk around, handing out hot cocoa and popcorn. This place is something I would dream of seeing as a little kid before my life changed and I had to grow up too fast.
I don’t like to admit these things, but my younger self is loving this Christmas Wonderland, especially because I get to experience it with her.
By the time we loop back around to our car, her hands are full of goodies, and I’m exhausted, but in the best way possible.
“So, did you have fun?” I ask as we make our last bit of the trip home. The sun has since started setting, and unfortunately, the day has to come to an end.
“Are you kidding? That’s the most fun I’ve had probably ever,” she replies excitedly as she takes another drink of her cocoa and grabs my hand. “Thank you so much for this entire trip, Jon. You have no idea what it meant to me.”
“I think I do,” I whisper as I squeeze her hand. There’s a twinge of sadness as I drive back into the bustling city, and she points me in the direction of her apartment. With it being so late, I wouldn’t feel right making her drive home.
We can worry about her car later.
Lizzy stares up at her building as I park and let out a sigh. “Well, here we are. I can pick you up tomorrow before work.”
She turns to me and nods, yet her eyes are filled with sadness. “What does this mean … for us?” she blurts out, taking me by surprise. I had been thinking about this all day, unsure of what this means or how she is feeling.
“I don’t really have a set answer for you,” I reply and sigh again. “But what I can tell you is that I want whatever this is to continue.” Her blue eyes peer into mine, and she blushes.
“But,” I continue, laying down the ground rules, “it has to stay between us for now. I’m not sure how it would look for either of us in the office, you know?”
Smiling, she leans in and kisses me, her soft lips making it extremely hard to let her go. “I know. I think we can do that.”
Winking at me, she smiles and climbs out of the car, telling me she’ll see me in the morning.
I wait until she’s in the building before pulling away. Everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours has been nothing short of a dream.
One that I never want to wake up from.