Chapter 18
VAL
“You wanted to see me?” I asked, appearing at Nolan’s office door and opting for a professional but aloof tone because holy crap, what the heck had happened between us yesterday? It was confusing as hell, not to mention there was something weird going on in his relationship with Cressida.
When Nolan glanced up from his work, those azure eyes devoured me. I might have added an extra sassy tilt to my hip as I crossed my arms, and he tracked the movement, his gaze heating. Yep, there’s definitely something he’s not telling me.
“Nolan?” I prompted.
“Hmm?” I swore the sound felt like a growl, rumbling through the charged air between us.
“As much as I love darkening your doorway, I have things to do. What is it?”
After holding me captive for an electric moment, he said, “I have something planned for us tonight. Dinner, and a few surprises.”
“Dinner?” I blurted, latching on to the only word in that sentence that made any sense. I wasn’t sure he’d been serious about taking me out—I thought it had been a jealousy-fueled impulse.
“Yes. The meal after lunch. You’ve had it before, I think.”
“I’m familiar with the concept. But what about the reporters?
Someone will see us.” A locally famous snowboarder had arrived that morning to practice before hitting Big Sky, bringing with him a gaggle of news vans.
Not a good time for a not-date, where an opportunistic photographer could snap a picture of us and spin it the wrong way.
At that, Nolan’s lips pulled into a sly smile. “No one will see us. It will be private. Just you and me.”
Jesus lord. Even with all of the reasons I should say no, I said, “Okay.”
Somehow, his eyes got even darker, transforming into a storm-tossed navy blue. “Be ready in two hours.”
“But it’s still not a date.” It came out as a statement, but I wanted it to be a question. I had so many questions, and maybe tonight, I would finally get some answers.
“Of course,” he replied in a neutral tone. But the way he looked at me as I walked away from him was anything but neutral.
Dios, I will never survive this winter, let alone this evening.
“What do you wear to a first date that can’t technically be a real date, and you want to look nice but not too nice?
” I said to Frankie via FaceTime. I had an hour before I needed to be ready, and even with Cressida’s generous additions to my wardrobe, I’d been agonizing over my options for an embarrassing amount of time.
An alarming squeal trilled out of my phone speaker, and I cringed, holding it away from my face. “So the unmentionable boss who is completely and utterly fuckable in every way and some ways that have yet to be discovered finally asked you out?”
I snorted. “Do you always have to be so extra?”
“Yes. It’s who I am. Answer the question.”
“He invited me to dinner.”
At another outburst from Frankie, I gingerly placed the phone on my dresser as I searched through my closet, her constant stream of chatter the soundtrack to my outfit selection process.
“The FBI should hire me,” said Frankie, coming down from her high. “I knew those internet message boards were onto something. Either Nolan’s a two-timing asshat, or they have an open relationship and he’s allowed to date other people. You should call him out on it.”
I stifled a groan. At the very least, it sounded like his situation with Cressida was hellishly complicated—something my life did not need.
I had enough on my plate with taking care of Juanito and trying to get my farming cooperative off the ground.
Tossing aside a smelly shirt, I said, “I’m not interested in him regardless of his relationship status. ”
“And I’m not interested in banging Chris Evans. See, I can tell ridiculous lies too.”
“Extra,” I chastised. “Be nice or I’m not wearing those flashy earrings you made for me.” Frankie was an expert jeweler and ran a side hustle that she wanted to make her main hustle, just like me with my farming ideas. It’s what we’d bonded over when we first met.
“You’ll wear the damn hoops and you’ll like it,” she threatened. “That reminds me, I’m setting up my jewelry stand again at the General Store this weekend for the holiday shoppers. You should come too. Mrs. Medford could use some extra help.”
Ah jeez. I’d been so distracted with my new duties and Nolan’s, uh, antics that I’d missed my last volunteer shift. “Tell her I’ll be there. Gotta go.”
“The hoops, Val. And at least wear some lip gloss, for god’s sake!”
NOLAN
I finished the workday, but I couldn’t focus on anything except the prospect of alone time with Val.
At Cressida’s suggestion, I’d reserved Summit’s Edge, the resort’s mountaintop villa, for the evening.
Because of the holiday, there was a slight uptick in guests and with that semi-pro snowboarder hanging around, the paparazzi were beginning to descend in earnest. So really, renting out Summit’s Edge was in our best interest for privacy.
Or that’s what I told myself.
Because as Val said, this was not a date. This was just me doing something nice for her.
Yeah, right.
I’d been ready to spill my secret to Val last night, but now that Cressida had given me the green light to tell her about our situation, I wasn’t sure if I would.
What if Val decided not to get involved?
I wouldn’t blame her, but the thought of revealing my fake relationship only to get rejected gave me pause.
By the time I arrived at home, I was thoroughly wound up.
When I walked inside, Val sat on the couch, tapping on her phone.
The sight of her sitting there, waiting for me, stirred something deep in my core.
It must have shown on my face, because she hoisted an eyebrow.
Loosening my tie, I said, “Give me ten minutes.”
Twenty minutes later, I loaded us into the resort’s Escalade. “I’ll take it from here, Stan.” The older mustachioed man gave me a puzzled look.
“Are you sure, sir?”
“Enjoy a night off. We’ll be fine.”
Stan wrung his hands as if he’d never taken a day off in his life and wouldn’t know what to do.
“Ellen and the kids will be thrilled,” said Val. “It’s s’mores night at the bonfire.”
Stan grinned. “Good idea. Mr. Keller, if you take the road straight, Summit’s Edge will be the last turn on the right.”
“Thanks,” I said and slipped into the driver’s seat.
Val climbed into the passenger side and we were off.
It had snowed all week and a light snow was falling now, but the grounds crew had been working around the clock to keep the roads manageable.
It was a little after five in the evening and the skiers and snowboarders had headed home or to the bar for après-ski, so the road up the mountain was empty.
I studied Val out of the corner of my eye with one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the gear shift.
My hand itched to jump the few inches to touch her leg, to curl around it and rub my thumb across the smooth, sensitive skin of her inner thigh and feel her shiver underneath me.
Her hair was twisted into a braid, baring the elegant column of her neck.
I wanted to sink my teeth in, to hear her gasp in my ear and feel her claw at my back.
Yeah, doing a great job of keeping myself in check. Get it together, Keller.
“Have you been to Summit’s Edge before?” I asked, prying myself out of my reverie before I actually acted on any of those wild thoughts.
“No, but it is apparently the height of luxury—for Hale’s Peak anyway,” she replied. “A lot of couples rent it for their honeymoon.”
I almost laughed. Fucking Cressida. She was impatient that I wasn’t doing more to pursue Val, and I was strangely grateful yet hesitant. Any relationship between us could only be surface level and fleeting at best. We were already doomed and we had barely begun.
Cheerful.
“That sounds…nice,” I said and felt like a fucking idiot.
The woman destroyed any coherent thought in my head, so I clamped my mouth shut for the remainder of the drive.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled into the driveway of a sizable log cabin.
We’d climbed to about nine thousand feet in elevation on the switchback mountain road.
The house was positioned on the ridge, affording 360-degree views of the rugged mountains.
Leading Val across the snowy driveway, I pushed open the front door.
The cabin was one floor, the inside towering like a cathedral.
A fireplace faced the entryway, and a kitchen perched in the corner next to a sliding glass door that led to the deck.
Down the hall, the master suite encompassed an entire half of the house.
The home could use some updating, but it was more luxurious than the rest of the resort.
Val’s eyes widened as she took in the place.
“This is…wow.” She went to the sliding glass door and poked her head outside as I tossed our coats on the couch, then joined her.
The deck held an infinity pool hot tub just big enough for two people with stunning views into the valley.
Val’s eyes locked with mine, her cheeks blooming with heat. But she didn’t look away.
I broke first. “Looks like there’s a basket of goodies for us too.” I nodded to the massive basket on the kitchen counter, a note tied to the top.
Val unfolded the note. “‘For my favorite cooking couple. This one’s on me. Love, Rocco.’”
At my request, Rocco had asked the staff to pack us some of Val’s favorites. A DIY charcuterie board, rosemary chicken with mashed sweet potatoes, roasted beet salad, crème br?lée, and two bottles of wine. While Val assembled the charcuterie on a wooden cutting board, I poured two glasses of wine.
We snacked a bit in silence before I couldn’t take it anymore. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Val froze, a bit of cheese halfway to her mouth. Her throat bobbed with a swallow. “Can you blame me?”