Chapter Thirteen
“Are you sure you want to skip skating?” Caleb gestured to where a smattering of folks lined up.
“That’s because it’s colder than frozen moose shit out here,” Emma said.
Caleb snorted. “That’s an expression I can’t say I’ve heard before.”
“I got it from Pa Henderson. Besides, this isn’t the only time I have to see the town, right?”
Caleb cut a glance at Emma. He’d had a fabulous day with her, and the thought of having another made him feel a little giddy. Funny how he’d gone without that kind of feeling so long, he’d almost forgotten how it’d felt.
“You’re right. Better to get back to the lodge before dark, anyhow.” He placed a hand on her back, leading her toward Loaved Up.
“We should make it back in time for dinner,” Emma said. “Do you have any activities you have to run tonight, or do you think we could…?”
He met her gaze. “We can have dinner. There’s only bingo tonight, and Babs and Inez run that. Although they’re hustlers, I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way to cheat at bingo.”
She smiled and turned away from him. “How would they do that? Rig the balls so they come out in a certain order?”
“I’m kind of glad they’re content with running Falling Leaves and haven’t turned their attention to the international crime syndicate.”
Emma laughed. “Well, I’m glad you’re free. Let me pull up the menu for tonight before we lose cell coverage.”
Between his mother, Sabrina and Brandon, the lodge seemed to run just fine on its own. No wonder the last person who had this job brought her boyfriend up to the mountain to pass the time.
He knew better than to ask Sabrina about it.
He loved his family, but they weren’t above lying for the greater good, as they called it.
Besides, he’d probably get tricked into admitting that Sabrina had been right about luring him out of his apartment.
He wasn’t quite ready to face her gloating just yet.
Because she would—he wouldn’t have met Emma had he stayed up in his apartment for the remainder of December.
He couldn’t deny that there was something spectacular about the woman walking beside him.
He just wished he could let go and allow himself to enjoy living in the moment.
Why did he have to be a monogamous weirdo?
Why did every relationship have the end goal of commitment?
They rounded the corner to the parking lot behind Loaved Up. Emma held up her phone.
“The chicken pot pie sounds good. Have you had it?”
“Nearly everything at the lodge is amazing. Brandon poached the chef from a fancy hotel in DC, where he used to work.”
“Oh yeah? Which one?”
“Hotel Blaque,” Caleb said.
She laughed. “I’ve been to that restaurant before! I used to live not too far from there. Small world, huh?”
He grinned. “I guess it is.”
The car ride passed in what felt like moments. Rather than risking a non-stop loop of Dominick the Donkey, they chatted companionably about nothing in particular. When he pulled the van into the circular drive in front of the lodge, he turned off the engine.
“How about if we reconvene at seven-thirty? I need to check in a few places before dinner.”
Emma nodded. “Of course. You’re still on the clock.” She reached for the door handle.
He wanted to be a gentleman, so he quickly bolted out of the van and ran around to her side.
When the door opened, Emma was laughing. “You ran around the front of the van like your ass was on fire.”
He leaned in the doorframe. “Can’t have a lady getting out of the van on her own. What kind of man would I be?”
He extended his gloved hand. She held onto it for a moment. “I had a really great day today, Caleb. I want to go back to Falling Leaves again soon.”
He grinned. “I can make that happen. Any day but tomorrow, as that’s the sledding competition.”
She laughed. “Fair enough. That sounds like too good of a spectacle to miss, anyhow.”
He helped her down, and she finally released his hand. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Caleb took the long back way into the lodge. He wanted to avoid his sister and the biddies, who were likely setting up for bingo. He wasn’t sure he could keep the loopy look off his face. He wasn’t in the mood to answer questions.
On his way to his room, his phone chimed with a video call. He smiled when he saw it was from Olivia. As soon as he accepted the call, his daughters’ faces popped up on the screen.
“Daddy!” The wind half-carried their voices away, as it looked like they were at a ski resort.
“How are you, Daddy? We miss you,” Emerson said.
His heart welled in his throat. He’d gotten used to missing his girls. Olivia and Ashley had primary custody. It made sense—they had a big house with a backyard and a dog. He’d been stuck in his apartment since the divorce.
“Hi, girls, whatcha doing?” He badged in through one of the doors marked “Employees Only.”
“Skiing! Just me, though, Poppy’s still a baby.”
“Am not!” Poppy began to whine.
Okay, maybe he didn’t miss the way his girls picked at each other.
Emerson had Olivia’s big, bold personality, while Poppy was quieter, like him.
Sometimes, parenting felt more like refereeing.
Perhaps it was his penance for the constant infighting he and his siblings put their parents through throughout their childhood.
Olivia appeared behind the girls. “Ashley’s still on the slopes, so we’re having a little après-ski break until she gets back.
” She set two cups of hot cocoa in front of the girls, who quickly began fishing out marshmallows.
And bickering. He smiled. Even when they were going at it, his kids were adorable.
“How are you, Caleb? You look good.”
He wanted to tell Olivia about his day, but he hesitated. This thing with Emma felt like something huge. But that anxious voice in his head told him to take things slow.
Besides, he had the girls to worry about. He wouldn’t introduce anyone to them unless things were serious.
“Good. Busy, but that’s a good thing. Staying in the holiday spirit.”
Olivia cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Is there a particular reason—or a person—you’re feeling so holly jolly?”
Thankfully, he was saved from having to answer by the girls.
“We get a second Christmas when we get home. Did you know that?” Poppy interjected.
The girls started to chatter on again as Caleb arrived in his room. He stayed on the call until it was time for them to return to the slopes.
* * * *
“Wait a minute, slow down,” Aniyah said. “You kissed this guy? Less than seventy-two hours after handing Davis back his ring?”
Emma bit her lip. Shit, maybe it was a bit of a rush.
Aniyah noticed her expression and chuckled. “That was not judgment I was passing, Em. I’m impressed.” She held up her hand to her phone, wanting an air high-five.
Emma began to fret. “No, you’re right. I’m a terrible person. I forced my fiancé to come on this trip with me. I gave him the ring back, and I’m already hooking up with someone else.”
Aniyah leaned back on her bed, adjusting her pillows as she fell back. “First of all, a kiss is not a hook-up. Secondly, you are the farthest from a terrible person I know, Em. You deserve happiness. I hope you can remember what it feels like after so long.”
Aniyah had never been shy about her views on Davis.
But she’d long told Emma that he didn’t have to make her happy—only Emma.
And if Emma was happy, that was all that mattered.
Emma, of course, had lied and said she was.
Because Aniyah would’ve shown up with her husband and a moving truck otherwise.
“You thought I was happy with Davis all that time.”
She snorted. “No, I didn’t. Look, I would’ve gotten you out of there if he was anything other than a self-absorbed asshole.”
“Straight up the middle of the road,” Emma and Aniyah said together. It’d been one of Pa Henderson’s favorite sayings.
Aniyah laughed. “Exactly. This guy isn’t, though.”
Caleb was the furthest thing from it. “He makes me feel like Times Square on New Year’s Eve,” Emma said.
“Okay, I’m going to take the metaphor as you laid it out, but right now, I’m thinking about how those people wait all day and use diapers so they don’t lose their spots.”
Emma snorted. “Okay, lose the metaphor. Today felt like it went by in a second, yet it was, alternatively, three weeks long. I feel like a different person now than when I left this morning.”
“This is all good stuff, Em! So why do I get a feeling there’s a big old but coming?”
She covered her face with her free hand. “Because I’m at a major crossroads! I have no job, no place to live. Caleb has kids—he needs someone stable, you know?”
“Wait, he has kids? Seriously?”
Emma lowered her hand, taking in her sister. “Yeah. Which makes it weird.”
Does it? It’d been so long since she’d dated anyone new, she wasn’t sure.
Davis had been upfront from the start—it was one of the things that had made her fall for him so quickly.
Some men didn’t even know they wanted kids until they realized she didn’t want any.
They’d start prying, and she’d end up trauma dumping all over some guy.
Many men sought a ‘normal’ partner. And kids usually came along with that.
“Only if you allow it to be. And look, we’re talking long-term, anyway. You said the ex is out of town with the kids until the holidays are over. So, if this is just a fling, the kids will never come into play.”
“And if it’s not?”
“Then you’ll all deal with it, like grown-ups. But please, don’t put the brakes on this already, Em. I know you feel bad since you and Davis just ended things. But we both know that relationship has been on life support since before he put a ring on it.”
Why was her heart suddenly in her throat? She stared at her best friend’s face and exhaled. Aniyah was right. She’d always had a terrible habit of living two steps ahead instead of enjoying the moment.
“I know. I’m going to try to slow my roll and live in the moment.”
Aniyah chuckled. “You’ve never been very good at that. But hey, now is a perfect time to reinvent yourself. I’d start with being forthright with Caleb about what this thing between you is. I think that will take a lot of stress off the both of you.”
“Define it, even if that definition is holiday fling?”
“Exactly. Get over that awkward hump before you can do some actual humping.”
Emma groaned. “Goodbye, Aniyah. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Don’t overthink it!” Aniyah called before Emma ended the call.
If only it were that simple to shut off her brain.
A sharp knock on the door brought her back to reality.
She’d asked the front desk for more towels so she could shower before meeting Caleb.
She tossed her phone face down on the bed and crossed the short distance to the door.
Her eyes caught on the Christmas lights wrapped around the tree in the corner.
She’d miss this place when it was time to leave. Somehow, it felt like home already.
She swung open the door and found Caleb.
“Are you up for room service?”