Chapter 21
Alicia
To walk off breakfast, Jamie took Alicia along a nature trail close to the hotel, thick with snow but still walkable.
It was difficult, though, to get far in the current conditions and in the end, after wading through ten-inch-deep snow at a glacial speed, Alicia, broke the pace by starting a snowball fight which ended with Jamie pinned underneath her in a sunken snowy hole not remotely fending off her kisses.
‘Why don’t we go back and get warmed up and you can do your artist bit,’ he suggested. ‘I need something to remember you by. Also, this is making me horny as hell and I think I need to see to you asap.’
Alicia was more than happy to be seen to by Jamie but at the mention of their soon being parted, she had to fight back fear. It was not much more than forty-eight hours she’d known him. Why did it feel like so much longer?
‘Or you could keep the painting,’ Jamie suggested as if seeing her feelings were sketched all over her face? ‘If you want to have a keepsake of me.’
Is it a joke to him? Probably, but that’s normal, you’ve no reason to be upset.
Alicia tried to joke, too, hoping her sadness wasn’t obvious, ‘Oh, the painting is for you,’ she said.
‘And I can’t wait to get you out of these clothes so you can be my muse again, with as many bedroom breaks as you need, of course. ’
Back in the lodge, Alicia tried to keep herself in check as Jamie stripped off his shirt to pose for her.
‘We’re good to go, then?’
‘Unless…’ Alicia was feeling flirty.
‘Yes?’
‘Well, there really is no call now for you to cover up so much. Not since I’ve seen everything.’
‘I see.’ Jamie hung on the waist of his jeans like a cowboy. ‘So, what you’re saying is you don’t want me in these jeans, even though I was wearing them last time?’
Narrowing her eyes, Alicia examined the canvas, pretending to consider the situation through the prism of artistic integrity. ‘Hmm. Yeah, I think not. Let me worry about the continuity.’
‘Okay.’ Jamie unbuttoned his jeans but went no further. ‘And what about these?’ He slid his thumbs under the waistband of his jockey shorts. ‘Should I wear these?’
‘Honestly…’ She gripped her chin and pretended to consider the question. ‘Those may get in the way too.’
‘Righto.’ Jamie stepped out of his jeans and threw them across the room. ‘You sure?’
‘Yep.’
‘Okay.’ Next off came his underwear which was cast with abandon over his shoulder. ‘So, this,’ he motioned with his thumbs to somewhere around his hips, ‘is what you want?’
Alicia knew he was teasing. She looked him up and down. God, he was glorious.
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘that’s how I want you. There’s no way a man like you should hide his light under a bushel.’
Jamie laughed. ‘Well, we’d better shut the curtains, I suppose. I don’t want to get thrown out of the hotel for putting my bushel under a light.’
‘Your bushel is perfect, but I think you might be right about the drapes. I’ll get them.’
When Alicia swung back from closing the drapes, Jamie was standing there in all his magnificence, holding a whisky bottle across his crotch. She didn’t stand a chance.
‘What are you doing?’ she managed to ask, amidst convulsions of laughter.
‘I thought I should have something to cover up with in case there was still a gap in the curtains, or if someone comes to the door.’
‘You’ll be answering the door like that?’
Jamie shrugged. ‘Yeah, why not? My bushel is covered, isn’t it?’
Alicia threw her head back in delight.
‘In fact,’ Jamie continued. ‘I’ve changed my mind about posing nude and have decided to keep wearing this whisky bottle.
Because it’s Butler’s, I figure that the end-product will be perfect for hanging in my office.
Or at the distillery reception. Or we could sell prints in the distillery shop.
To think I’ve been racking my brains as to how to lift flagging sales when the answer has been in my pants all along. ’
Alicia had tears of merriment rolling down her face. She tried to compose herself to get the painting done as Jamie lay back on the couch and placed the whisky bottle on the floor.
‘You know,’ she said. ‘I could paint a landscape or something else family-friendly that you could hang in the reception of the distillery.’
Jamie’s face lit up. ‘That is a brilliant idea,’ he said. ‘But no pressure. Only if you want to.’
‘I’d love to. I can post it to you when it’s done.’
It was a delight to paint Jamie. Obviously, that he was physically attractive helped, but his personality lent a relaxation that fuelled Alicia.
He knew when to stay quiet and let her paint, but if she instigated chat, he was responsive and a great conversationalist, although he kept the topics light so she didn’t get too distracted.
The only topic that threw Alicia was when Jamie asked her about home.
What was the first thing she would do when she got back?
Who did she miss the most? Who did she think missed her the most?
All innocuous questions and rather sweet, had Alicia wanted to think of home.
Jamie had apparently accepted that they’d go their separate ways at the weekend, and she would have to do the same, so she answered everything he asked.
The first thing she would do was sleep. She missed her best friend Sunni and Sunni probably missed her too.
But all she was thinking about was how much she would miss Jamie.
At moments, as she painted, she wanted to put down her paintbrush and go to him, kiss him and curl up in his lap.
Imagine how he’d react if I did that. Occasionally, a look of understanding passed between them.
Of course, he knew that she wanted him. Just not quite how much.
They were alike in many ways, and being cocooned in this hotel made her feel like bad things couldn’t happen.
If only she could give him something he needed enough to ask her to stay.
‘I am so glad I am getting this painting,’ she said.
‘You are?’
‘Yes, it’ll be the perfect reminder of this holiday and this beautiful creature in front of me.’
‘Beautiful creature! That’s you. You have plans for it?’
‘I was thinking laminated in the shower or tucked inside one of the books I keep by my bed.’
‘Well, that’s a compliment, if ever there was one. You could shrink it down and make a keyring too.’
Jamie was funny, but what Alicia had wanted from that conversation was more than a few quips.
She’d been angling and he hadn’t bitten.
How she would have loved him to say that he wanted to be tucked beside her in her bed back home.
Instead, he’d made a suggestion about keyrings.
Not what she’d been hoping for. Their lives were diametrically opposed.
A big-city, American gal – on paper at least – and a small-town, Scottish boy.
It was a wonder that their paths had crossed at all.
‘Speaking of a sense of accomplishment.’ Alicia put down her paintbrush. ‘I’ve finished.’
‘Fantastic! When do I get to see it?’
‘Anytime you like.’
‘I’ll go get dressed for the unveiling.’ Jamie disappeared into the bedroom.
emerging a minute later barefoot in jeans and a t-shirt.
‘Okay, c‘mon then.’ He came round to Alicia’s side of the easel and stared at her work in silence for a few moments.
She watched his face as he examined her efforts.
It was impossible to know what he thought, and it seemed to be an eternity before he spoke.
‘Alicia! This… This is another belter. I’ve no idea how you’ve managed to make me look––’
‘Gorgeous, sexy, delectable?’
‘Hmm. I wouldn’t like to say that about myself. Just moderately classy even though my bits are on display.’
‘Well, you are classy and all of those other things, so you can take the credit for being an excellent subject.’
‘Aw, shucks. But I think the credit needs to go to the spectacular artist. I would genuinely put this in the distillery reception, if it wasn’t a painting of me in the buff.’
The idea delighted Alicia, but she could top it. ‘You could put in on the bottles.’
‘Ha! That’s even better. Sales would skyrocket. Well, they’d probably be more likely to skyrocket with a painting of you nude on the bottle, but I guess I could be the next best thing.’
Alicia froze, like every cell in her body had been immersed in liquid nitrogen.
That had clearly been a joke, but at the sound of those words, everything horrific that she had avoided thinking about surged back in – the shame of the nude photos, Chad’s scathing words, her as a commodity, an object, less than a person.
If Jamie knew any of that, his perception of her would change entirely. The walls were closing in.
‘I’m sorry,’ she stammered. ‘I’m not feeling so well. I’m going to go back to my lodge for a bit.’
Jamie touched her shoulder.
‘Oh. Are you okay? Was it something I said? I didn’t mean to objectify you by suggesting putting you nude on one of our bottles. It was a joke because you’re way hotter than me.’
‘Oh, I know it was a joke. It’s fine, I’m fine.’ He hadn’t meant to offend, of course. But shame was gnawing at Alicia and she was overwhelmed by things beyond rationality. She grabbed her coat and fumbled around until she found her shoes.
‘Alicia.’ Jamie paced across the room, stood in front of her, not blocking her way but his resolute stance stopping her in her tracks.
Tenderly, he took her chin in his hands and tilted it up to meet his gaze, his voice low and grave.
‘I know you’re not fine so why don’t you stay and tell me what’s really up? ’
‘Oh, Jamie. I wish I could, but I can’t.’ The words would wedge in her throat. The thought of spewing up what had happened and hearing it all herself, was inconceivable. It would be like listening to your voice on a recording for the first time.
‘Okay.’ Jamie conceded to her wishes. ‘But I’m coming to see if you’re okay later, no arguments.’