Chapter 9 #2
We should have arrived at Cloverleigh Farms around seven, but thanks to the weather, it was after nine.
We checked into our rooms at the inn—my mother’s was down at the far end of the second floor, and mine was closer to the rest of the wedding party’s—and planned on meeting down at the restaurant for a quick bite, but I was still hanging things up in the closet when she called and said she was too tired and had decided to just order room service instead.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Blair just texted and said she and Griffin are down there with some other people.”
“Positive. You go ahead. I’m pooped, and tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
“Okay, get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night, honey.”
“‘Night.” I grabbed my purse, tucking my room keycard inside it, and headed down to the bar.
The inn was only two stories, and although there was an elevator at the end of the hall, I chose to use the lobby’s grand staircase, which was decorated for the holidays with fragrant evergreen boughs and white lights.
As I descended the steps, I looked around and thought it was no wonder Blair wanted to get married here—the whole place radiated elegance, warmth, and romance.
At one end of the room was a huge stone fireplace with logs ablaze inside it.
In the corner stood a gigantic Christmas tree hung with white lights and colorful ornaments.
In the air was the scent of woodsmoke and apples and cinnamon.
From the bar came the cheerful sound of clinking glasses, the hum of conversation punctuated by bursts of laughter, and beneath it all, joyful holiday music.
I couldn’t help smiling as I entered the cozy, low-lit bar, which was styled like an English pub, with lots of dark wood paneling, a leather banquette and small tables along one wall, and a crackling fire in the fireplace.
Right away I spotted Blair and Griffin at the long wooden bar opposite the banquette and headed their way—then stopped in my tracks when I noticed Cole was with them.
Shit!
I touched the ribbed knit cap on my head, wishing I’d washed my hair today. What was he doing here? Hadn’t Blair said he wasn’t coming up until tomorrow morning?
I looked down in dismay at my traveling outfit, which had clearly been chosen for comfort, not for style.
I still had my North Face boots on, for fuck’s sake.
And giant slouchy socks. My black leggings were okay, but my rust-colored sweater was a giant baggy thing with a turtleneck and sleeves that were too long.
Cozy, but not terribly cute, and a far cry from sexy or alluring.
I was considering sneaking back up to my room to change, or maybe even order room service, when Blair caught sight of me. “Cheyenne’s here!” she cried out, loudly enough that everyone around her turned to look at me.
No backing out now. Embarrassed, I lifted a hand, which was hidden inside my floppy sleeve. “Hi.”
Blair came rushing toward me, grabbing me in a hug. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know he was coming early. He just showed up a little bit ago.”
“Why didn’t you text me?” I whispered back.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t come down.”
I let her go and gave her a dirty look. “That was a mean trick. Look at me—I look like I just crawled out of bed. Through a blizzard.”
“You look adorable,” she said, taking my hand and tugging me toward the bar. “Come on. Frannie’s here, and she can’t wait to see you.”
“Oh, good! I’m excited to see her too.”
Frannie was also one of Blair’s bridesmaids.
She was an old friend of mine from when I’d student taught in this area, and her family owned Cloverleigh Farms. I’d actually introduced Blair to her, and for a while—before Griffin had finally figured out that he was in love with Blair and begged her to come back to Bellamy Creek—she had lived at Cloverleigh and worked as a pastry chef at Frannie’s coffee shop.
Carefully avoiding Cole’s eye, I let Blair pull me over to where Frannie stood with two other women, a blonde I didn’t recognize and an auburn-haired beauty who looked vaguely familiar.
“Hey, you!” Frannie said, giving me a huge hug. “Long time, no see!”
“How are you, Frannie?”
“I’m fine. Life is crazy with five girls at home—I’m amazed Mack hasn’t lost his mind yet—but everything is good.”
I laughed. Mack, her husband, had three daughters from his first marriage, and Frannie had given birth to their twins the year before. “Is he here?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s over there with the guys.” She nodded in the direction of Griffin and Cole and laughed. “Soaking up the testosterone.”
I looked over there too, accidentally locking eyes with Cole. He gave me a half-smile, which I returned before looking away, my heart tripping over its next few beats.
“How was the drive?” Frannie asked. “Did you get caught in the storm?”
“It was a little rough,” I said. “That snow is coming down hard.”
Blair closed her eyes a second. “Don’t talk about it. Let’s get you a drink.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “I could use some food as well. Is the kitchen still open?”
“Yes,” answered the redhead, who held out her hand with a smile. “Hi, I’m Frannie’s sister April. I think we’ve met, but it was a long time ago.”
“Oh, you’re the wedding planner!”
She nodded, giving Blair a meaningful look. “Yes, and everything is going to be perfect, blizzard or not.”
“I agree,” said Frannie. “Honestly, I think Cloverleigh is more beautiful and romantic covered with snow in the winter than at any other time of year. It’s going to look like a winter wonderland. You’ll see.”
Blair took a deep breath. “Right.”
“Hi, I’m Alexis,” said the blond woman I didn’t recognize, holding out her hand.
“Oh, Blair’s college roommate!” I exclaimed, taking her hand in both of mine. “So nice to meet you. I’m glad you made it in from California before the storm.”
She smiled. “Me too. They’re already canceling flights.”
Blair moaned, her face troubled. “You guys, I have the worst feeling my parents are not going to make it.”
“Stop.” I put my arm around her. “No matter what happens with the weather, you are marrying the love of your life, right?”
She nodded. “Right.”
“And you’re getting me as a sister!”
That brought a smile. “Right.”
“And like Frannie said, it’s going to look like a winter wonderland,” Alexis added. “Like a fairy tale.”
“Absolutely,” agreed April.
Blair smiled, her eyes tearing up. “Thanks, you guys. I’m so glad to have you here.”
I squeezed her shoulder. “And now I need wine.”
April suggested we sit at one of the tables opposite the bar.
I ended up seated on the banquette, which gave me a perfect view of the guys as they stood sipping whiskey and beers, occasionally guffawing loudly or clapping Griffin on the back.
At one point, my brother came over and said hello, asked how the drive was and how our mom was feeling, but Cole continued to keep his distance.
Several times, I caught him glancing over at me, but I pretended not to notice.
It made me sad that things were strange between us now, after feeling as if we’d grown closer in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
For heaven’s sake, we’d had phone sex! Good phone sex!
I’d heard him have an orgasm, even if it had been mostly silent. Had one real kiss ruined everything?
I enjoyed chatting with the girls at the table, and the food and wine I’d ordered was delicious, but I was preoccupied the entire time wondering how I was going to get through the weekend if this is how it was going to be between Cole and me.
Eventually, Frannie and Mack left for home, and April’s handsome fiancé came to pick her up—he didn’t want her driving alone in the storm—although when Griffin and his friends realized her fiancé was former MLB pitching star Tyler Shaw, they dragged him over to the bar and kept him there another twenty minutes.
April had to pry him from the conversation to get him out the door.
Alexis excused herself shortly afterward, saying she wanted to FaceTime with her kids before they went to bed, which left just Blair and me at the table.
She tipped her head onto my shoulder. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I can tell you’re not. Also, Cole is not. He’s been looking over here all night.”
“I’ve been trying not to notice that.” I tossed back the wine left in my glass.
Blair picked up her head. “Well, your job’s about to get harder, because the guys are headed this way.”
I looked up, and sure enough, Griffin and Cole were approaching our table. I fought the urge to fuss with my hair by pulling my hands inside my monster sleeves.
“Hey,” Griffin said, yawning. “I’ve been up since five, and I’m beat. You about ready to call it a night?”
“Yes, but you go ahead. I’ll stay with Cheyenne. She’s just waiting for the server to bring her check.”
“No, go with Griff,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”
“I can wait with her,” said Cole. “If that’s okay.”
Our eyes met. “It’s fine.”
He dropped into the chair across from me, and Blair stood up. “Okay. Goodnight, you guys. Cheyenne, I’ll see you at breakfast at eight-thirty?”
“Sounds good.” I watched them walk away, Blair frantically mouthing text me over her shoulder while pantomiming exaggerated typing motions with her thumbs.
Cole had some whiskey left, and he swirled it around in the glass. “How was your drive?”
“The first half was okay. Second half a little scary.” I forced a smile. “How about yours?”
“About the same. I wasn’t going to come up until tomorrow, since I didn’t want to pull Mariah from another day of school, but I ended up changing my mind because of the weather. It’s only going to get worse tomorrow, so I picked her up at lunchtime.”
“I’m sure she was excited. Is she in bed already?”
He nodded. “She was down here with my mom for dinner, but then they went up to bed. They’re sharing a room, so I’ve got my own.”
“Oh.” Immediately my mind went to all the inappropriate activities that could go on in Cole’s hotel room. “That’s nice.”
An awkward silence descended on us. It was late—almost midnight—and the bar had pretty much emptied out. Cole finished his whiskey.
“So are you—”
“I wanted to—”
After speaking at the same time, we both laughed, and the tension eased up a little. “Go ahead,” he said.
“I was just going to ask if you were excited about making the offer on the new house. I heard you fell in love with the one by the creek.”
He nodded, his crooked smile appearing. “Yeah. I am excited. We heard today the offer was accepted.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. It needs a lot of work, but Mariah and I both loved it, and Moretti thinks it’s a good buy for the price. He’s going to help me with the renovations over the winter.”
“Can I see it sometime?”
“Of course,” he said, sounding surprised I’d even asked. “The inspection is happening next week, and if all goes well, I’m hoping to close two or three weeks after that and be in by the first of the year.”
“That’s really exciting, Cole. I’m happy for you.”
The server brought my check, and I signed it to my room. When we were alone again, Cole smiled at me across the table. “So is your mom still mad about the plate?”
I laughed. “I think she’s forgiven us.”
“Good.”
Another silence, during which we locked eyes and the air between us crackled with tension. Was he remembering that kiss?
“I should go up to bed,” I said, rising to my feet.
“Same.” Cole stood too. “What floor are you on?”
“Second.”
“Me too. I’ll walk up with you.”
My legs felt shaky as we left the bar and climbed the lobby stairs. As we neared my room, I pulled my keycard from my purse. “This one’s mine,” I said, gesturing toward the door.
He nodded. “I’m in two-eighteen.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to do with that information—other than imagine myself sneaking down to his room.
NO, my inner adult scolded. No sneaking.
No sneaking and no sexting and no saying anything but goodnight.
Because the way he was looking at me was making it hard to breathe.
“Well, goodnight,” I said, opening the door to my room.
“Goodnight.” He stuck his hands in his pockets.
I entered my room and shut the door.
At least, I tried to shut the door—Cole’s hand shot out and stopped it. “Cheyenne, wait.”
My breath caught. “Yes?”
“I just want to say that I’m really glad to see you made it up here safely. I was worried about you making that drive.”
“I’m fine.” I glanced down at my outfit. “A little grungy and disheveled, but fine.”
“You’re always beautiful.”
Our eyes met. I wanted to thank him, but I couldn’t speak.
“Also . . .” He struggled for words. “I want you to know that I thought about you all week. And I wish . . .” He paused. “I keep wishing things were different.”
I smiled and lifted my shoulders. “I wish things were different too, but I appreciate your honesty.”
“So we’re okay?”
The tightness in my throat made it hard to get the words out. “We’re okay.”
He nodded. “‘Night.”
“‘Night.” I closed the door and leaned back against it, trying not to cry.
We might be okay, but I was not.