Chapter Nineteen
Luckily, the initial tumble Viola and Jonas had taken was the only hiccup they’d encountered. Viola was proud of herself for convincing Jonas to travel up the ski lift a few more times before the dark clouds shambled in. The unexpected change of weather meant they had to cut their excursion short, and as they made their way back to the chateau, the conditions only got worse.
Gathering her things from the chateau kitchen, she texted her mother.
Viola: Mom, I ’ m on my way. You okay?
Mom: It ’ s really bad out there. I heard a crash outside. Oliver is here and checking on it.
Viola: He should just wait until the storm is over. Hang tight. I ’ ll be home soon.
Mom: Be careful. I heard on the news that it ’ s coming in full force.
Viola: I will.
She flung the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder and marched to the front door of the building, determined to get through the storm and be with her mother. At least Oliver was there, but she didn’t know how long he could stay.
She yanked open the door and stepped outside. An ice-cold blanket of freezing air and snow struck her in the face. Viola shielded her eyes, but all she could see was heavy snowfall pelting the parking lot. How had it escalated so quickly?
She forced herself to go down the veranda stairs and took slow steps toward where she believed her car was parked, but the powerful wind drove her back, almost knocking her over.
“Are you crazy?” Jonas’s voice was loud behind her. “Get back inside.”
“I need to get to my mom. I have to make sure she’s all right.”
“You’ll never make it past the parking lot.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and urged her to return indoors. “Come on. You can call to make sure she’s safe, but I can’t let you drive in this. It’s way too dangerous.”
A heavy feeling settled in her chest. She didn’t want to abandon her mother, but Jonas was right. Reluctantly, she pivoted and followed him inside.
Even with the doors closed, the stormy winds were deafening. Viola shivered, wiping the wet snow out of her face. She pulled out her phone and pushed the contact button for her mother.
“Viola, I was just about to call you.”
Viola could feel her pulse pounding in her ears. “Mom, is everything all right? Did something happen?”
“No. But Oliver said the roads are a mess. He’s stuck here. Which means you shouldn’t be driving, either.”
“You’re right. I know. I’m at the Lakeside Chateau. I’ll stay here until the storm dies down.”
“Yes, please. I don’t want you out there in this.”
“Okay.” Viola turned toward Jonas, who dug a flashlight out of a drawer. “Stay away from the windows. Keep warm. I’ll call you soon.” She blew out a breath and slipped her device back into her coat pocket. “Now what?”
Jonas tested the flashlight. Viola breathed a sigh of relief when it worked.
“Now we wait,” he answered.
She drew nearer to Jonas. “I love everything about Silverwood except the storms.”
“The town is still standing despite its onslaught of harsh weather. I think it’ll survive this one too. We’ll probably lose power.” He held up the flashlight. “In any case, we’re safer here than we’d be out there.”
As she was about to search for a comfortable place to sit out the storm, they were plunged into darkness. Viola gasped, her heart pounding in her throat. She reached out, and when she found Jonas’s arm, he pulled her closer. She unintentionally dug her fingers into his biceps.
“It’s all right,” he reassured her. “Like I predicted, the storm cut the power.”
She nodded against his shoulder.
Jonas switched on the flashlight. “Are you okay?”
She realized she’d been clenching his shirt, her grip firm on the material. Hesitantly, she eased up on her hold. “Yeah. Sorry. I just got frightened.”
The wind howled and whistled in the building, sounding like a train barreling toward them. A crash resonated, and Viola jumped.
“I think a tree branch might have broken a window. At least, I hope it’s just a branch.” He released her, the beam of his light aimed at the stairs. “I’m going to check it out.”
Viola struggled to pull out her phone. She turned on the device’s flashlight and followed Jonas.
“Wait.” She swallowed hard. “I’ll go with you.”
Viola stuck close to Jonas as they traveled through the building. A cold gust of wind snaked around her. They tracked the whistling sound to locate the source of the breach.
They arrived at a conference room near Jonas’s office. Shattered glass littered the carpet. The blinds rattled, and a tree branch protruded through the broken windowpane.
Viola’s hair whipped about her face as she watched Jonas inspect the damage.
“Was that from the Christmas tree out front?” she asked.
“Looks like it.”
He reached for the branch.
“You’ll cut yourself,” she called out.
The warning didn’t stop him. He wrenched the branch free and then forced it out through the opening in the glass. Squinting against the stormy gales, he inspected his hand. When he mumbled a curse, Viola knew he’d been injured.
“Do you have a first aid kit?” she asked.
“In my office.”
They hurried to his office, where Jonas dragged a case out of a cabinet. At first, he attempted to tend to his wound himself, which proved impossible.
“Here.” Viola took the bandage from him. “Let me help.”
They sat on his leather couch while she wrapped his injury, the room quiet as she worked. He aimed the flashlight so she could see what she was doing. With the bright beam practically in her eyes, she couldn’t be certain where his focus was, but she sensed he was staring at her.
“Does that feel tight enough?” she asked once she’d secured the bandage.
He flexed his fingers. “Yes. Thanks. We need to find something to cover the hole in the window. The carpet is already soaked, and that snow’s just going to keep coming in.”
Viola forced the wheels in her head to spin. “The oven trays are big. They should work.”
“Good idea.” He stood. “I’ve got some duct tape in the supply closet. Should hold for now. You think you could get the trays and meet me back here?”
She didn’t want to split up, but she knew the job would get done faster if they did. Standing, she feigned confidence. “Sounds like a plan.”
Jonas faced her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’ll be all right. We can do this. We conquered a mountain. Now, we have to conquer the storm.”
Viola nodded, swallowing so hard she could barely breathe. Jonas squeezed her shoulders before heading out the office door.
It’ll be fine. Just like he said. I simply have to go to the kitchen and grab a couple of trays. Easy peasy.
She gulped down a breath and moved out to the hall. Aiming her phone’s flashlight with one hand and gripping the wall with the other, Viola headed to the kitchen. She flinched at the scraping sounds emanating from somewhere in the building.
It’s branches pitching against the outside wall. That’s all. Get it together.
By the time she got to the kitchen, her leg muscles felt too tense. The wind howled through the exhaust vents. Despite the shakiness in her limbs, she told herself to grab what was necessary and go. The hinges of the industrial oven squeaked as she opened it. After grabbing two trays, she darted out of the kitchen without bothering to close the oven door.
The sense of urgency escalated as she ran back to Jonas. She knew she was being ridiculous; there’d been plenty of winter storms in Silverwood—at least one each season—and she’d survived them all. But there was something sinister about this one that spiked her adrenaline.
When she reached the office, her stomach felt heavy, as if it were filled with rocks. Dizziness threw her off-balance, and it wasn’t until Jonas caught her that she realized she’d almost collapsed.
“Hey, are you all right?” he asked.
She squeezed her eyes and held her palms to her temples. “I-I just got dizzy for a moment.”
“We haven’t eaten anything all day.” He picked up everything she had dropped. “Let’s repair the damage, and then we can find something to eat.”
“Yeah. There’s food in the kitchen.”
“Perfect. One step at a time, okay?”
She bowed her head. “Okay.”
They worked together to fix the window, with Viola holding the trays in place as Jonas performed some duct tape magic. Once the barrier was secure, they backed up and stared at their work.
“I think that should do it,” Jonas said.
Viola swayed.
“Hey, hey.” He wrapped his arm around her to support her weight. “Don’t give out on me. Let’s go to the kitchen and get some food in you.”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Viola felt a sense of security in his arms as he helped her down the stairs and to the kitchen. He found a chair for her and then used his flashlight to search the industrial refrigerator.
“Look.” He aimed the light at his face so she could see his smile. “There’s still pie.”
“Are you okay, Mom? Do you need anything?” Holly handed her mom a blanket.
Vivian placed it on her bed. “I’m fine. I know all about the Silverwood storms. And besides, I lived through many typhoons in the Philippines.”
“Okay, I’m going to help Nick get Cupid out from under the sideboard. He crawled under there when the wind picked up, and getting him out is impossible.”
“Good luck. And don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I have a book. And a flashlight in case the power goes out.”
“All right. I’ll check in on you later.” Holly made her way to the dining room.
“Come on, Cupid.” Nick had crouched beside the sideboard.
“I’m not used to seeing him scared.” Holly sat cross-legged on the floor. Though the scream of the wind unnerved her, she chose to concentrate on the frightened Malamute. “He braved last year’s storm.”
“This one is worse. Or maybe he’s not feeling well.”
“What can we do to calm him?”
Nick straightened and scrubbed his jaw. “When he was a puppy and had trouble sleeping, I would play my guitar.”
Holly’s eyes widened slightly. “I love that idea.”
“I don’t know.” He grimaced. “I’m a little rusty.”
“Makes sense. We’ve been together for a year, and I’ve yet to hear you play. You even brought it over months ago, intending to play it, but it hasn’t happened.”
“Well, if you think it will help, then tonight could be my comeback.”
“I do think it will help.” Holly playfully batted her lashes. “Come on. Do it for Cupid.”
Nick left to retrieve his guitar.
Holly shifted until she was on all fours. Bending her head toward the floor, she called out to Cupid, “Hey, brave boy. You’re all right.” She reached under the sideboard and stroked the whimpering dog’s forehead.
She’d never seen him like this, and part of her wondered if it was more than just the storm. Hopefully, he wasn’t sick. Holly pressed her cheek to the hardwood and scooted closer, petting his neck.
“Now I’ve got to get both of you out of there,” Nick joked from above her.
Holly backed out of the crawlspace and rested with her head against the sideboard.
Nick strummed the guitar once. “It’s out of tune.”
Holly watched as he twisted the pegs at the guitar’s neck. When each string was properly tuned, he joined Holly on the floor and began to play.
She wasn’t familiar with the melody but felt it encompassing her soul like a warm blanket. She found herself staring at Nick as his fingers moved effortlessly over the strings, the music he made infusing tranquility into an otherwise tense situation.
After a couple of verses, Cupid shuffled forward, poking his head out from beneath the sideboard.
Nick glanced at Holly as he continued to strum, and she gazed at him like a groupie.
Cupid whined again but emerged completely, resting his head on Nick’s leg. When the song ended, Nick gently placed his guitar beside him and stroked Cupid’s head. He regarded Holly, finding her eyes locked with his.
“What?” he asked.
“I feel like the luckiest woman alive.”
She shifted so she could get nearer and kissed him tenderly.
Cupid rotated and stretched out his paw to Holly.
“Let’s elope,” she suddenly said.
Nick bent his neck to search her face, his brows knitted together. “What?”
She sighed. “Let’s just do it. Elope and forget all this crazy planning.”
“What brought this on?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just want to marry you. Is having a big party really worth all the stress?”
Nick took her hand. “I didn’t realize you were so stressed. Let me help you. Because I’m pretty sure your mother would have some words if you suddenly canceled the party she flew halfway across the world to attend.”
“I think she’d be fine.” It sounded more like a question than a statement. Holly felt she couldn’t look him in the eyes.
“Okay, there’s something you’re not telling me.” He lifted her chin. “What’s going on?”
Holly bit her lip. “It’s probably nothing, but Kim told me Grayson threatened to ruin our wedding. And while I know it was probably an empty threat, I’ve had this feeling like someone’s been watching me. My common sense tells me I’m imagining it, but it’s making me panic a little. But if there’s a small chance he really is out to get us, and we eloped, there would be no wedding for him to ruin.”
Nick was silent, seemingly taking in her words. Ice pelted the windows, resounding through the silence in the house.
“Holly, why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
Holly fidgeted with the sleeve of her sweater. “I didn’t want to dampen your spirits with something that might not be true. I suppose I wanted to spare you from unpleasant notions of Grayson and his possible evil plan, especially if it’s just something I’m imagining.”
Nick smirked. “First of all, if anything is ever burdening you, I want you to tell me. One of my jobs as your fiancé is to be a shoulder to lean on. Secondly, if your deepest wish is for us to elope right now, I wouldn’t hesitate. There’s nothing more I want than to be married to you, but I don’t want to do it just because your ex may or may not be out to ruin the big day. I’m not afraid of him, and I won’t allow him to hurt you in any way.”
As Nick’s words washed over her, a comforting warmth blossomed in her chest, radiating through her veins like a gentle embrace. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, replaced by a profound sense of security and reassurance. Her heartbeat steadied, and a newfound strength coursed within her.
She cupped his face and placed a tender kiss on his lips. “Thank you. You always know the perfect thing to say.”
Cupid raised his head and yawned, causing the couple to laugh.
With a sigh, Holly petted Cupid, settling next to Nick to wait out the storm.