Chapter Four
Zane
The threat of snow did some amazing things for business at the resort. There wasn’t a flake in sight, but when the weather station said there was a chance, no matter how slim, people lost their minds.
We were slammed, but I liked the hustle. The chaos of it. The busier I stayed, the less time my thoughts had to wander.
Didn’t stop my head from turning every time a dark-haired woman walked through the door, though.
Melina was still lodged in my brain, and I couldn’t dig her out. I’d tried everything. Cold showers. Longer shifts. Enough push-ups over the last three days to qualify as self-inflicted torture.
None of it worked.
She still invaded every waking thought, and since I’d slept like absolute shit after my spectacular fuckup, I’d had plenty of hours to replay her rejection on a loop.
“Hey,” Colin said, hitting the floor to start his shift. “Looks like I’m going to have a busy night.”
“Yeah, ten percent chance of snow,” I muttered while pouring drinks for a loud table of women. One of them wore a glittery sash that read Bride to Be.
Colin stopped behind me long enough that I could feel him staring.
I glanced over my shoulder. “What?”
He blinked. “Did you seriously just talk to me about the weather?”
“What’s wrong with weather?”
“The room’s full of women.” He motioned toward the bachelorette party. “Women who look extremely interested in making bad decisions. And you’re talking about snow.”
I huffed, turning back to the drinks. “Guess I’m not in the mood.”
“Are you feeling okay? You’ve been acting weird for days.”
“I’m fine.” I grabbed the tray before he could keep digging. “Larissa’s on break. I need to run this order out.”
I left him with his mouth hanging open, but I was too aggravated to care. I strode toward the table of women. Their conversation fell to hushed whispers and giggles as I approached, but the ache ate at me despite their attention.
“Here you go, ladies.” I balanced the tray in one hand, passing out drinks with the other. “I’ll be off the clock in the next few minutes, but Colin will be taking over for me, and our server Larissa will be back shortly.”
A chorus of disappointed awws rose around the table.
“Don’t worry.” My smile was tight. “We’ve got a great team at Copper Ridge Resort. They’ll make sure you’re all taken care of.”
“But what if I want you to take care of me?” The blonde to my right ran her hand up my arm, setting off another round of giggles from her friends.
She was pretty, with sparkling blue eyes, pink lips, and a low-cut top that showcased a lot of skin. The kind of woman who no doubt turned a lot of heads.
And I felt absolutely nothing.
I pulled my arm out of her reach. “Sorry, I can’t stay. I’ve already maxed out my overtime this week. Have fun, ladies, and stay safe.”
Unfazed, she lifted her glass. “Cheers!”
The entire table erupted again as I walked away.
A few months ago, I probably would’ve stayed. Hell, maybe I would’ve gone home with one of them.
But now all I could think about was how easily she’d moved on the second I said no. Like I was nothing more than a momentary distraction. Someone entertaining to pass the night with.
The worst part was that I’d built my entire persona around being exactly that.
So why the hell did it suddenly bother me?
Before I made it back behind the bar, my cousin Eric intercepted me.
At thirty-eight, he was the oldest Alexander cousin and the only one who’d managed to turn the family business into something resembling a respectable corporate career.
He ran PR and marketing for the resort and had mastered the art of looking calm while making everyone around him nervous.
“You look like shit,” he said.
“Thanks. You’re really boosting morale around here.”
He studied me with that annoyingly perceptive stare of his. “Your dad called the office today. Said he wanted to discuss quarterly numbers with my father.”
My jaw tightened. “Since when does Bowen care about quarterly numbers for this place?”
“Since never.” Eric clapped a hand against my shoulder. “That’s why I’m mentioning it.”
Then he walked away, leaving the warning hanging there. I stood frozen a second too long, watching him disappear down the hall.
Eric didn’t casually flag things. He’d worked for my father once, years ago, and had walked away from it with enough sense to know when something smelled off. If he thought there was a problem, there usually was.
And when it came to my father, problems could get ugly fast.
When I returned to the bar, Colin waited with a ridiculous grin. “I get it now.” He pointed at me like he’d cracked a secret code.
“Is this a riddle?”
He snorted. “No, I get what’s wrong with you.”
“Oh yeah, want to explain it to me, then?” Fuck, I was in a shitty mood.
“Melina turning you down. I think it broke you.”
I barked a laugh. “Broke me? What makes you think I was whole to begin with? You and I are about as broken as they come.”
His smile dropped, and my stomach seized.
Fuck. That had been way too honest. Fun-time guy wasn’t supposed to do heartfelt.
“Have you considered just talking to her?” he asked, recovering fast. “I mean actually talking to her. Women apparently love emotional maturity.”
“Sounds fake.”
His devious smile returned. “Unless you’re still too scared.”
Hell yes, I was scared. There was a reason I didn’t chase women—a reason I let them come to me—and it wasn’t because I was an arrogant prick or too lazy to bother.
It was because outside of the bedroom, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
Especially with a woman like Melina. A woman who seemed built for commitment.
A woman who saw straight through my bullshit.
“You’re not going to leave this alone, are you?” I sighed.
“Nope. I like watching you squirm.”
“You’re a fucking sadist,” I mumbled, heading for the door.
“I’d rather be a happy sadist than a lonely chicken,” he called after me, flapping his arms like an idiot.
Even taunting me, he knew how to make me laugh, but I still waved goodbye with my middle finger.
I drove home with all the windows down, hoping the crisp mid-November air would clear my head. Instead, it just numbed my cheeks and froze my balls.
At least now they ached from the cold and not the memory of Melina’s perfect ass as she’d stormed away from me.
My coworkers called her the ice queen, but goddamn…the woman was all fire. I’d seen it in her eyes. Tasted it on her lips. And fuck, had it ever burned when she shot me down. Even the bite of early winter couldn’t douse that flame.
And still, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
By the time I pulled up to my dark house, I was crawling out of my skin with cravings for her. But the pent-up desire faded fast when I noticed my elderly neighbor struggling with something in her driveway.
Throwing my truck into park, I hopped out and jogged over. “Mrs. Walker, is there something I can help you with?”
She straightened her crooked old body and turned to me with a smile. “Oh, Zane! Hello! I was just dragging my new Christmas tree into the house. I know it’s early, but it was on sale.”
I stepped past her and picked up the small potted evergreen. “It looks great. Let me bring it in for you.”
“You’re such a sweet boy.”
“That’s debatable,” I muttered, letting her lead the way.
The second she opened her front door, heat washed over me along with the smell of roasted chicken and spices rich enough to make my stomach growl.
She giggled, pointing to a spot in the corner for the tree. “Sounds like perfect timing. Why don’t you stay for supper? I have a lovely chicken in the oven.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense. I’ve cooked far too much for one person. You’d be doing me a favor by helping me eat it all.”
A home-cooked meal did sound better than the microwavable dinner waiting in my freezer. And her warm house already felt better than the dark cave waiting for me next door. “Then I’d love to stay. How can I help?”
“You go wash up. I’ve got everything covered.”
After doing as I was told, I joined her in the formal dining room where she’d set the table as though it were a special occasion. “Wow, Mrs. Walker, you didn’t need to go to all this trouble. I’d have been happy eating over the kitchen sink.”
“Nonsense. Only animals eat at a trough.”
I chuckled as I took the seat across from her. She might not be far off. “Well, I’m not a pig, but I am a single guy. No point in making too much of a fuss.”
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“What about you?” I asked, fidgeting under her knowing gaze. “I hope you’re not eating alone every night.”
Her smile turned wistful, and she looked over her shoulder, drawing my attention to a group of photos on the wall.
“That one there.” She pointed to a black-and-white picture of a smiling man.
“That’s my Archie. We had dinner together every single night of our fifty-three-year marriage.
Didn’t matter how busy we were or what pressures he had at work, he’d get in his car and come home to me.
Even when we were angry at each other for some silly little thing, we’d still sit across from each other and share a meal. ”
She turned back to me with a soft, faraway look in her eyes. “I’m never alone, Zane. My memories of him keep me company.”
“Sounds like he was a good man.” I swallowed thickly, the words hard to fit past the unfamiliar lump in my throat.
“He was the best,” she agreed with a sigh. “One day, you’ll have that. A lifetime love.”
“I don’t know, Mrs. Walker. I’m not really marriage material.”
She shook her head. “Silly boy. You’re just like my Archie. Kind and caring. You just need to meet the right girl, and then bam.” The air cracked with the sharp slap of her spotted hands. “It’ll be like lightning. You won’t know how to stop it.”
“Sounds painful.” So was the image that hit me then—dark hair, serious eyes, soft lips, and the sting of being told no.
“If I was twenty years younger, I’d grab you up for myself.” She laughed, the joyful sound bringing a wide smile to my lips.
Even if she magically lost twenty years, she’d still be older than my mother, but I didn’t bother telling her that. “I bet you would.”
The rest of our meal was peppered with lighter conversation, and more laughter than I’d expected. I helped clean up after, and by the time I was ready to leave, both my stomach and heart were fuller.
On my way out the door, she handed me a plate of cookies. “For your late-night snack.” She winked. “I hope you find the right girl to share them with soon.”
“Me too,” I said with a warm smile.
But maybe it was already too late. Maybe I’d already found her but had let my chance slip by. Because there was no way in hell Melina would give me a second opportunity.
How often did lightning strike the same spot twice?