Page 77 of Cole

The roads around the estate would be clear, however, as the grounds crew would have been working on them throughout the day.

A large clump of snow slid off a branch of the towering evergreen outside her window, its weight becoming more than the branch could handle. As the snow had fallen throughout the day, a quiet had settled over the forest surrounding her cabin.

It was the perfect day for staying inside with the fire going, so she’d done just that. She’d spent the morning working on more inventory for her website. Then, in the afternoon, she’d done some baking.

She didn’t bake a lot, but after watching some videos on social media she’d been inspired to try her hand at Christmas cookies. She’d ended up with a bunch of un-iced sugar cookies and some chocolate cookies, the recipe of which had sounded delicious.

The chocolate cookies were cooled and put away, so now she was going to tackle decorating the sugar cookies. She’d thought about asking Benji if he wanted to do some with her, but decided she’d rather be on her own.

There was a chance that Cole would call, and she wanted to be able to chat with him.

She missed him terribly. The team’s road trip had kept him busy, and their phone conversations had been shorter than usual.

During the times that they’d been able to connect, something had felt off. There’d been a tension in his voice she couldn’t quite place. When she’d asked if everything was okay, he’d assured her it was just the pressure of the games.

Annie sighed, watching her breath fog the window. She traced a small heart in the condensation, then quickly wiped it away. Such a childish gesture, but her feelings for Cole had awakened something in her—a part of herself she’d kept carefully guarded.

The phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. Her heart leapt, hoping it might be Cole, but the screen displayed Benji’s name instead.

“Hey,” she answered, trying to hide her disappointment.

“You sound thrilled to hear from me,” Benji teased.

“Sorry, I was just… thinking.”

“About a certain basketball player, I assume?”

Annie smiled despite herself. “Maybe.”

“Well, I was calling to see if you wanted company. I’ve got some homework to finish up, then I thought I’d come over. We could decorate those cookies you mentioned making.”

She hesitated. Part of her still wanted solitude in case Cole called, but the rational side of her knew having Benji around would be a welcome distraction.

“Sure, that sounds nice.”

“Great. I’ll head over around seven. Dad called earlier, by the way. Said he might be here tomorrow.”

Annie’s grip tightened on her mug. “Did he say why?”

“Just to check in, I think. You know how he gets around the holidays.”

Yes, she did know. Their father’s holiday visits often came with subtle reminders about family obligations, security concerns, and the importance of maintaining their privacy. Since she’d started seeing Cole, those reminders had become more frequent.

“Right,” she said finally. “See you at seven.”

After hanging up, Annie walked to the fireplace and added another log. The flames crackled and danced, casting warm shadows across the room. She settled onto the couch with her hot chocolate and stared into the fire.

Her mind drifted to Cole—to his warm laugh, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, how safe she’d felt in his arms. And yet, no matter how close they became, if she failed to reveal everything about herself to him, they’d never truly be close.

Following her conversation with her dad, she’d given it lots of thought, trying to come up with the best way to tell him everything.

Annie knew she could trust him. She just didn’t know how he’d feel about her not telling him right away. Or worse, how he might react because of who she was.

She didn’t think that her wealth would be an added draw for Cole. But it could very well be a drawback for him. Not every man would want the hassles that would come with dating her. And it was possible that Cole might be one of those men.

She knew her dad wouldn’t wait long before forcing her hand with Cole. That he’d waited this long surprised her. But perhaps that was why he was coming home the next day.

Closing her eyes, Annie bent her head, clasping the warm mug close to her chest.

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