Page 48 of The Princess and the Pizza Man

Winter blissfully sighed down at the couple just below the balcony. Mel had a blush that could rival Will’s famous red ears as Alexander brushed her hair behind her ear. The moment he’d arrived that Monday for a weeklong stay at Frostville, Winter knew they’d hit it off. He was as outgoing as they come, his giant hugs and elaborate stories lighting up every conversation. Winter had convinced Mel to stay for the week, to get some R and R after a successful murder mystery. Then she’d strategically moved them together, like opposite ends of magnets. And they snapped together almost immediately.

There was such an overwhelming sense of satisfaction every time she made a match, but something was off about it this time. It might have been the fact she’d failed last week, but what hit her the most was that it just wasn’t as much fun when she had no one to celebrate with.

She pulled her phone out, leaning on the concrete railing overlooking the drive and tapping a message to Will. It wasn’t the same as having him physically here, but it was at least something.

The sound of a car disarming drifted her gaze back to the drive. Michael had a hefty duffel bag on his shoulder as he took long and fast strides toward the silver car parked in the employee parking.

“Hey!” she called out. He swiveled around and shielded his eyes from the sun. “Where are you going?” Michael had planned to stay the whole week, and checking out a few days early wasn’t like him.

“I let her slip away, Princess!” he shouted back, his arms out in defeat. “I fell hard and fast for the woman of my dreams, and I just let her go. So I’m going to go get her.”

Winter’s shoulders shook with amusement, her head tilted to the side. “Who?”

He turned toward his car, shouting back over his shoulder as he slung the duffel into the trunk. “Maybelle!”

It was a good thing there was a railing in front of her, otherwise she would’ve toppled right over the edge. She righted herself, blinking fast and furious as she tried to connect those dots that just didn’t make sense, but the more she thought about them… they completely did.

That first night Michael had run from the room right before the big scene. Winter had passed it off as just a brilliant mislead, but maybe he’d been captivated by Maybelle only to have her attention solely on Garreth. He’d been in the gardens that night she’d spied on Garreth and Bells, visibly upset and hurt. But at the pool, they were polite and friendly… Now almost too friendly, as she thought about it. He’d tried to convince her to come into the water, but when she refused, he’d hoisted himself out and sat with her. Michael loved the pool days—she should’ve known he’d only stay out of the water for a woman.

He barely flirted with anyone last week, and he was absent far more than usual. Winter thought she was the one distracted and distant, but maybe…

Maybelle had fallen for someone over the week, but it wasn’t Garreth. No wonder she’d been so upset; she was torn between two men instead of one, and when she’d made her choice, Michael had let her go.

She pushed on the railing, calling out to him before he shut the driver door. “Wait!” He was going to Alabama. He was driving hours just to tell the woman he loved how he felt. Winter wanted to leap over the balcony edge and slide into the passenger seat. If this was her moment to right the wrong she’d made last week by letting Will drive away without knowing just how deeply she cared for him, she was going to take it. “I… I want to come with you!”

Michael grinned. “Well, come on, then.”

She let out a squeal and hurried inside to pack. If she was going to see Will, she was going to bring her most insensible shoes, just so he could tease her about them.

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