Page 89 of An Irresistible Force (Vancouver Vice)

He nodded. “Is that okay with you?”

“Oh definitely. I haven’t been here in years. We did a family holiday when I was little.” Tofino was a town with hippie/surfer roots that had evolved into a world-class tourist destination because of its gorgeous natural beauty. The long, sometimes hazardous drive made it slightly inaccessible in the winter—unless you flew here like we had.

We deplaned and walked against a strong wind towards a small parking lot. A tall, middle-aged woman got out of her car and waved at us. Chris carried our suitcases over to the big Jeep she was standing beside.

“Chris? I’m Mary Stepchuk. Nice to meet you. I’ve made all the arrangements you wanted.” She handed Chris the keys to the Jeep. “Just follow me and I’ll take you to the house.”

We hopped into the Jeep and followed Mary’s car along the highway and down a turnoff. We finally pulled up at the back of a large A-framed cedar house. Mary opened the back door. “Go right inside, right up to the front.”

I followed the fading sunlight to huge picture windows where I could see the ocean with crashing waves and a sandy beach. The setting sun reflected fiery orange in the water and the clouds.

“This looks gorgeous,” I said.

“Doesn’t it?” Mary agreed. “This house has one of the best views on Chesterman Beach. Not that there’s a bad view along here.” She gave us a brief rundown on the features of the house. “I’ll let you explore yourself. Chris, here’s a little information package on things to do, and please call me if you have any questions at all. We have some world-class restaurants here, so I made dinner reservations at one tonight and another tomorrow. Things can be busy here on weekends. Everything is listed here.”

Chris flashed his easy grin. “Thank you so much, Mary.”

“No problem.” She smiled at us. “Have a wonderful weekend.”

Once we were alone, I turned to Chris. “I can’t believe you did all this planning. Everything is incredible.”

He laughed. “I stole the idea from Dori. Don’t you remember her getting all excited about coming here? When I get back, I’ll tell them what a great time we had and Jes’ll be in big trouble until he takes her too.”

“Wow, that puts the pressure on us to have fun,” I said. But who was I kidding? How could this weekend be anything but heaven? Being alone with Chris in a beautiful house in a gorgeous setting was another dream coming true—this time a dream I’d never even had. Still, I felt a little uneasy. Was it something he did all the time—the perfect, over-the-top date? Or was it something more?

“Want to check out the place?”

“Sure, and get changed. I’m feeling a little over dressed.” I grabbed my suitcase and we went upstairs. The whole place was beautifully furnished in a modern country cottage way. The furniture was clean-lined and comfy, and the accessories were quirky things like old bowling pins and a rusty trike. It was fun and relaxing. “What a lovely house.”

Chris smiled. “You’re so enthusiastic. I always expect you to have seen everything and done everything.”

“Daddy was a big believer in a ‘normal’ family life,” I explained with air quotes. “What people think my life is like is probably way better than the reality.”

The upstairs was equally nice. There were three bedrooms, including a spacious master with an even better view and a king-sized bed covered with colourful quilts. The bed made me oddly nervous. I tried to summon up all the confidence I’d had the night of the gala, but I couldn’t. Wearing nice clothes wasn’t helping. Chris seemed to have grown in the past two weeks—he was so confident and competent at work and also today at the funeral—while I felt like I had shrunk.

“I’ll just get changed, and maybe we can go out for a walk before dinner?” I deposited my suitcase in the doorway of one of the smaller bedrooms.

“What are you doing?” Chris asked.

“Putting my suitcase in my room.”

“Argh! You are the most infuriating woman ever.”

“Me?”

“Yes! Why do you keep pushing me away? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing, there is nothing wrong with you.” And that was the problem. He was the perfect guy, and I was so far from being the perfect woman. There was no way that this could end well. “This whole place is amazing and beautiful. I know you’re grateful for the other night, but you didn’t have to do all this.”

Chris scowled. “I know I didn’t have to do this. Iwantedto do it!” He came closer, and I backed away instinctively. His expression softened. “You’re not afraid of me are you?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t afraid of Chris. I was afraid of letting my guard down with him. He was everything I’d ever wanted in a man but never thought I could have. “I just don’t feel like we match up. You need someone more glamorous.”

He cradled my face in his strong hands. “For some reason, you think that I date models and actresses. But that’s not true. And besides, that’s all in the past. I’ve finally realized what I want in a girlfriend.”

“What’s that?” I breathed. Was the sound ringing in my ears the noise of the crashing waves or the pounding beat of my heart?

“I want someone to go to funerals with.”

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