Page 59 of The Love Dare
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
winnie
When they finally arrive atthe hotel, Winnie practically falls off the bus and rolls into the lobby. She collapses onto the first couch she sees, quickly followed by her friends. Cynthia and Harper drop their heads on her shoulders, while Charlotte drapes her legs over their laps. They’re a verifiable heap of limbs and puffy jackets.
“I need a hydrating sheet mask pronto.” Charlotte sighs and pushes her fingers into her cheeks. “My skin is like sandpaper after all that travel.”
“I need a latte,” Winnie groans.
“I need a doughnut,” Cynthia grumbles.
“I need a nap.”
Harper’s dry quip makes Winnie smile despite the exhaustion. She peeks down at her friend. “I’m pretty sure you spent the past two hours drooling on the bus window.”
“Pictures or it didn’t happen,” Harper answers through a yawn, already starting to close her eyes again.
“They confiscated our phones, remember?” Charlotte chimes in, still poking at her face.
“Mmm.” Harper gives a sleepy grin. “Too bad.”
“Where the hell are we, anyway?” Winnie asks, her curiosity proving stronger than her exhaustion. The vast lobby is what she would describe as rustic chic, wide stone floors leading to a central rock garden surrounded by a spiral iron staircase, all accented by the natural wooden grains of the exposed ceiling and walls. It’s dark but cozy, guiding her eyes easily through the interior to the sweeping veranda on the other side—rolling green hills, sharp mountain peaks, snowcaps in the distance, and a small, still lake reflecting back the perfectly blue sky. It’s similar to the view from the bus, but unlike anything she’s seen before. Iceland is ridiculously beautiful. While most of the girls smartly took the time on the drive to catch up on sleep, Winnie was glued to the window, watching the landscape shift from black lava rubble to mossy hills spotted with sheep to sharp cliffs and glistening waterfalls. Every so often, she looked over at Cynthia, the only other girl awake, and they shared a glance of silent wonder.
They’re paying for it now though.
A yawn rips through her at the same time as a little bell chimes. All the women jolt. A hotel employee suddenly appears, brandishing the same silver tray they’ve all come to love and loathe. A single white envelope rests on top.
“A date?” Cynthia groans. “Seriously?”
“That’s just cruel,” Charlotte adds as they watch Victoria make a mad dash across the lobby.
Winnie can barely even move her eyes fast enough to follow. “How is she so peppy right now?”
“Adderall,” Harper comments.
Charlotte needles her in the ribs. “Staaaap.”
“Ow, no, ow,” Harper half moans, half laughs as she squirms. “I’m too tired for tickles right now.”
“Shh!”
They quiet down as Victoria rips open the envelope. She scans the page, her expression darkening. She seems to read it again, her fingertips turning white as she tightens her grip on the small paper. Her nostrils flare. She clenches her jaw. Then, as if remembering the cameras, she suddenly looks up as happy as a clam as she takes a deep inhale and forces a smile to her lips.
“Winnie,” she starts, unable to quite erase the grit from her voice. “Let’sexploreour love. Tyler.”
If looks could kill, Victoria’s would burn Winnie to a crisp on the spot, but she’s too shocked to care. Hers was the absolute last name she expected to be on that card. They practically had a one-on-one the night of the puzzle ceremony. She never in a million years thought the producers would allow her to see him again so soon.
“Me?” Winnie blurts like an idiot.
Victoria rolls her eyes, drops the ruined card on the tray, and stomps back to her seat.
Winnie glances between her friends. “She said me, right?”
They squeeze her forearms and nod vigorously. She jumps to her feet as a rush of adrenaline pumps through her.
“I have to get ready!” Winnie stammers as she glances about the lobby, looking for her suitcase. “Where are we going? What should I wear?”
“You have twenty minutes.” Nina steps forward, pulling Winnie’s luggage behind her. “Dress warm.”
