Page 3 of A Season of Second Chances
"Joy needs a room, go ahead and give it to her." I nod toward her. "She slid into the ditch on the highway, and she ain't getting out until all this calms down." I motion for Joy to step up to the counter. "It's on the house, she's an old friend."
Joy turns to me, with her mouth open, no doubt ready to argue. "It will be a company expense..."
"One room being given away for a few days isn't going to make or break the books. If it will, then we shouldn't be in business. Give me the key," I reach over the counter and snag the key card. "C'mon, I'll walk you up." Grabbing the handle of her suitcase, I drag it along behind me as we walk over to the elevator.
"Thank you," she says as we step onto the elevator. "You didn't have to do any of this, and you didn't have to be nice about it either."
I shrug, because I don't want to examine that any further. "You're welcome. I didn't know it was you when I stopped, but that wouldn't have prevented me from doing it."
When we get to the third floor, the doors open, and we step out. Walking down the hall, I come to a stop in front of the door and swipe the keycard. We go inside, and I turn the lights on, putting her suitcase next to the bed.
"Oh my God, Winter. This room is gorgeous."
"Yeah." I try to see it the way she is, but the fact is this is the room I come in the least. "This is the best one in the lodge, in my opinion. The view is the best, but it's one of the smallest ones, and not many come here as solo travelers. Usually if I have to stay here, this is my room."
"I'm not keeping you from that am I?" She questions, already walking over to her suitcase, preparing to grab it.
"No, I can make it home. It's just a couple miles behind the Lodge. If you need anything, don't hesitate to pick up the phone and ask for it. The desk is available twenty-four hours. There's a kitchen too, so if you're hungry, I can get someone to make you dinner."
Her stomach picks that moment to make a loud noise.
She laughs, her face flaming red. "That would be nice if they don't mind. I hate to ask, I know everyone has probably tucked in for the night."
"It's no big deal. Carol loves to take care of people, and it'll give her something to do. Late nights at the desk can sometimes wear on her." More than once she's told me that if she didn't love me as the son she never had, she would've packed up and left because she gets bored. "I'll take you back downstairs."
"You don't have to babysit me," her tone is annoyed as she answers.
Babysitting isn't what I've ever wanted to do for her. "Just humor me, okay?"
Blowing out a frustrated breath, she rolls her eyes. "Okay, let me take off some of these layers. I'll be a few minutes."
She heads for the bathroom, and I turn around to give her a little bit of privacy. This room is small, but it's as if the two of us have sucked the air out of it. Which makes sense, we've never lacked for chemistry. Even when we were teenagers. Being in these close quarters reminds of me one night after a state championship basketball game. It'd started snowing on the way there, but since we were already on the way, none of the kids had wanted to turn around, so we kept going. By the time the game was over, the roads had gotten worse and there was no way a bunch of high school students could be trusted driving themselves home.
Instead those who had cool parents had called one of the local hotels and gotten approved for credit cards to be put on file, and groups of kids to stay in rooms. It was one of the funnest nights of my life, and one of my best memories from my high school years. Joy and I had stayed in a room by ourselves, and it'd given me a glimpse of what our life could be like once we were out of school and married.
Little did I know, that memory would have to see me through the rest of lives, because we never had one like it again.
Three
Joy
When I come out, he's got a far-off look in his eyes, and a slight smile spread across his face. "What are you thinking about?"
The smile deepens, showcasing the crinkles at his eyes. "That night you and I got a hotel room as two kids in high school."
The memory hits me like a shock, invigorating the tiredness from my body. "That was one of the best times of my life, even today. We had fun didn't we?"
"Fun?" He walks over to where I stand, and on instinct, I back away until my back hits the opposite wall. "We had more than fun, right?"
He's crowding into me, and I still remember the smell of his cologne. It's the same one he's wearing tonight. Where teenage Winter had been lanky and unsure of himself, this man standing in front of me, knows what he's doing. With an arm, he reaches up over my head and presses his forearm against the wall, boxing me in. This version of him is full of swagger, and the confidence he didn't have back then.
"Yeah," I admit, lowering my eyes to his mouth. "We did have a little bit more than fun, even though neither one of us knew what we were doing." Without a doubt, we would both know what we're doing this time.
He pushes back from the wall, as if he's realizing how close we are. His eyes meet mine, and he shakes his head. "What were the odds, Joy? You getting stuck outside of Cedar Lodge, and me being the one to find you?"
I put a little space between us, just enough for me to catch my breath. "I don't know, but there was probably a reason, right?" Most everything in our lives, there's been a reason, even if we didn't know it at the time.
"More than likely there was. C'mon, let's go get some dinner. I haven't eaten yet either."
