Page 31 of The Christmas Lodge
While the bath was filling, she donned a fluffy white robe and grabbed the bottle of wine she’d bought at Burkman’s Grocery earlier that week. The grocery store had been a good place for her to grab some snacks and fixings to keep in the tiny kitchenette in her room—really just a mini-fridge hidden in a cabinet—for the times when she didn’t want to eat at the inn or go to a restaurant. Uncorking the wine, she poured a generous glass for herself and, on impulse, grabbed her cell phone as well. She wanted to talk through the confusing web of her thoughts and feelings, and she hoped Madeline would have time even though it was the middle of the afternoon.
I would never do this back home, Lacy realized as she lowered herself into the warmth of the water.I never had the time… or I guess, I neverletmyself take the time.
She sighed with pleasure, wiggling a little as she got comfortable, and closed her eyes. The water soothed her, though her muscles had stopped aching as she’d gotten used to the physical labor of working on the mansion. No, the ache within her this time was emotional, not physical, but relaxing in her hotel room was already soothing away the thoughts that had plagued her at the restaurant.
She pulled in a deep breath then sank completely beneath the water, letting it envelop her completely and feeling, just for a moment, like she was weightless in the water. The sensation pleased her, so different from her usual feet-on-the-ground businesslike mentality. Coming back up for air, she decided to call Madeline. She felt more sure of herself now, less wounded and raw, but she still wanted to get her friend’s take on everything. Drying one hand on the towel hanging by the bathtub, she reached for her phone. After hitting Madeline’s contact, she pressed the speakerphone option and listened to the ringing fill the small bathroom. After a few rings, Madeline picked up, her greeting blaring and echoing off the bathroom walls. Wincing a little, Lacy adjusted the volume.
“Madeline, you’ll never guess where I am right now.”
“Well, I just finished up asix hourmeeting with therudestclient, so literally wherever you are is better than here,” Madeline grumped.
Lacy bit back a laugh. “Oh, you’re going to kill me then. I’m soaking in a warm bath. In the middle of the afternoon. Just because I can.”
Madeline groaned. “Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me! Look at you, just living it up over there. You do realize I’m insanelyjealous right now.”
“I knew you would be,” Lacy teased. “Why do you think I called you?”
“To rub it in that you’ve got this awesome vacation while some of us are still slogging it out in the corporate trenches.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lacy cooed.
“Well, you sound so happy, Lace—I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but have you ever thought about staying up there? I mean, you’ve got a mansion, so…”
Lacy’s head jerked back a little at Madeline’s unexpected comment and she gave a startled laugh. “Stay here? In Snowy Pine Ridge? I don’t think so.”
Even as the words left her mouth, Lacy felt a tiny tug in her chest that felt suspiciously like regret. Her life in St. Louis, while successful, was so…busy. Every moment. All the time. She barely had time to take care of herself, carving out a few hours once a week on Saturday mornings, and that no longer felt like enough. Besides, St. Louis was crowded, but it felt simultaneously lonely and isolating. Everyone hurried past each other, eager to get to where they were going. In Snowy Pine Ridge, everyone seemed to know each other, and warm greetings and long conversations seemed to be the norm. There was something appealing about that, especially since Madeline had lost all of her family.
What would it be like to always feel surrounded by warmth and love?
Lacy shook off the question, not ready to add another issue to the heavy thoughts that had come up at lunch. She decided to fill Madeline in on her date with Derek. “Remember when you asked me if I’d found some hot backwoods lumberjack?”
“Do I ever! And you brought up some hottie that races on sleds or something?”
“His name is Derek,” Lacy reminded her, “and he’s a dogsledder, but yes. So… he and I went on a date today. He took me dogsledding for the first time.”
“Shut up! Did you actually enjoy that?”
“I didn’t expect to, but it was actually really nice. On the mountain trails with all that fresh air and all the scenery—”
“And a hot guy’s got his arms around you,” Madeline interrupted, and Lacy laughed.
“Okay, I’ll admit that didn’t hurt.”
“Well, it sounds way better than my dating life. I was supposed to meet up with some guy for drinks last night, but he stood me up. Never even bothered to text and tell me he wasn’t going to be there.”
“You’re kidding,” Lacy groaned. “Why do guys do that?”
“I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. It’s about par for the course with my other dating app experiences. Seriously, whatisit with the men in this city? I always seem to match with hotshot finance bros that only care about themselves. They act like they’re still frat boys in college, but they’re in their forties! Come on!”
Lacy sank deeper into the tub, letting the water lap against her chin as she listened to Madeline talk about her woeful dating life. She could commiserate—she’d had her fair share of bad dates in St. Louis as well. Going out with Derek that day had been one of the best dates she’d ever had, and she knew it wasn’t just because Derek was an incredible guy. Seeing more of the scenery in the mountains, trying out a local restaurant, simply being in Snowy Pine Ridge… well, she was starting to realize how special this town was, which was something she had never anticipated.
I may only be here for a short time,she thought, wiggling her toes in the water,but I’m going to enjoy every minute that I’m here.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
After mulling it over for a solid week, Colette had finally come to a decision. It was the article in the newspaper that clinched the decision for her, really—she was going to seek out Lacy Preston and invite her to meet Emma. She hadn’t told Emma about her decision, of course, but she figured in this case it was best to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
Friday afternoon, after Emma had settled in her room for her daily afternoon nap, Colette had shrugged on her coat and quietly left the house. At first she had considered going to The Snowy Pine, but that felt too intimate. It was there as a last resort, but she had heard around town, as well as from Derek, that Lacy liked to hang out with Sarah at Sweet Thing Bakery. Crossing her fingers and hurrying down the sidewalk, shoulders hunched against the freezing wind, Colette paused by the entrance to the bakery. Although she knew she had every right to go in, she felt a little guilty, like something of a stalker.
