That Snowy Night

3. Delilah

Chapter Three

Delilah

“Go ahead,” Alex replied. “I called ahead when I left Willow Brook, so I’m already checked in. I’m assuming you guys are too?” He glanced at Holly and Nate.

“Of course. We were waiting for you so we can get dinner together. Why don’t you join us for dinner after you check in?” Holly suggested, looking at me.

Seeing as I knew absolutely no one here, other than Alex and now them, I had no easy way to refuse. Not that I wanted to. “That would be nice. Let me check in so I can drop off my bag and freshen up.”

“I’m going to go check out my room,” Alex said, just as I started to turn away. “How about we all meet back here in about fifteen minutes?”

“Sure,” I replied before heading over to the line at the reception desk.

A cluster of guests hummed around me, but I barely noticed. My mind was still reeling over running into Alex like this.

The nearly electric force of his presence had sharpened the edges of my memories of him. Although my attraction to him had been unsettling in its power before, I had forgotten how easy it was to be around him. He was funny, charming, and gracious. He exuded a confident masculinity. It didn’t hurt that he was so freaking handsome with his dark blond hair and espresso eyes.

When I got to the front of the line, a woman with auburn hair and jade eyes smiled over at me. “Hi there, how are you this evening?”

“Considering I skidded off the highway on the way here from Anchorage, I’m doing quite all right,” I replied with a wry laugh.

“Oh, no! Are you okay? How did you get here?” Her questions came in rapid succession. “I’m Marley, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Delilah Carter. I was lucky enough that another guest on the way here stopped to check on me and gave me a ride. Conveniently, he wasn’t a stranger. I’m feeling a bit like I’m in a movie. I still can’t believe I ran into someone I know on the side of a snowy highway all the way across the country from where I live.”

Marley grinned. “That’s wild. If you don’t mind me asking, who gave you a ride?”

“Alex Blake. Do you know him?”

“Oh, Alex. Of course I know him! He comes down here pretty often for weekend ski trips with friends and also does mechanic work at the airport every so often.”

“So I learned,” I returned with a smile. During the remainder of our drive, Alex and I had caught up with each other, so I had a sketch of his life.

“Well, let me look up your room,” Marley said, glancing down. “What name is the reservation under again?”

“Mine. Delilah Carter. It was originally under Remy Martin,” I explained, referring to an old friend who moved from North Carolina to Alaska. “They had a change of plans.”

Marley clicked on the keyboard, and I could see her hand moving the mouse to scroll. When the moment stretched on, my gut churned. As her eyes met mine again, she looked concerned, her brow furrowing and her mouth twisting to the side.

“I’m sorry, we don’t seem to have a reservation for you. I found the record, but it looks like it was accidentally canceled instead of replacing Remy’s name with yours. There’s a notation with your name, and there’s no r****d listed, so I absolutely know it’s our mistake. The problem is we’re booked solid. I am so, so sorry,” Marley explained.

My chest felt tight, and tears pressed hot at the backs of my eyes. I’d been trying to keep it together for too long, and it had just been that kind of day and that kind of year. It was a fitting end for everything, a dollop of one more thing going wrong on top of my train wreck of a year.

Marley clearly sensed my distress even though I hadn’t said a word.

“Obviously, we will offer you another stay at no charge,” she said quickly. “Unfortunately, I’ll have to see if we can find another place for you because we are at capacity.”

I swallowed, ignoring the tears stinging my eyes. “Um, okay, that would be great.”

Right then, Alex materialized at my side. “All checked in?” he asked.

I truly craved the power to go up in smoke and remove myself from this situation. I wasn’t up for rolling with the punches at this moment. I’d had an over twelve-hour flight to get here and managed to keep my spirits up even when I skidded off the road. I couldn’t seem to scramble up my composure, but I tried.

“Um, not really. Seems like my reservation got messed up. Marley, here, is going to find me somewhere else to stay,” I explained with a tight smile.

Alex sensed my obvious distress because his arm slid around my shoulders as he leaned over to ask Marley something. I prayed I wasn’t going to burst into tears in front of him, Marley, and the people milling about the reception area.

My eyes bounced around, taking in the holiday decorations. Evergreen wreaths were hung in a few places with cheerful holiday lights strung along the ceiling and winding around the doorways.

My brain cued in finally, and I picked up on the thread of Alex and Marley’s conversation. “I promise, Alex. I will find her somewhere else to stay, and she’ll get two free weeks here whenever she wants. The only problem is we’re totally booked at the moment. There simply isn’t anywhere for me to put her.”

“You can share my room,” Alex said firmly.

“Are you …?” I stopped talking when he shook his head.

“If you’re about to ask me if I’m sure, of course I’m sure. You’re here for a ski vacation, so you’ll have one. What Marley probably doesn’t want to tell you just yet is that the likelihood of her finding another place for you to stay this time of year is slim to none.”

Marley grimaced. “Alex, you never know.”

“It’s a good bet you won’t. Almost everything is closed as far as hotels except for you.” His eyes shifted to me again. “I’ll sleep on the pullout couch. The bed is all yours. You’re here for a vacation, so you should have one. Even if Marley finds you a place, this is the only ski lodge around. It’s a great place to be over the holidays.”

As I stood there staring at Alex, I didn’t know what to say. What I wanted was my own room for the escape I had sought in coming here. With that slipping out of my grasp, I didn’t want to be floundering to find another place.

Breaking from Alex’s gaze, I looked over at Marley. “Tell me seriously. What are my chances of finding another place?”

Marley sighed. “Not great,” she said with a frown. “I promise we’ll get you a free stay here. You pick the time, and we’ll make it happen. I’m really, really sorry about this. Honestly, I’d offer to let you stay in our private quarters, but we have family visiting for the holidays, so there’s no extra space anywhere.”

Calling on my depleted reserves of sanity, I took a deep breath and nodded at her before looking back at Alex. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, let’s bunk together. I’ll pay—” I began.

Alex shook his head. “You’re not paying for anything. The room’s already covered.” He didn’t wait for my reply. “Come on then.” He steered me firmly away from the reception desk. It was only then I noticed the line of people stacking up behind me.

I wanted to curl up into Alex’s warmth and strength, which made no sense. For God’s sake, I barely knew him. A heady two weeks of crushing on him that culminated in a few crazy hot kisses when we were teenagers almost fifteen years ago didn’t translate to knowing him well. I took a deep breath and tried to shake some sanity into my brain as he steered us through the crowded reception area and down a side hallway where we stopped in front of a bank of elevators.

I looked up at him, intending to thank him, but the doors swished open, and a cluster of people spilled out, filling the space with voices and laughter. We filed into the empty elevator, and quiet descended when the doors shut behind us. Alex tapped a button for the third floor.

The moment I looked into his dark gaze, my heart did a little flip, and my belly spun. In this tiny, enclosed space, my body fizzled with awareness. My mind flashed to those kisses so many years ago when I was younger. Even then, I had been cynical. But oh, I hadn’t forgotten how those kisses felt. Most definitely not.

The air filled with sparks. I distantly wondered if I was crazy. It was dawning on me that it might be a challenge to share a room with Alex for a week.