Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
I jumped to my feet, taking in his red, ruddy face. “Where were you?”
“Hunting and gathering. Acquiring provisions.”
“Where?”
“First, I went to the gas station.” He traipsed over to the kitchenette and set the bags on the counter, getting snow all over the floor. “Plenty of canned and dry goods, although woefully lacking in fresh organic produce and artisanal cheeses. But I managed to find enough things for dinner.”
“Why do we need dinner? What happened to the tow truck?”
He shrugged. “Can’t get to us until tomorrow.”
“Shit!” I put my hands in my hair. “You mean we’re stranded here another night?”
“Looks like it. But the snow is going to slow down after midnight, and the towing guy said he’ll get to us first thing in the morning. And don’t worry, we have groceries and good wine, and I will prepare and serve a delicious emergency feast for you.” He pulled out a box of pasta and a couple cans of tomato sauce from the bags. “When I stopped in the office to book another night, I even asked Rose if I could borrow a few things from her pantry, and she graciously provided them free of charge. You might not dine like a queen tonight, but I’ll do my best to make you feel like one.”
I folded my arms, watching as he stuck a couple things in the mini-fridge. “Thanks.”
“And . . .” He opened another bag and pulled out a sweatshirt. Unfolding it, he held it up against his chest. “Tada. Clean clothes. I bought one for each of us.”
I laughed as I took in the logo on the front. “Merch from the Pineview Motel?”
“Exactly. Now we’ll have a souvenir of our romantic time here together.” He tossed the sweatshirt at me. “Sorry about the size, XL is all they had.”
“It’s fine. Thank you.”
“And.” He pulled out a pair of navy blue snow pants. “They’re from the motel lost and found, but Rose says they’re clean. She washed them.”
“Thanks.” I took them from him. “Am I supposed to sleep in them?”
“No. But I thought we could take a walk.” He balled up the empty plastic bags and stuck them in his duffel. “Unless you’d rather stay in, get naked, and let me do unspeakable things to your body.”
“Let’s take a walk,” I said, stepping into the snow pants. “I could use some fresh air.”
“Sounds good to me. Maybe we’ll find some truffles in the forest I can use for our dinner.”
“Sure,” I said, zipping the pants, which actually fit nicely. “Or some sort of wild game you can take down with your bare hands. Venison or pheasant.”
“I am good with my hands.” Gianni scooped up his gloves and tugged them on, his smile turning cocky. “But you know what?”
“What?”
“You are too.”
His comment surprised me and sent a warm rush through my body as our eyes locked and the memory of last night passed between us. I glanced at the bed, realizing we’d have to spend another night in it together. I cleared my throat. “Come on. Let’s go.”
We bundled up, strapped into the snowshoes we’d borrowed, and traipsed into the woods behind the motel, following a path between the birches and maples and evergreens.
Snow fell around us, but we were sheltered from the worst of the storm, and it was quiet and peaceful along the trail. Soft gray light filtered through the leafless tree branches and needles of the pines. I took deep breaths of air that smelled like winter—woodsy and sharp with cold, a hint of smoke from a nearby fireplace. A few icy breezes occasionally whispered through the trees, but the loudest sound was from the snow crunching beneath our feet. My muscles grew warm.
Neither Gianni nor I spoke for a while, and I surprised myself when I broke the silence with, “I was worried about you.”
He glanced at me. “When?”
“When I woke up and you were gone.”
He laughed, his breath creating puffs of white. “Sorry. I guess I should have told you what I was doing. But you were so tired, and I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Yeah. I needed that nap.”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “Are you feeling better?”
“I guess so.”
“Good. Because it was only one thing that didn’t happen. Your ultimate goal is to grow awareness of your brand, and there are other ways to do that. You don’t need Fiona Duff.”
“You’re right.” I took another lungful of bracing air. “I’ll brainstorm some new ideas when we’re back.”
“I’d be glad to help you.”
“Thanks.” I snuck a glance at him, and his profile made my body feel hot beneath my clothing. “Look at us getting along. Maybe it is the end of the world.”
“Does that mean we can have sex again tonight?”
“Nope.”
“Why not? Last night was fun, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” I agreed. “But it happened before we were friends. Now that we have a friendship, we’d better not ruin it.”