Three
Erin had never taken twenty minutes to get dressed before, not even when she had put on her work clothes that morning. But now it seemed like impressing was exactly what she was hoping to do, and now she was realizing that all she had were clothes that were perfect for relaxing and nothing else, or winter clothes she was going to wear on the mountain.
Then it came to a choice between something that almost approximated reasonably casual, or figure out a way to explain wearing a jacket and slacks to a casual coffee date.
She forced herself to choose the casual clothes, in spite of her mind immediately latching onto the chance to wear the usual suit. Something about it was alluring to her, even if it took her already decidedly average-at-best breasts and minimized them further until she looked like a man. The comfort, or the repeated self-assurance that she had brought it specifically to impress someone if the chance had arisen.
Now that it had, she realized how stupid that idea had been. She'd wasted space in her luggage by bringing it. Still, that was, at the very least, a good lesson if she ever took a second vacation. Leave work clothes at home, because no matter how much you like wearing them you're not going to wear them.
She made her way back downstairs, decidedly unhappy with her clothes. They made her look like a slob. Like the beach-bum kids who wore pajamas everywhere, and thought that was an appropriate look in public. She didn't think that, but she hadn't expected to go out much at all. Room service, nothing more.
Roy, on the other hand, looked every bit as good as she thought he would. Naturally broad shoulders and just enough muscle to look like he wouldn't run into trouble. He moved with a slow, easy grace now that he was off the skis. His clothes, on the other hand, weren't much better than hers. A sweater proclaiming his presumable graduation from University of Virginia that looked like he only wore it in the cold when he was at home sipping on hot chocolate, and well-worn blue jeans. The look seemed to fit him, though.
His face split into a grin when he saw that her coming out of the elevator.
"Hey, you all set?"
She hefted her purse in one hand to show that she had it, and he halfway-turned toward the resort restaurant, watching to see if she came along. They went through the fifteen-foot-wide door side-by-side. The sign said 'seat yourself,' so they did, settling into a table that would hopefully be visible enough for the waitress to see. Roy gave a small wave the minute she turned in their direction anyways.
"So, what brought you out here?"
Erin rolled her eyes. "Boss told me he was giving me a week's vacation whether I wanted it or not, so—"
"So you thought you'd come out here and take advantage of the season?"
"More or less. My parents used to live out East, right by a ski resort, so we'd go out every winter. Then my dad got a transfer, and a promotion to go with it, but he was too busy to take us out. By the time things slowed down, I was in college, and too busy for vacations."
"You sure we aren't related?" He laughed. "I have about the same story, only the other way 'round. We started in Colorado, then moved down to Alabama just in time for High School, so I could stick out like a sore thumb."
The waitress came up, and they gave their orders. Erin got herself a hot chocolate. Too much caffeine this late, and she'd never get to sleep. She didn't need an early morning, but that didn't mean that she was going to wreck her sleep schedule just because it was a vacation.
Roy raised his eyebrows when she suggested it, then gave a considering nod and changed his order from a plain coffee with cream to a hot chocolate as well.
He turned back. "You ever had sweet tea?"
"I don't think so. Nobody ever called it that, anyway."
"I'm sorry—I meant sweet-tea." He said it again, so that it sounded almost like it was one word, just running all together. "It's the state drink down there." He made a face and then used a mocking voice. "'You don't drink sweet-tea? Why, what on Earth—…' So I got into U Virginia, and didn't look back."
She nodded, smiled at the waitress who brought the mugs of hot chocolate over for them, and took a sip. Definitely hot, definitely chocolate.
"I'm sorry, I guess I should have asked. What did you study?"
"Oh, this and that." An avoidance. She hadn't read him wrong on the way up the mountain. Whatever he did for work, he sure as hell didn't want to talk about it.
"Were you good at this and that?"
"Graduated top of my class."
"And you still had time to get into the gym?" Erin pinched her lips to keep them twisting into a grin.
"Well, thank you for noticing, at least. Everyone I know is, aw, I dunno. Twice this big. Half of them, anyway. I'm the little guy."
"I know how you feel. I'm living in L.A. and it seems like any time you want to go to the beach, you see these guys with chests larger than mine."
"Oh, I'm sure you do alright for yourself." He smiled. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I'm not," she growled, her mind now stuck on the differences between them. Here she was, looking nothing like the ideal bimbo bodies who the gorillas usually had on their arms. And there he was, looking like he'd been the star quarterback in high school, and then in college, and then stayed in that shape ever since.
"Well—don't take this the wrong way, but I think you look great."
She wanted to tell him that he was either wrong or lying. She knew all about this act, since she heard it about once a month whenever someone thought they could get out of an interrogation by buttering her up.
But Roy wasn't a suspect, and he seemed for all the world like a nice enough guy. She needed to stop thinking about work, but it seemed as if it was the only way she could think about much of anything.
The waitress came around asking if they needed a refill, and Roy told her that they just needed a check. Erin pushed herself up, ostensibly to go to the bathroom, with every intention of catching the waitress and paying for the whole thing herself.
She took a step away, and Roy called after her to put it all on his room bill, after all. The dirty rotten scoundrel had beaten her at her own game! Erin couldn't help noticing that his room was on her floor. In fact, more than that, he was only a few doors down. The idea that he had been there, maybe grabbing a shower to warm up after the tumble he took on the mountain… only a few short and easy doors down…
Erin blushed. No. Down, girl.
She let her frustration play out in exaggerated strokes across her face as she sat back down.
"I knew it," Roy said, another smile twisting across his face. "You were planning on trying to take my win away from me, after all."
"And then you had to go and rain on my parade."
"How about I let you treat me if you can beat me tomorrow?"
Erin let a triumphant smile show. "Oh, sure. But this time, we'll be taking the big boy slopes."
Roy returned her smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."