Chapter Eleven
Dina stared at an unwelcome visitor sitting on his suitcases in front of her house. This wasn’t what she needed right now. Finally, after two weeks of coming home after eight or nine, she had finished up early and promised herself a bath and a spaghetti dinner.
It didn’t help that seeing Dom turned her stomach and made her second-guess the bag of groceries on the backseat.
It was weird. She was actually kind of embarrassed that she was ever attracted to this man, especially in front of Sam. It probably did make Sam question her taste level or, worse yet, himself.
She let out a deep, frustrated sigh and turned off her car as Dom stood up from his suitcases and stared at her. She held in a laugh when she realized he was attempting to give her his best version of puppy-dog eyes. The willies swam through her as she thought back to all the times that expression had worked.
What had she been thinking?
Letting out one last grunt, she swung her car door open and crawled out before grabbing the groceries off her backseat.
“What are you doing here, Dom?” she asked, balancing the paper bag on her hip.
Of course, he didn’t offer to help.
He never did, so why would he change now?
All things she should have been asking herself along the way to the multiple engagements.
“The hotel is overbooked, and my reservation got canceled.”
Dina’s mind flashed back to Sam’s call. Had he canceled Dom’s room? She twisted her lips into a scowl and stared at the ground.
“Still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“I don’t have a place to stay and my interview isn’t for two days.”
Her brows shot up and she shook her head in disbelief. “So you expect to stay at my place for those two days?”
“Four, actually. My flight out of Seattle isn’t for four days.”
She stared at his two suitcases, wondering why he needed so much luggage for only four days.
“Well, unfortunately, I don’t have time to babysit you. I’m sure if you call around, you’ll be able to find a place to stay.” She tried to glide past him to her front door, but he was making it extremely difficult with his items sprawled out on her porch.
“Why not here?” he asked.
She balanced the bag of groceries between her hip and the door. She didn’t bother to turn around. Instead, she unlocked her door and let out a sigh.
“Because I’m tired of being nice to you,” she said simply, walking into her home and shutting the door behind her.
She’d finally gotten to a place in life where she’d say what came to mind, but now instead of living with the regret of what she should have said in the situation, she lived with the guilt of what she had said in the situation. She wasn’t sure that was much better.
Dina plopped the bag of groceries on the counter and let out an annoyed groan. She doubted Sam thought that Dom would’ve shown up at her doorstep for the night.
Unless this was Sam’s way of getting back at her for ignoring him for two weeks. She chuckled to herself and started unloading her groceries as her mind wandered back to Dom.
What was she going to do with him?
She hated the guilt flooding her system. Why couldn’t she be a jerk and not care that he might sleep on a park bench overnight? It would serve him right for all he’d put her through.
She rolled her eyes at her annoyingly nice self, picked up the phone, and dialed her best friend.
“Hey, do you have any room at the inn?” Dina asked Autumn the moment she picked up.
There was no time for niceties.
“For how long? Did something go wrong with your rental?” Autumn asked.
“No. It’s not for me,” Dina confessed, feeling the sudden fatigue hit her again.
She stifled a yawn and glanced outside to see Dom staring at his phone.
“The Blackberry Patch B&B has room tonight but no room tomorrow night,” she said in her official tone.
“Okay. Can I send Dom over for tonight?”
“I thought he was staying at the lodge?” Autumn asked, confused.
“I think Sam was taking care of more than we knew today when he called over to the front desk.”
Autumn laughed into the phone.
“I don’t think he completely thought it through,” Dina added.
“No, I don’t think he did.” Autumn’s laughter died down. “Send him over, and I’ll try not to put laxatives in his turndown cookie service tonight.”
“Thanks, because I’d probably have to be the one who’d have to take him to the hospital.”
“Don’t forget my man’s a medic. He’d be sure to take care of him.” Autumn giggled into the phone again, and Dina felt a million times better.
It was nice to know everyone thought Dom was a creep, but even better to realize that they didn’t question why Dina wanted to find a spot for him to stay. She simply didn’t want to sink down to his level.
She left the package of Italian sausage on the counter and made her way to the front door where it looked like Dom had been about ready to knock.
“Dom, there’s a B&B in town. There’s a room available for the night. I’ll drive you down the mountain.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
A satisfied smile slid across his lips, and she wanted to knock it right off, but instead, she grabbed her keys and motioned for him to follow her to the car. The sooner she could dump him off, the quicker she could get to her plate of pasta and a nice, long bath.
The ride to the B&B wasn’t a long one in miles, but it felt as if they were crossing the Mojave Desert on horseback. She sensed every time he’d cast a look in her direction or attempt to accidentally touch her. She didn’t even want to imagine how her life would change if he actually got the position as a ski instructor.
The very thought put a cold chill straight through her.
When she turned onto the street where the sprawling B&B sat, she finally started to feel better. Her friend had done an amazing job with the old mansion, and it always brought a sense of calm to Dina when she visited.
Autumn had changed out the summer flowers for fall mums in golds and burgundies and placed pumpkins along the porch.
This place was definitely too good for Dom, but so was the Silver Ridge Resort.
She gave Dom a sideways glance and cringed when she noticed him staring right at her. Pulling in front of the B&B, she saw Autumn come springing out of the front door, apron tied around her waist holding a cookie.
Dina let out a chuckle as she thought back to her earlier words and climbed out of the car. She didn’t want any awkward moments with Dom and wanted to thank her friend a million times over for saving her skin.
“Well, won’t this be pleasant?” Autumn said, wriggling her brows as Dom got out of the hatchback.
“Thank you so much for doing this for me.” Dina shuddered. “I don’t know what I would have done with him.”
“Or you mean to him?” A wry grin spread across her lips as Dom pulled both suitcases behind him. “Geez, man. How many weeks did you think you’d be here for?”
Dom barely glanced in Autumn’s direction as he climbed the steps to the B&B. Dina supposed she’d accidentally forgotten to mention to him that her best friend and closest ally owned the place he’d be sleeping tonight.
“I owe you for this.” Dina gave her a friend a big squeeze. “But I’ve got spaghetti to get home to and a nice bath to draw.”
“Sounds wonderful.” Autumn hugged her back and Dina took off back to her car.
She felt a million times lighter getting him off her front porch, but it did little to help the exhaustion that was smothering her.
By the time she got back up the mountain and pulled in front of her home, she almost didn’t care about the spaghetti, but she was determined not to let Dom spoil another plan she’d made in her life.
Within minutes, she had a pot of boiling water on the stove, and the smell of sausage wafting through the air lifted her spirits. The garlic bread was cooking in the oven when her phone rang. She saw Dom’s nickname pop up on the screen, The Devil, and picked up the phone.
“Yes, Dom,” she said into the phone.
“I don’t even think this counts as a room.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She put me in some room with a cot. It’s not even a real mattress.”
Dina pressed her lips together in a thin line and tried not to sound as jubilant as she felt.
“I’m sure it’s better than my couch, Dom. Is there anything else?”
“I miss you.”
“Well, the feeling isn’t mutual. Have a goodnight.” She hung up on him and stared at her phone, deciding to do something she rarely did.
She turned off her phone and slid it in her purse just as the oven chimed.
Finally, she could get back to the evening she had planned the moment she left work. After plating her food, she grabbed Anton’s resume and began reading it over again. The truth was this kid was talented. He had a lot to offer, and she wasn’t sure the tasks she’d have for him weren’t menial, but she decided in the morning, she’d give him a call.
After she’d stuffed herself with pasta, she waddled down to the bathroom and ran the bathwater. This was what she’d needed since her first ski lesson with Sam North. Her body had just hit its new level of exhaustion as she slid into the warm water and let her mind drift to the tulips that Sam North had dropped off today.
She refused to read anything into his kind gesture. After all, he knew the moves to get the ladies, and technically, she was already gotten.
But it didn’t matter. It was a nice thing for him to do, and maybe someday she could think a little harder about Sam North, but that time wasn’t now.