Chapter 10

Frankie

The whole drive to Mount Hood, I reminded myself I had bigger things to worry about in my life than Levi Wheeler’s indomitable ego. First of all, my father had just gotten out of surgery. He was doing well, but Mom still worried and fussed like she always did when somebody she cared about was sick. I used to secretly love getting the flu when I was a kid because she’d devote her entire day to looking after me, bringing me soup and reading me stories and speaking in calm, comforting tones that were more healing than any medicine she shoved down my throat. My dad was getting the same treatment now, and there was no way for him not to recover when under the care of his helicopter wife.

I only wished I could see them at Christmas. It was a tough call, deciding to stay in Portland, but there was no way I could afford the flight this year. My parents and siblings understood since Dad’s surgery was the reason I had to stay put, but we were all sad about it.

I hoped this skiing weekend—all expenses paid courtesy of my very generous and very rich bride—would buoy my spirits a little. The only work I had to do was one quick meeting, and the rest of the time I would be free to relax and have fun. I was looking forward to getting to spend time with Valerie, too, since she’d been busy with Christmas promotions all month and we’d barely seen each other.

The only thing I didn’t find tempting about this weekend was seeing Levi. The irony of my current situation, spending the night alone with the one person I wanted to avoid most, would have been hilarious if it weren’t so frustrating. I hadn’t seen him since “the event” and my plan for the weekend had been to have a blast with Val and Garrick and ignore the hell out of Levi unless he decided to hit me up with an apology. The chances of said apology were slim, but it gave me a good reason to pretend he wasn’t even there.

Now there could be no pretending. Until tomorrow, at least.

I stared out the window the entire way up Mount Hood. The further up the mountain we went, the harder the snow fell. By the time we reached the ski chalet, the snow was falling so heavily that the windshield wipers could hardly keep up and my nerves were shot. Levi was calm as ever, but I didn’t release my grip on my seatbelt until he pulled into the underground parking lot.

Cheery Christmas tunes filled the otherwise silent elevator ride to the lobby, and when the doors opened I marched toward the front desk with purpose.

The pictures on the hotel’s website didn’t do it justice. Thick timber beams crisscrossed the vaulted ceiling, contrasting with the modern crystal chandeliers that hung high in the air. The soft carpet and undulating electric fireplace gave the place a warm, homey feel, as did the smile of the man waiting behind the stonework front desk.

“Welcome to the Mount Hood Manor,” he greeted. “How can I assist you?”

I offered our details for check-in, explaining that the rest of our party would be in tomorrow. While he found our reservation, I checked the time.

I still had a couple of hours before my meeting with the manager, but the idea of having to spend that time in Levi’s company after I’d already spent over two hours with him on the drive up put a bad taste in my mouth.

“I have a meeting with Laurie Kellar later this afternoon,” I said. “If she’s around, would you mind checking with her and seeing if she’d be available any earlier?”

“Certainly.”

The receptionist finished checking us in and handed us keys before picking up the phone and calling Laurie.

“I’m going to the room,” Levi muttered, swiping his key off the counter. He departed without another word, and I had the urge to shake my fist at his back.

A moment later, the receptionist ended the call and met my gaze with a polite smile.

“She’ll be out in just a moment. Would you like to place your bags behind the desk until you’re finished?”

“That would be great, thank you.”

We’d only just stowed away my bags when Laurie emerged from a door across the lobby and walked toward us. She was an elegant woman in her mid-forties, with gray streaks in her dark hair and the kind of welcoming smile only years in hospitality can shape.

“Welcome, welcome!” she said cheerily, shaking my hand. “You must be Frankie. It’s such a pleasure to have you here. Where is our lovely bride?”

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” I said. “Valerie couldn’t make it, I’m afraid. She’ll be up in the morning, but you’ll miss her.”

“No matter, no matter.” She led me across the room and into a long hallway, at the end of which was a door into her office.

A window at the back of the room overlooked a snowy courtyard, where thick flakes were still hurtling down from the sky. Laurie’s desk was cluttered with papers, family photographs, and at least four pens. She walked around the desk and gestured to the chair in front of me.

“Please, sit.”

“I’m sorry for intruding on you like this,” I said. My sudden arrival had given Laurie no time to prepare, and it didn’t seem fair for me to rearrange her day just because I needed a break from Levi.

Laurie shook her head and smiled. “No, please don’t be. I’m delighted you wanted to meet earlier. There’s going to be a massive snowfall tonight, and I was a little worried that we wouldn’t be able to get down the mountain if we left later.”

“Oh, good.” I tried not to think about the possible implications of that prediction. They had plows and stuff, right? Surely the roads would be clear enough for Garrick and Val to come up in the morning. Anyway, I was here now. No point worrying about it.

We transitioned into our meeting. Val and Garrick’s families—though mostly Val’s—had some special requests for the wedding, including serving their beers in the hotel bars for the weekend. They were using the wedding as a promotional opportunity. Val and Garrick agreed they would be stupid not to do so, though they weren’t thrilled about it. It didn’t take us long to iron out the details, and Laurie gave me some documents for the Wheelers and Fieldmans to sign and fax back. All finished, Laurie walked me back to the lobby.

“I hope you have a great Christmas,” I told her as we shook hands in front of the fireplace.

Laurie grinned. “You as well. I’ve told the staff to take care of you, so if there’s anything you need during your stay, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re honored to have you.”

Rolling with Portland royalty sure had its perks. I’d never been an honored guest at a hotel before, and I was close to letting it get to my head. No wonder Levi was so...Levi.

Laurie hurried off back to her office, and I grabbed my bags from the reception desk before heading to my room.

We’d taken one of the ground floor suites that occupied the backside of the hotel. The three bedroom suite would have been generous with the four of us in it, but with only two occupants I was comfortable knowing that I’d have plenty of room to wiggle around Levi. On the way to the suite, I passed a plate glass window overlooking a treed garden and paused to watch the snow. It was starting to darken outside, though the lights of the village reflected on the heavy cloud cover and made the sky glow burnt orange. Unease flitted under my skin. Was it really going to snow enough to block the roads? Should Levi and I leave? Better yet, should I steal his keys and abandon him here?

The thought was tempting.

No, I decided. It was just a little bit of snow, and Levi would throw a fit if I made him drive us down tonight, only to have to come back up with Val and Garrick in the morning. I could do this.

I continued down the hall until I reached our room. The door opened into a small tiled foyer, where I hung my coat and kicked off my shoes. From somewhere further in the suite came the sound of cheers and the nasally voice of a sports announcer. I went to investigate and found Levi sprawled on the white leather couch with his head lying on the armrest. The look of his tattooed arms, muscular and strong, sent a shiver of desire through my body.

“You’ve made yourself at home,” I observed.

“Yep.” His eyes stayed glued to the football on the flat screen TV just above the fireplace.

The room was massive, with the same timber beams as the lobby and wood accents around the windows and doors. It was an elegant blend of rustic and modern, an electric fireplace set inside a massive stone hearth, leather furniture, aged oak floors. I moved my exploration to the equally stunning kitchen. It was outfitted with white shaker cabinets, black granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances that gleamed in the low light. Too bad I was a horrible cook.

I circled back to the French doors in the living room, staring out at the snow-dusted covered deck and the vast sheet of white beyond it, which only disappeared once it met the towering tree line.

“This place is incredible,” I breathed, fogging up the glass.

Levi’s only response was turn up the volume on the TV. I gritted my teeth and decided to go check out my bedroom.

Levi had already claimed one of the rooms by tossing his suitcase on the bed, and I left the master room for Val and Garrick, taking the third, smaller room instead. The sheets on the queen bed were luxuriously soft, and I closed the door against the cacophony in the living room and lay on top of them.

This wouldn’t be so bad. Sure, I was stuck with Levi for the night, but this room and the hotel were incredible. I had books I could read, I had work I could catch up on, and if I got stuck for things to do, I could always find a new TV show to binge and hole up in my room with my laptop and some snacks.

Before I did any of those things, however, I needed something to drink. It was a long drive up, and I had been too proud to ask Levi to stop somewhere so I could get some water.

I got out of bed and headed through the living room to the kitchen. On the way, I spied a window seat in the corner of the living room with a view over the back lawn. I imagined snuggling up on it with a blanket and a couple of pillows and my heart practically melted from happiness. I was going to have a fantastic day.

After grabbing a glass of water, I retrieved my book from my suitcase and loaded my arms up with pillows and blankets to take over to my new spot.

The only problem remaining was that Levi was watching TV way too loud for me to concentrate. I didn’t need complete silence, but it seemed reasonable to ask him to coax the volume down to a dull roar.

“Do you mind turning down the TV a bit?” I asked, setting up my reading nook.

“Why?”

I walked around the side of the couch to make eye contact with him. “I’m going to read.”

I had to admit that Levi looked boyishly cute stretched on the couch as he was, with his socked feet propped up on the far side and one arm stretched behind his head. He looked up at me, eyes narrowed in challenge.

“Why don’t you go read in your room?”

I crossed my arms. “Because I want to sit in the window seat. I’m not asking for you to turn it off, just turn it down.”

He looked back to the TV. “No.”

“You were the one saying we should try not to kill each other,” I complained.

“All the more reason for you to go to your room and me to stay out here.”

This wasn’t getting me anywhere. The remote was balanced on his stomach, well within snatching distance. My hand shot for it, but as my fingers closed around the plastic, Levi grabbed the other side of it and sat up. I lost my balance and fell sideways onto the couch above his feet, but refused to give up my purchase on the remote.

It was a stupid thing to fight over, but somehow this remote had become a symbol of our troubled relationship. I needed to be the one who came out victorious.

“Let go,” Levi said, tugging the remote, and me, toward him.

“No!”

I straddled his thighs and jammed my shoulder against his chest, pushing against him to help gain some leverage. Damn, his chest was solid. It was like elbowing a brick wall.

Levi bucked me off his legs, and I rolled back. He followed me backward, both of us still pulling on the remote while the crowd cheered on the TV. I pretended they were cheering for me as I neared victory. I had siblings. I knew how this played out. Now that I was on my back, I could curl up into a ball with the remote tucked into my chest and Levi would need the jaws of life to wrench it from my grip.

Only one problem. I’d never been this close to Levi’s face before, and it was utterly distracting. I’d never been this close to the rest of Levi before either. He was warm and smelled like leaves and something almost sweet. His hips fit snugly between my legs, and I wondered if I pressed myself tighter against him if I might find him hard.

For a fraction of a second, I lost my marbles.

There was no other explanation for it. No way in my right mind would I ever let my gaze linger on Levi’s pouty lips and wonder what it might be like to kiss them. Yet at that moment, my gaze lingered. And my mind wondered.