Day One

I gasped as I stepped out of the hotel’s cosy shuttle van, the cold hitting me full force like an unrelenting avalanche. I shivered but felt a smile crept onto my face as I took in the mountainous view. Jagged edges that looked sharp enough to cut, but in places thick blankets of crystal white snow gave the peaks a friendlier, welcoming appeal. Typically, I did not like cold weather, a beach holiday was more my style, but I was making a huge exception. Just this once. The trip, after all, had been bought and paid for… and not by me.

“Check in is right this way, Miss Rose.”

I turned and gave the hotel representative a smile. “Sure, lead the way.”

He smiled, and I followed him up to the gorgeous solid oak doors of the Silverwood Lodge, an ultra-exclusive and secluded mountain resort in the Colorado Rockies.

Normally, my kind would never have been able to even step foot inside the place, let alone within a two-mile radius of such an expensive resort—they’d be able to sniff out that I didn’t belong and send security to shoo me away—but this was different. A month ago, I hit the lottery.

The doors opened and I stepped inside, the smile on my face getting broader, ready to start relaxing pronto. I could envisage myself sitting by a roasting fire, wrapped in blankets, reading a doorstep of a book while sipping on smoky complementary whisky. And after I was done with that I'd take advantage of the room service. And just maybe if I was feeling rather energetic and brave enough, I'd give the slopes a go.

But then I spotted the decorations, the hearts, the banners, all pink and red. In your face and over the top. Happy little cherubs with their damn pointy arrows at the ready.

Inwardly I groaned. The interior was dominated with every shade of pink imaginable, all decorated for the most nauseating day of the year: Valentine’s Day. I thought coming here meant getting away from my least favourite holiday and all my loved up friends back home.

I shook my head. This wasn’t going to spoil my time here. I wouldn’t let it.

At least there was the soothing and comforting smell of pine and burning wood in the air. I would look past the decor and instead concentrate on having an unforgettable time, taking in every opportunity while I could.

The driver showed me to the front desk and set my luggage by my feet. “Enjoy your stay, Miss Rose.”

"I will, thank you," I said readjusting my attitude. So what if the place looked like the inside of a marshmallow? The fact was, I was here, doing something for myself for a change! I reached into my purse for a tip. He waved me off, his smile never faltering. "They pay me well enough here. The smiles were free."

Things were looking up, I thought as the driver shot me a wink as he left.

“Checking in?”

I turned back to the cheery receptionist with large rosy red cheeks behind the desk. Above the breast pocket of her neat blazer, there was a gold name tag: Mandy. If I were a betting woman, I would put my money on her being the cause of the abundance of decorations around the lodge. With her round face and tight yellow curls, Mandy even resembled one of the many cherubs that were frolicking in the fake cotton-wool like clouds, dangling above our heads.

“Yes, under Angel Rose. I won the radio competition.”

“Welcome, Miss Rose. Congratulations are certainly in order. We have you down for five days and five nights, with your check out on the 17th, Saturday. You’ll have a wonderful time with us, I can assure you.”

I nodded, excitement building in my body. During my lunch breaks at the office, I'd researched the place last week, shocked at how much my short stay would've cost had I actually been paying for it myself. I mean it was the amount of my monthly paycheck and then some. "Yes, five long and glorious days."

"Perfect," she replied, tapping on her keyboard. "How many keys?"

“Just the one, please,” I answered with an involuntary sigh. Then immediately scolded myself.

Had this been a month ago, I wouldn't be on this trip for two by myself. But sighing was not allowed. Not anymore. I'd promised myself I would not pine over him. It was done. Over. And I was here for me. I did not need to be with anyone on Valentine's Day… in fact, I did not need to be with anyone at all. I was and could be very happy all by myself, I thought with a proud nod.

"Very well," she said and slid over the sleek card along with some instructions on where everything was located onsite. "Events will be running throughout the week, so don't be afraid to join in. We have plenty of singles staying with us too, so don't you worry," she said with an unmistakable wink. "A full list of activities will be in your welcome package in your room. And as you probably know, all your meals and drinks are complementary, part of the competition. Just make sure to charge them to your room and it will all be taken care of. The same goes for any ski equipment you wish to hire and spa treatments you want to indulge in."

Music to my ears. “Thank you very much.”

“Enjoy your stay and if there’s anything you need, just ask for me.” Mandy tapped the bell on the counter and glanced around as if looking for someone. The receptionist tapped it again, ringing out an impatient tinkle. “Rich! Can you take this lady’s items to her room, please?” she said as she spotted a staff member passing by.

“I’m about to go on my break,” he explained, a little hesitant, his gaze lingering on a staff door that he’d nearly reached.

“Rich, please? I can’t leave the desk.”

"It's ok; I'm fine. I can take my own things up."

"No, no. It's all part of the service, isn't it Rich?" Mandy said glaring at him.

He sighed but put on a smile. “Fine. Follow me.” Under his breath I heard him hiss, “You owe me, Mandy.”

Rich, my reluctant porter, grabbed my luggage and I dutifully followed him to the elevator, then pressed the button excitedly before he even had the chance to.

I hadn't honestly expected to win the radio contest when I'd called in on my way to work one morning. The romantic trip would be a nice gesture for me and my steady boyfriend, Tim, to share Valentine's together if I did win, I thought. But before I could tell him about my good fortune and the trip, he dropped a bombshell. Obliterating all thoughts that lady luck had decided it was my time to shine.

The doors opened, and I stepped inside the glass elevator, pressing the third floor where my suite was located. It was like being inside a crystal decanter and I felt sorry for the person that had to continually clean the surfaces and keep the smudges at bay.

Reluctantly my thoughts drifted back to my ex. The mischief we could've gotten up to in this very elevator had Tim not turned out to be such a waste of space. There had been a part of me that thought Tim was going to finally propose when he asked me to dinner. After all, we had been dating for two good years—at least I thought they'd been good, maybe a little stale in places, but we loved each other and I wasn't getting any younger as my already hitched friends kept reminding me.

But that hadn’t been what he wanted to tell me at all. No, instead he decided to rip my heart out—in public no less—saying that he was bored. Bored with me, our relationship and wanted to see other people. In fact, he had already found someone else. Proactive as always was Tim.

“I’m sorry, Angel,” he said as I sat dumbfounded in the fancy restaurant. “She’s from work and she’s awesome. I think Michelle could be the one.”

In the event of a breakup, most women had something like this moment tucked away in the back of their minds, what they would say, what they would do to embarrass the man that was breaking their heart.

Me? I went blank. All of those carefully constructed moments went out of the window. I was totally unprepared, stunned with a list of expletives stuck in my throat, like a clogged up drain. I didn't even get a chance to dramatically throw my glass of wine over his head.

It was only until the waiter approached to ask me if I was going to order something that I finally got my voice back. But Tim already had his coat on, a foot out the door, after a job well done of successfully driving a hole into my heart… and the life I thought we’d be spending together.

Embarrassed, I apologised to the waiter and fled the restaurant, the tears flowing as an unscheduled shower burst free from the clouds above.

The elevator doors opened and I shook off my thoughts like they were droplets of rain to follow the porter who was high-tailing it down the corridor of highly polished wood floors. At the door I presumed was my room he dumped my bags then promptly left. “Sorry,” he called with an apologetic wave, “I can’t hold it no more!”

I frowned and wrinkled my nose. Wasn’t it customary for porters to show you around your room? But if it was a choice between that and the young guy making a puddle on the glossy floor, then I knew which I preferred.

Inserting the key, I braced myself for a heavenly sight. More warm wood and plush furnishing just like had been in the brochure online would greet me. I couldn't wait. By the door handle the green light flickered on and I pushed at the heavy door, gasping as I saw the view out from the long windows on the opposite side of the room.

It was even better than I could have ever imagined. The room itself was huge, with plenty of golden tones, hard woods, and the space was bathed in a soothing glimmer. But what really took my breath away was the sweeping view of the slopes from the massive windows.

Dropping my suitcase near the sofa, I crossed the room of the suite and practically pressed myself against the glass doors before quickly reaching for the handle and yanking it open. There was a balcony of all things! I stepped out heedless of the cold air. The sun glinted off the pristine snow for miles around. Skiers dotted the hillside as they enjoyed the new powdery layer. It was magical.

Leaving the balcony, I explored the suite some more. A gas fireplace was already running in the corner with a perfectly positioned cosy sofa in front of it. A small bar sat nestled inside a nook of one wall, complete with numerous expensive bottles for my taking.

Stepping through the doorway, I nearly giggled as I saw the massive king bed. The bedroom shared the other side of the fireplace, and it also housed a number of other pieces of furniture, including a quaint dressing table, fabric-topped stool, and an inviting reading chair. I was in love and I still hadn't seen the bathroom.

More pleasurable moans escaped my lips as I took in the master bath; with its sunken tub, glossy marble tiles, and rain shower. It was a picture of elegance and twice as big as my own apartment back home. And yet for five whole days and nights, this was all mine, my very own slice of paradise.

With another sigh, I walked back to the living room and grabbed my stuff, making sure I shut the door to keep the room warm for now. After the long plane ride from the east coast, I was looking forward to taking a long bath and sipping on some alcoholic beverage I couldn't afford. Now I'd seen the room I didn't care if I ever stepped foot on the slopes or walked through the snow outside.

All I wanted to do was relax and forget about my broken heart, or about the reality that awaited me five days from now.

With a grin, I kicked off my boots. My vacation was officially beginning, but of course, that didn't mean it was going to end well. Because Lady Luck had cruelly decided to hand over the reins to Fickle Fate who had nothing but surprises in mind… and it wasn't long before disaster struck and I was standing face to face with an unknown stranger in my room, my towel in a puddle on the floor, my body naked and on display.