One Weekend in Aspen

by Jaime Clevenger

  “Tomorrow morning.” Emily had been happy about the early morning flight when she’d first seen the tickets because she wouldn’t have to reschedule any of her Tuesday clients, but now getting up for a six o’clock flight sounded awful.

  “Any chance you can push that back a day or two? I’m not keen on you flying until the swelling goes down in that ear.”

  Emily shook her head. “I can’t stay an extra day at Katherine’s.” In fact, she probably could ask, but the truth was she didn’t want to. “And I can’t afford to change my flight. Can I try taking more Advil?”

  “You could stay with me.”

  Emily hadn’t heard Alex come into the room. She looked up at the sound of her voice and saw Alex with Lavender in one arm, Joey in the other, and an Easter bonnet on her head complete with fake flowers.

  “Nice hat,” Chelsea said. “Is that a pterodactyl hiding in those bluebells?”

  “I think it might be.” Alex continued, “Seriously, though, Emily. You staying with me is no problem at all. And I’ve got about a billion frequent-flier miles. I could get you a free flight whenever you want it.”

  “I can’t.” She couldn’t accept Alex’s generosity. How could she pay it back? “But I agree with Chelsea. That hat is perfect for you.”

  Alex winked. “Sexy and I know it.”

  Alex was right, even if she was joking. Emily stopped herself from saying as much. Even in a ridiculous bonnet Alex looked hot, and the fact that she could swing two kids in her arms without looking out of breath only added to her appeal.

  “You should consider the offer,” Rob said, looking at Emily. “No one wants a ruptured eardrum.”

  “Except maybe Lavender.” Alex bounced her arm and Lavender giggled. “See? Lavender wants one.”

  “I want one too,” Joey said.

  “You don’t even know what you want. All you want is to be wrestled. And maybe tickled,” Alex said, bouncing Joey as well.

  The next minute, both Alex and the kids were on the floor. She gave them each a horsey ride and then tossed them in the air. It wasn’t long before they were both simultaneously laughing and screeching.

  Despite the noise, Emily couldn’t stop smiling. She loved watching Alex romp with the kids and the big smiles on everyone’s faces. Again, the thought that Alex was exactly the type of person she’d always hoped to find crossed her mind, but this time it was promptly followed by the image of Alex kissing Katherine. Not exactly.

  Chelsea touched her knee, and Emily looked over at her.

  “I know you’re worried, but you don’t have to be. She really means it when she says it’s no problem to have you stay. And to get you a flight.”

  Emily started to nod, but at the same moment the stabbing pain in her left ear came back. She clapped her hand over her ear and squeezed her eyes closed. Chelsea called to Alex and the kids, and the noise stopped abruptly. A second later, the stabbing ebbed and Emily took a slow, deep breath.

  “Sorry about that,” Alex said quietly. “My fault entirely. I rile up the kids.”

  “You do,” Chelsea said. “And then leave them to us. But they love it.”

  “Auntie privileges are the best.” Alex stood up. The kids clamored for more attention, but she calmed them down whispering something to each one, then walked over to the couch. She met Emily’s gaze. “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Really. The pain goes away as fast as it comes.”

  “So, what does the doc say? Ear infection?”

  Emily nodded.

  “I’m gonna call in an antibiotic,” Rob said. “I’ll need your info when you’re ready, Emily.”

  Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out a pen. “Is this enough? Brookstone’s her last name, and her phone number’s on there. You can’t keep the pen.”

  “You’ve been carrying that around in your pocket?”

  “You gave it to me,” Alex returned.

  “Sort of. And sort of you stole it.” Emily wasn’t mad. She was, however, a little taken aback. All this time Alex had her pen in her pocket?

  “You can have it back if you really want it.”

  Emily wanted Alex to keep it, even if her reasons for wanting that were problematic. “It’s sweet you kept it.”

  “You didn’t know that Alex is ridiculously sentimental?” Rob set his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I gave her a little carved bear that I made in camp when I was twelve, and last I checked, she still has it somewhere.”

  “On her nightstand,” Emily said. She felt a blush hit her cheeks as soon as the words left her lips. It was no secret, of course, to Rob or Chelsea that she and Alex had slept together, but she worried that her noticing the bear might cross some line.

  “And I love that bear,” Alex said. “I also love this pen. It writes very nicely.”

  “Don’t let her fool you. It’s nothing about the pen and all about you. You’ve seen that bear,” Rob said, taking the pen from Alex. “But she’ll never lose this now. Takes her a while to find something she likes, but then she holds on.” He tapped his phone to life and started copying the info off the pen.

  Emily looked up at Alex. As soon as she’d thought she’d figured out Alex, she realized she was completely wrong. Again.

  “Date of birth?”

  Emily answered the rest of Rob’s questions as he passed the pen back to Alex.

  “We can stop and pick up meds on our way back,” Alex said. “Am I taking you to Katherine’s, or do you want to come home with me? I know my little cabin isn’t as swanky, and the food will probably be takeout…”

  Emily felt the others waiting on her answer. She wanted to say yes, but there was so much she and Alex hadn’t talked about. The palpable tension between them, as well as the warm tingling sensation she got every time Alex looked at her for too long, weren’t going away. But neither was the fact that Alex was someone her heart had no business getting attached to. She’d been so angry last night—at Katherine, at Alex, and at herself—but now she didn’t know how to feel. And she couldn’t simply ignore everything they’d done.

  Maybe none of that mattered. Staying a few nights at Alex’s didn’t mean she was agreeing to sleeping with her. It also didn’t mean she planned on seeing her again after. The only definite was that if she stayed with Alex, she wouldn’t have to face Katherine until the next time she had to prepare her dinner.

  “You sure it’s okay?”

  “I’m sure.” Alex held out her hand. “And now I’m gonna pretend I’m not super excited ’cause I don’t want you to think I’m a big dork.”

  “After that Easter bonnet? I think it’s a little late.”

  Rob and Chelsea both laughed. Alex only held Emily’s gaze with a playful smirk on her lips. It didn’t make any sense, but they were back to flirting. Emily wanted to hold on to the way Alex was looking at her. She also wanted to hold on to the bubbly happy feeling that rose in response. What she didn’t want to think about was how spending any more time with Alex was a terrible idea.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  “You’re awake.” Alex set Emily’s suitcase next to her boots and then shrugged off her coat. She’d tried to hurry as she grabbed Emily’s things from Katherine’s, but TJ and Shay had bumped into her and both wanted an update. All she’d said was that Emily had an ear infection and would be staying with her because she couldn’t fly out in the morning. That was really all there was to the story, as much as she wished Emily’s decision to stay with her had been about more than that.

  “I don’t know how I keep drifting off.” Emily rubbed her eyes. “Probably won’t be able to sleep at all tonight. Although this sofa is possibly the most comfortable thing ever. I feel like I’ve sunk into a cloud.”

  “You should be in an ad selling sofas. Looking exactly like that. You already got your lines down. They’d sell those things like hotcakes.”

  Emily rolled her eyes.

  “Glad to see your spunk’s come back.”

  “You think this is spunk? Y
ou clearly don’t know me well.” Emily picked up one of the throw pillows and raised it up like she was going to chuck it at Alex. When Alex laughed and put up her hands to block it, Emily laughed too. “Put your hands down. I wouldn’t throw a pillow at you.”

  “Why not?”

  Emily dropped the pillow and sighed. “Because. You’re you and I’m me.”

  “I might need more of an explanation.”

  Alex waited, but Emily didn’t say more. Emily had napped while she started a fire, and then, since Emily was still sleeping, she decided to run over to Katherine’s to grab her suitcase. She hadn’t moved from her spot on the sofa, and the blanket was wrapped around her shoulders exactly the way Alex had left it. At least she sounded a little stronger and wasn’t quite as pale.

  “I’m making you ramen unless you want something else,” Alex said.

  “Ramen sounds amazing.”

  “Don’t get too excited, it’s the packaged stuff that comes with the little flavor packet. Although, it is way better ramen than what you can get in the States. I started hunting for the best ramen on my first trip to Tokyo. It’s kind of become an obsession.”

  “You’re about to make me the best packaged ramen Tokyo has to offer?”

  “I am.” Alex grinned. “After years of careful research and way too many dinners alone.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s sad or sweet.”

  Alex lifted a shoulder. “Me neither.” She headed to the kitchen, fighting a magnetic pull to the sofa. As much as her body might want to wrap her arms around Emily, her head wasn’t ready. She couldn’t shake the image of Emily between Lara’s legs, and although she tried to pretend it was a protectiveness that had made her ready to bolt through the glass door, she wondered if it wasn’t plain and simple jealousy—exactly as Katherine had said. But thinking of Katherine and Emily together didn’t make her angry so much as discouraged. She’d been in a funk all morning, feeling sorry for herself and annoyed that she’d let someone she’d only known for a weekend get that much under her skin. Exactly when she’d convinced herself to skip the final evening of the long weekend and not even bother going back to Katherine’s to say goodbye to Emily, Lara had called.

  Although the conversation had been mostly about Emily’s being sick, Alex had finally apologized to Lara. She’d admitted that she’d jumped to conclusions about what had happened when Lara had walked away from her sub. Then she’d admitted that she’d done nearly the same thing with Madison. What she hadn’t expected was for Lara to start crying. Two years later and Lara still felt horrible about everything with Annette. Alex meant it when she told her it was time to let it go. She’d also meant it when she’d said she wanted to work on them being friends again. Lara had even eagerly proposed a visit to Tokyo, and Alex wondered then exactly how much she’d misjudged things between them. And misjudged Lara.

  She got out a pot and filled it with water, then switched on the gas and waited for the burner to light. The kitchen was open to the family room, but Alex could only see the back of Emily’s head from where she stood. After everything, she had to admit Katherine was right. Lara could be good for Emily. They’d clearly connected, they were both single, and they both lived in San Francisco. But Alex felt sick at the thought of suggesting a future date for the two of them. Maybe she didn’t have to be the one to do it. Maybe they’d figure it out on their own.

  “I love the sounds you’re making in there,” Emily said. “Nothing says sexy like a woman who can make me soup when I feel like crap.”

  “Nice to know you’re easy.”

  “I have my moments,” Emily bantered back. “I’m not used to people cooking for me.”

  “Does heating up ramen actually count as cooking? I could throw in some veggies and grilled chicken if your stomach’s up for it. That’s my bachelor standby meal.”

  “Go ahead and wow me. My stomach’s ready.” Emily looked over her shoulder at Alex and said, “I thought you said you only made hot cocoa. Now ramen. What else you got up your sleeve?”

  “A pretty decent scrambled egg? It’s amazing I’ve lived this long, actually, considering I can hardly cook for myself.” Alex opened the fridge and poked around through the veggie drawer. “Anything you don’t like?”

  “Raisins.”

  “I meant, are there any veggies you don’t like? But I’m with you on the raisins…Wait. Wasn’t ‘raisins’ your safe word?”

  “It was a last-minute decision. And I was under a lot of pressure.”

  Alex chuckled.

  “Why’s your safe word ‘kiwi?’”

  Alex closed the fridge. She went to the sink to rinse the carrot and a handful of spinach leaves, and considered her answer. “It’s not ’cause I don’t like them.”

  “An ex from New Zealand?”

  Alex laughed. “No. I love New Zealand. And every New Zealander I’ve met so far.”

  Emily had turned around on the sofa so she faced Alex, her elbows on the back cushion and her chin in her hands. Now that they were looking right at each other, Alex knew she had to tell her the truth.

  “It’s kind of a dumb story.”

  “I want to hear it anyway.”

  “I threw a kiwi at my brother.” She started peeling the carrot. “We were fighting over who could push the grocery cart. He always got to push it because he was bigger.” A familiar knot of anxiety made her want to stop there. She hadn’t told anyone the full story; not even her mom knew the details. It was silly to be holding on to guilt from something that had happened when she was eight years old, but she knew that the emotion that had made her throw the kiwi would always be in her.

  “All of a sudden I got so mad. Nothing seemed fair. I’d never be as big or as strong as he was. And I knew I’d never be as smart. I couldn’t ever measure up. Not in my parents’ eyes for sure, but not in anyone’s eyes. Not even in mine. So, I grabbed the closest thing I could find—we were in the produce section and I happened to grab a kiwi. I chucked it right at his face. Hard as I could.”

  “What happened?”

  “Well, there was a lot of blood.” Alex tried for a light tone, but the knot in her stomach only tightened. She finished with the carrot and started rinsing the spinach, focusing on cleaning each leaf instead of looking over at Emily. “I broke his glasses. The wire rim cut his eyebrow, but his nose was bleeding too. He dropped to his knees and started bawling. I froze—didn’t go to him, didn’t call for my mom. But she heard him crying and rushed over. She hadn’t seen what I’d done. But she knew whatever had happened was because of me…She shoved me out of the way and told me she’d deal with me later.

  “She kept asking Rob what had happened. Didn’t believe him when he said that he’d slipped and fell, so she turned to me and said, ‘What’d you do?’ I looked at Rob and he shook his head, so I said, ‘He fell.’ To this day I don’t know why he lied. It was only a kiwi. I didn’t even think it would hurt him all that much.”

  She pulled out a cutting board and started chopping the veggies. The water on the stove came to a boil as soon as she finished, and she quickly tossed everything in and turned down the heat. “Most people don’t ask.”

  “Probably they assume you don’t like kiwis.”

  “Probably.” Alex held Emily’s gaze. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I know people are into it, and I’ve been asked to do stuff I regretted later. I’m always afraid I’ll go too far. That I’ll lose control.”

  “Bet you never threw another kiwi at your brother.”

  “Well, no.” Alex smiled. “That was actually the last time we really fought. After that, we’d start to get into it and then one of us would stop. I also got taller than him.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  Alex wanted to argue that Emily didn’t know her that well, but she stopped herself from saying as much. She opened the package of noodles and tossed that into the pot with the veggies. After adding a clove of garlic, a teaspoon of her favorite spice bl
end, and a splash of sesame oil, she went back to the fridge to find the leftover grilled chicken she’d made for lunch.

  Emily touched the low of her back, and Alex straightened. Her heart raced with the sensation of Emily’s hand on her, but she didn’t let on as she closed the fridge and turned. “Look at you, up and walking around like it’s nothing. You worried about my cooking after all?”

  “No. I know you got this. It smells heavenly in here already. But I need to tell you something.”

  “Should I be worried?” Alex tried to joke, but Emily’s face was serious.

  “I didn’t mean to suggest that you shouldn’t be careful. Or that the fear of going too far is silly. It’s not. But I barely know you and I feel completely safe with you. I trust you wouldn’t hurt me. I don’t think you’d hurt anyone. Not intentionally, anyway.” Emily stepped forward and lightly kissed Alex’s cheek. “Can I set the table?”

  When Emily pulled back, Alex had to remind herself to breathe. She pointed to where the soup bowls were and then went to fuss with the ramen, grateful for something else to think about other than how much she’d wanted Emily to kiss her lips instead of her cheek. After adding the chicken, she let the pot simmer for a minute.

  Emily came over to the stove and fanned her hand over the soup pot, inhaling the steam. “I might need this recipe.”

  “You haven’t tasted it yet.”

  “I do have skills.” Emily tilted her head. “Sometimes you don’t need to taste something to know you’ll like it.”

  “Can’t argue there.” Alex smirked. “Could you grab the bowls? This is ready.”

  As she dished out the soup, the smell of the steaming broth made Alex’s stomach rumble. Lunch seemed like a distant memory, but ramen was also her favorite winter meal. She only hoped it would be up to Emily’s standards. Probably offering to cook for a chef hadn’t been a smart move.

  They settled in at the table, and Alex felt happier than the moment deserved. She knew part of it was that Emily was letting her take care of her. Despite everything that had happened. The other part of it was simply having someone over to share a meal in her little cabin. She loved the cabin, but it was nothing like Katherine’s mansion. Not a lot of updating had happened since the late eighties, and although there was nothing functionally wrong with the space, it wasn’t fancy. Kind of like the kitchen table. Not only was it scratched and stained, she’d had to put a wedge under one leg to keep it from rocking. Still, it worked as a table. If she was there more often, she’d replace it and have other things fixed too. But in her head, she’d always thought of doing those things with someone else. Taking in their input, their wants. Making the cabin a perfect love nest instead of only a landing pad.