Suite Dreams

by Rachel Hawthorne

He very, very slowly moved toward me—

  Stephanie opened her door and I jerked back so fast that I nearly gave myself whiplash. Until that moment I hadn’t even realized that I’d moved toward Jude.

  “Oh, hey,” Stephanie said. “I thought I heard you.”

  What could she have heard? We’d been quiet, talking low.

  “I’m sorry. We were trying to be quiet.”

  “It wouldn’t have taken much. I can’t sleep.”

  She plopped down on the couch right between Jude and me—as though there was room between us for someone to sit.

  She released a burdensome sigh. “My best friend called tonight. She’s getting married.”

  “Isn’t that cause for celebration?” Jude asked.

  She scoffed. “You’d think. But she wants to get married in June and I wanted to go to Europe in June.”

  Over her head, Jude and I exchanged glances. She was losing sleep over this?

  “So…go in July,” I suggested.

  “I guess that would work. It’s just not what I was planning.”

  “You could skip the wedding.”

  She looked at me as though she wanted to ask what planet I came from. “I’m the maid of honor. And that’s another thing. The groom’s brother is going to be the best man. And he’s an old boyfriend, so that is going to be totally awkward.”

  She turned her attention to Jude. “What do you think I should do?”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure I see what the problem is.”

  “I thought you’d be different because you’re from Australia. But I guess guys everywhere are the same.”

  She sat there, staring at the turned-off TV, as though she had no plans of ever leaving, which left things up to me.

  I gave an exaggerated yawn. “Well, guess since this is Jude’s bed, and it’s after three in the morning, we should get to ours.”

  I got up. When she didn’t move, I nudged her shoulder. “Come on, Stephanie.”

  She got up, none too happily it appeared, and shuffled back to her bedroom. Then she waited in the doorway for me to make my exit.

  “Night, Jude,” I said.

  “G’night.”

  I walked to my bedroom, stood in the doorway, and looked at Stephanie. Like characters in a romantic comedy both after the same guy, we watched each other as we went into our rooms and closed the door.

  “What was that all about?” I murmured as I crawled into bed.

  I reached over and turned out the lamp.

  When I went to sleep, I dreamed that I was at the spa getting my massage. The massage therapist spoke with an Aussie accent. Probably because he wasn’t Hans.

  He was Jude.

  Chapter 7

  “Okay, so spill it. What is the real deal with you and the hot Aussie?”

  Mel’s question immediately destroyed the Zen state I’d achieved during the incredible massage that Levy—not Hans, not Jude—had delivered. Ladies with names that I forgot had handled the nail treatments and facials. After enjoying finger sandwiches, we were now in the sauna and I was beginning to think that I probably didn’t have any bones remaining in my body.

  Suddenly I went all stiff and sat up, surprised I didn’t pull a muscle. “What do you mean?”

  “Duh. The two of you last night? The kiss he gave you before he headed for the slopes?”

  “It was a kiss on the cheek. It’s what Aussies do.”

  “Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure. It’s only a matter of time before that kiss lands on your mouth—if it hasn’t already.”

  I adjusted the towel wrapped around me. I felt very exposed. “You think?”

  “I’m really not being judgmental here, but is it fair to Rick—”

  “We’re not together,” I blurted.

  “I know that. He’s in Australia, but that doesn’t mean—”

  “No, no.” I took a deep breath. “We sorta temporarily broke up.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, then reflected concern, as though she couldn’t figure out what she should be feeling or what her reaction should be. “When? Why? Why didn’t you say something? And what do you mean temporarily? You either broke up or you didn’t.”

  I shrugged, turned my back into the corner, and brought my feet up to the wooden bench, tucking the towel where it needed tucking to keep me from flashing anyone. Three other women were in the sauna but they were on the other side, far enough away not to hear our conversation.

  “It was right before finals. I didn’t say anything because honestly I felt like a failure. My parents met in middle school, have been together forever. Rick was my first boyfriend and I got it wrong. I’m starting to think I got it very badly wrong.”

  She angled her head thoughtfully. “He was never good enough for you anyway.”

  I groaned. “See. That’s another reason I didn’t want to say anything. Because we might get back together, and if you say stuff like that, it’ll make it awkward to hang out with you.”

  “Okay, I won’t say anything.” Silence resulted for all of three seconds. “I have to say, if you don’t mind me saying, that’s a half-assed breakup, and they never come to any good. You should make a clean break. Call him in Australia and tell him it’s over. Then you can concentrate on Jude.”

  Sighing, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, desperate to reclaim the calm.

  “There’s nothing wrong with a relationship not being forever,” Mel said quietly. “A lot can be said for a relationship that’s for now.”

  I opened my eyes. “Is that what you and Boomer have? A for-now thing?”

  “Probably not. I mean, I’m seriously nuts about the guy. But you and Jude…you like him, right?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “It’s obvious he likes you.”

  “But he doesn’t take anything seriously.”

  “Unlike you, who takes everything way too seriously.”

  I gave her a rueful grin. “He’s only here for a short time. It doesn’t make sense to get…involved. It just seems like he’s a heartbreak waiting to happen.”

  “So you’re just going to be his—what? Tour guide?”

  She said it as though it was a thought too disgusting to even contemplate.

  “I don’t know, Mel. I guess I’ve always expected to have what my parents had—you meet the guy and it’s forever.”

  “Nice fairy tale. And I’m not knocking it. It’s just that if the prince turns out to be a frog, it might be worth it to have a little while with another prince, just to keep things in perspective.”

  A little while was all we had time for since the three of us had to get to work that evening. Mel and I were sitting in front of the massive fireplace in the lodge lobby, roasting our toes, when the guys caught up with us.

  Jude dropped down on the coffee table in front of me. I wasn’t sure if his huge smile was a result of seeing me or a reflection of the fun he’d had on the slopes. Things between us weren’t awkward but there was an awareness now that I wasn’t quite sure how to handle. All morning we’d been surreptitiously glancing at each other as though we were fencing, waiting for the other person to make the first move.

  I smiled in response to his. “How’d it go?”

  “It totally rocked. You and I should give it a go sometime.”

  “He caught on really fast,” Boomer said, before I could respond. He was sitting on the arm of Mel’s chair, leaning toward her as though he really just wanted to curl around her.

  “Really?” I teased, making it sound like I thought it improbable. Anything to keep the conversation going while I tried to figure out my next move.

  “Oh yeah. It’s all about keeping your balance, isn’t it? Like surfing. Although actually, surfing is a little less dependable because you’re always at the mercy of the waves. You never know what they’ll do. Here you have a trail.”

  “I thought you only couch surfed,” I joked.

  “Nah, I’m all about catching the waves. Well, that and scuba diving. To be honest, anythi
ng involving water. I live right there on the coast.”

  “He was telling me about a shark attack—”

  “Omigod!” I blurted before Boomer could finish the tale. “You were attacked by a shark?”

  “No, no. But he was swimming toward me. Looked in my eyes.” Jude pointed two fingers at his face. Then turned his fingers toward me. “I looked in his. He just swam away. Mutual respect.”

  Just lucky! I shuddered. “That gives me goose bumps.”

  “You shouldn’t have told her that,” Mel said. “Now she’ll never go in the water again.”

  “I’m not that bad,” I insisted.

  “In case you haven’t figured it out, she is Miss Cautious.”

  Jude winked at me. I wondered if he was thinking what I was. Since he’d come into my life, I wasn’t nearly as cautious as I used to be.

  We checked out the lunch menu at the lodge restaurant and decided it wasn’t Rachael Ray–worthy, so we hit a sandwich shop in the resort village.

  After we ate our sandwiches and downed hot chocolate, we walked around. Somehow my hand ended up in Jude’s. I wasn’t sure if he’d made the move or I had, but it seemed so natural.

  Quaint little shops dotted the village.

  “I probably need to start thinking about souvenirs for the family and a couple of my mates,” Jude said when we stopped to look through the window of a candy shop. “Fudge made with real Vermont butter,” he murmured, reading the sign posted in the window. “Is there something special about Vermont butter?”

  “Everything about Vermont is special.”

  Jude smiled. “I s’pose you have a point.”

  “I’m going in,” Mel said.

  “And she may never come out,” Boomer joked.

  “Yes, I will.” She grabbed his arm. “You’ll make me leave before I buy too much candy.”

  Shaking his head, he let her pull him inside. “It’s her weakness” was all he got out before the door closed.

  “Did you want to go inside?” I asked.

  “I’m thinking fudge wouldn’t hold up well as a gift. I won’t be home for a month.”

  “We have teddy bears.”

  “I can get something made in China back home.”

  I gave him a playful nudge. “No, no, these are Vermont-famous teddy bears. Made right here. Not that I think your mates would want one, but your sister might.”

  “Yeah, she might at that. Girls never get too old for stuffed animals, do they?”

  “I haven’t reached that point yet,” I said, as we strolled over to a shop with bears and souvenir items displayed in the window. I could see our distorted reflections in the glass. I stood just below his shoulder.

  “Now these are fancy,” he said.

  The bears were dressed in different outfits, some representing various occupations.

  “So what does Marla do?” I asked, somewhat nonchalantly, I thought.

  “She’s a teacher. On summer break now.”

  “Summer?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, it’s summer Down Under.”

  I shook my head. “Oh, right. That just seems so weird to me.”

  “Well, freezing my bum off this time of year seems weird to me. Ah, look, there’s a doctor bear. It’s even got a stethoscope. I should get that for you.”

  “What are you talking about? You don’t need to get me a souvenir.”

  “No, but a thank-you gift might be nice, don’t you think?”

  “Nice, yes, but absolutely not necessary.”

  “Come on, Lys. I know you weren’t planning to spend your holiday entertaining me. You’ve been a good sport about it.”

  Okay, I was thinking I’d never enjoyed being with anyone so much and he was seeing me as a good sport. So was I more than a tour guide or not?

  “Seriously, don’t even worry about it. Hey, why don’t you get your mates some maple syrup? It won’t go bad before you get it home.” I felt like doing some sort of hand motions to reveal various souvenir options.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Oh yeah, sure.”

  Although the truth was that suddenly I felt like I just wanted to get away. I’d begun to think we were drifting into romantic territory. But maybe I’d misread last night—and the hand-holding today.

  “Hey, mate!”

  Jude’s sudden words brought me out of my thoughts. It sounded like he’d just seen someone he knew. I swung around. It was an older couple.

  “Would you mind taking a picture of us?” he asked, extending his camera.

  “Oh, sure,” the man said.

  Jude stepped over and gave quick instructions for his camera. Then he stepped back, slung his arm around me, and hauled me in close against his side. “Smile.”

  As though I needed that suggestion. My immediate reaction to being nestled against him was to smile wide enough that my jaws might begin to ache if he held me too long.

  The man snapped the photo. “I think that did it.”

  Jude took back the camera and looked at the photo. “Oh yeah, that’s great.”

  He turned it toward me. “Keeper?”

  We were both smiling brightly. Who looked that happy souvenir shopping? But we did. “Keeper.”

  “Excellent.” He turned back to the couple. “Thanks ever so much.”

  The couple told us to have fun, before walking off. I was left to wonder if Jude ever met a stranger he didn’t like.

  Jude passed on buying any souvenirs. On the way back to the dorm, I’d gone kind of quiet, not sure what I wanted. I hadn’t wanted to be a tour guide at all, but I’d grown into it, and now suddenly I wanted to be more than a tour guide—and that thought terrified me. Because like I’d told Mel, it could only lead to heartache. I thought I could fall for this hot Aussie. Then he’d be gone and I’d be—what? Back with Rick? Or not back with Rick, but dreaming about Jude?

  Later in my room, as I yanked my hair into a ponytail, I reminded myself that I was supposed to be thinking about Rick, trying to figure out if I wanted us to get back together. But the truth was if he called and asked me right then, I knew deep down that I would have said no, which I guessed said it all.

  When I was finished getting dressed, I let Jude have the bedroom so he could get ready.

  I was pacing around the couch when Stephanie returned from another day on the slopes. Her cheeks were ruddy, and she was wearing her pink ski pants and matching jacket.

  “Hey,” she said. “Where’s the hot Aussie?”

  I jerked my thumb toward my room. “Getting ready for work.” I gave her the Cliffs Notes version of how that had come about.

  “Wow. Not much of a vacation.” She shed her coat and hung it on the coat rack near the door.

  “It’s just a few hours each night. And we’re off the next three.”

  “Still.” She dropped down onto the couch. “I’m wiped. We skied all day.”

  Stephanie wasn’t experiencing the money crisis that I was. She studied me, angling her head one way and then another, as though I was one of those holograms that changed scenes based on the way you looked at it.

  “What?” I finally snapped.

  “Is there something going on between you and Jude? There is, isn’t there?”

  “No.” Not yet anyway, but maybe…

  “Okay. Just so you know, I’m going home for a few days.” Stephanie frowned. “Probably just a couple. My mom drives me nuts after about ten minutes, but I have to make the obligatory trip home or she’ll disown me.”

  “Which means your bed will be available.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “You won’t be using it. You could let Jude borrow it.”

  “I don’t want a stranger sleeping in my bed.”

  Who was she? One of the three bears?

  “He’s not a stranger. You know him.”

  “Not really.”

  My mouth dropped open. Had she not practically snuggled up against him on the couch last night, taking over my snug
gling position?

  “More than you know whoever slept in your bed last semester.”

  “I thoroughly sanitized the mattress, the room, and the bath.”

  “He could sleep on the other bed.” She had a private room. Her parents paid big bucks so she wouldn’t have to share.

  Stephanie shook her head. “Sorry. I’ll be locking the door when I leave. Let him sleep on Sheli’s bed.”

  That was an option. I knew Sheli wouldn’t mind. But there was the matter of me being in the room when Jude was in the room…

  “What if I used your room?” I suggested.

  “Nope. He’s your problem, not mine. I’m not going to be inconvenienced.”

  “He’s not a problem, and how will you be inconvenienced when you’re not even here?”

  “You don’t understand. I can’t deal with someone living in my space—even if I’m not there. It’s the reason I don’t have a roommate.”

  “Fine.” My suitemate was mental. “How about leaving your keycard—”

  “No, no, no.”

  The door to my bedroom opened and Jude stepped out. I felt as though all the air had been sucked right out of the room. Jude was wearing the required white shirt and tie. He’d also shaved and styled his hair so it didn’t look disheveled. I’d thought he looked gorgeous before. But this was…

  “Wow. Don’t you clean up nice,” Stephanie said.

  “Stephanie!” I scowled at her.

  “What?” She unfolded her body from the couch like a cat ending its nap in the sun. “He does.”

  She disappeared into her room. Even though her room was off-limits, I was relieved she was leaving. I wouldn’t have to keep peering into the room to see if she was decent.

  “Ignore her,” I told him. “Although you do look amazing.”

  “I prefer to totally relax on holiday, but I was starting to look a bit scruffy. And with the job and all, well, I thought maybe I should tidy up a bit.” He rubbed his hands together as though we were going on another adventure. “Shall we be off?”

  “Absolutely.”

  No doubt about it. The Chalet had just acquired one hot busboy.

  Chapter 8