Stranded

by Chance Carter

  She elbowed him right back. “We both know you’re the beast of the family.”

  “Don’t listen to a word she says, Frankie,” Josh said. “I’m an absolute delight.”

  I fluttered my lashes, enjoying the attention. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  The elevator doors slid open behind Josh, and Val immediately bounced away from us, tackling her fiancé in a hug before he made it two steps into the lobby. Beside Garrick, Levi wore his eternal frown. His eyes tracked through the room, as though searching for something. When they landed on me, they stopped.

  For one brief second, our gazes locked and heat shot through my limbs. Levi was even sexier than I remembered, his broad, muscled frame tucked into a long wool pea coat, not a strand of his dark hair out of place. I swallowed. Then I remembered that I wasn’t alone.

  Josh looked between Levi and me with an interested tilt of his brow, but he didn’t say anything. I turned back to him with a smile.

  “Do you live in Portland?” I asked.

  “No, I live in San Francisco, but I’m often in the city for work.” He thrust his hands casually into his pockets, leaning in a little closer to me. “Do you ever find your way down south?”

  I shook my head. “Can’t say I’ve ever had a reason to.”

  His eyes glimmered. “Perhaps by the end of this week, you will.”

  Val and Garrick walked past us, heading for the front desk. Levi was just behind them, and as he walked past our eyes met again. It was only the briefest of glances, but it effectively turned my stomach to goo. I looked back to Josh and found him staring beyond me at Levi’s back.

  “You and Levi Wheeler close?” Josh asked, looking back down at me.

  I laughed. “No.”

  “What’s with all the intense stares then?”

  “It’s nothing.” I shrugged. “He’s just an intense kind of guy.”

  Josh snorted, eyes crinkling at the corners with laughter. “No kidding.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to where Garrick and Levi were checking in at the desk while Val hung off her fiancé’s arm with stars in her eyes. Levi stared at the receptionist like there was nobody else in the room.

  “What are you doing this afternoon?” Josh asked, pulling my attention back to him.

  “I’ve been trying to figure that out,” I replied.

  Josh’s gaze flicked above my head for less than a second, then he directed his thousand watt smile at me. “Have lunch with me?”

  “I would love to!”

  “Excellent. Do you want to put your things away and meet me at the cafe in fifteen?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Josh patted me on the arm and walked to the desk for his toothbrush. I turned to find Val, Garrick, and a moody looking Levi strolling toward me.

  Levi nodded in greeting. I nodded back.

  “Hey Frankie,” Garrick greeted. “Long time no see.”

  “Still rockin’ the kooky professor vibe,” I noted, gesturing to his baggy black cardigan and golf shirt.

  Garrick winked. “Until the day I die.”

  “You ready to head up?” Val asked.

  I nodded. “After I drop my stuff off I’m having lunch with your cousin.”

  Val cackled. “We’ve only been here a few minutes. You sure work fast, don’t you?”

  “Hey, he asked me!”

  Val and I retrieved our suitcases and the dress, heading for the elevator. Garrick and Levi followed close behind.

  “You should definitely marry my cousin,” Val said. “What would that make our children? Second cousins?”

  “Don’t get too ahead of yourself. It’s just lunch.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Garrick piped up. “There was a dreamy look in his eyes.”

  Garrick and Val joked about what our couple name would be the entire elevator ride, finally settling on Froshua just as the doors opened on our floor. It seemed harmless, so I didn’t stop them, but I couldn’t deny there was a certain tenseness emanating from Levi’s side of the elevator. I said goodbye to them in the hall and headed to my room to get ready for my lunch date.

  Josh was waiting for me in the cafe when I came down ten minutes later. He stood to wave me over to a table at the back.

  “Thanks for inviting me to lunch,” I said as we took a seat.

  “Nonsense. I should be thanking you. I’m the first of my family to get here besides Val, and I thought I’d be spending the afternoon alone.” His lips curved into a smile. “Your beautiful face is a marked improvement on my own company.”

  “I’m surprised you’re up here so early,” I said, blushing at his compliment. “The rest of the Fieldmans aren’t arriving until closer to the wedding.”

  “I had some free time in my calendar, and I love to ski. Plus it was a good opportunity to spend some time with my favorite cousin, even if I am a little outnumbered.”

  “Outnumbered?” I asked. “You mean by the Wheelers?”

  He nodded. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about our rivalry.”

  “I have. But Garrick’s a good guy, and the rest of the Wheelers are nice. At least, the ones I’ve met so far.”

  He smirked. “Then you can’t have met the other brother.”

  “What have you got against Levi?”

  Josh snorted. “That guy’s a piece of work. Don’t you think so?”

  I didn’t know what I thought of Levi these days. His grumpiness in the lobby shouldn’t have surprised me, but it didn’t feel right for this place. This hotel had served as both prison and sanctuary for us once upon a time, and it was impossible to sit in this cafe without remembering all the fun we’d had here together. It made me miss him.

  “He has his moments,” I said finally. I left it up for Josh to decide whether those moments were good or bad.

  “What he has is a superiority complex,” Josh replied. “He thinks he’s better than everyone and he doesn’t care who knows it. It’s disgusting.”

  “Tell me how you really feel,” I joked, growing uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.

  “Sorry.” Josh smiled apologetically. “It’s in poor form to talk about a rival like that.”

  “You guys take beer very seriously,” I remarked.

  Josh’s gaze flitted over my face, returning to my eyes with steely intensity. “I wasn’t talking about the brewery.”

  Woah. Smolder alert. My gaze dropped to the menu.

  “Trust me, nothing for you to worry about there.”

  “Good. He’s an asshole and you’re sweet.”

  Levi isn’t an asshole, I wanted to say. Not really.

  Levi might play the big scary lion, but he had a good heart under it all. I knew. I’d seen it. I’d listened to it beat as he rubbed gentle circles on my naked back.

  But I didn’t say any of that. It would have been pointless to defend him, especially since letting myself hate Levi was probably my best option for surviving the next five days without going crazy.

  Without finding an excuse to slip into his bed for the night.

  “I’m glad you think so,” I said.

  The waitress arrived and took our orders. When she left, I turned the conversation away from talk of Levi, or any of the Wheelers. We chatted about Josh’s firm, my business, and our mutual love of Portland’s rainy streets.

  Josh was a good talker, and I enjoyed our lunch together, but something was missing. When he looked at me, I didn’t get the same electric thrill that I did just from being in the same room as Levi. But hey, he would be a good distraction—and it was more evident by the second that I was going to need one.

  Chapter 27

  Levi

  Garrick and I were quiet on the walk to our room. I would’ve preferred my own room, but Val booked them and she thought it would be more romantic if they slept in separate rooms until their wedding night. She seemed to also think it would be fun for Garrick and me to room together until then, like her and Frankie were doing. We were humoring
her.

  The room was simple but elegant—two queen beds, a lounge area, and a desk with a generous spread of coffee and tea. It was nothing compared to the master bedroom Frankie and I slept in our last time here, but the view was good. I walked over to the window and looked out.

  Our room faced the back of the property, just like the one I shared with Frankie had. We were above the tree line, and thousands of snow-covered pines stretched into the distance, undulating with the uneven terrain. Below me somewhere was the slope that had served as our sledding hill, but I couldn’t make it out from the rest of the great swathe of white.

  Garrick started unpacking behind me. He put his tux in the closet first, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn’t gotten it dirty between home and now.

  I turned from the window and crossed my arms. The question that I’d been trying to ignore for the past several minutes spilled from my lips.

  “Why do you think Josh was talking to Frankie?”

  Garrick blinked in surprise. “Why do you care?”

  “I’m just curious,” I replied.

  “Sure you are.” His eyes sparkled with mischief and I wanted to sock him. Luckily for him, Val would kill me if he had bruises on his wedding day.

  “Come on, Garrick. The guy’s a roach and he hates us,” I said. “What does he want from Frankie?”

  “I don’t know,” Garrick replied airily, strolling to the window with his hands clasped behind his back. “Could it be that she’s a beautiful woman?”

  My jaw tensed. “I don’t think it’s that simple.”

  “You know what it sounds like to me?” Garrick leaned in close, smirking. “It sounds like you’re jealous.”

  “Jealous? Of that idiot?” I snorted. “Not likely.”

  “Then why does it bother you that he’s all over Frankie?”

  “I never said it bothered me,” I replied haughtily. “I just asked what you thought his deal was.”

  “Sure.” Garrick raised his brows.

  “Don’t be a dick, Garrick.”

  “I’m not.”

  I forced a blank expression and stepped around him, hauling my suitcase onto the bed and opening it to unpack. Garrick went back to unpacking, and I tried to ignore the way his lips curled with amusement at his own private joke. I really tried.

  “Josh is an asshole!” I said finally. “I have every right to wonder what foul trick he’s got up his sleeve regarding the wedding planner.”

  “Oh, so you’re a knight in shining armor now, are you?”

  “More like a concerned citizen.” I dropped my pile of folded shirts into one of the closet drawers and slammed it closed. “I’m going to get something eat.”

  “Do,” Garrick said. “You always get grumpy when you’re hungry.”

  I ground my teeth and grabbed my room key. Garrick’s chuckle chased me out into the hallway.

  Again, he was lucky it was his wedding.

  I headed toward the cafe. I realized about halfway to the lobby that I was storming and tapered my gait to appear more casual. Why was I so on edge? Garrick hadn’t helped matters, but I’d been pissed off from the second I first walked into the lobby and saw Josh Lendal practically dripping off Frankie. And she ate it up.

  I made it about two steps into the cafe before I stopped, fists clenching at my sides.

  Josh and Frankie were at a table by the window, laughing together like old friends.

  As I watched, Josh leaned forward and placed his hand on Frankie’s arm. I couldn’t see her face but I knew her cheeks would be pink with an adorable blush.

  Of course they were here. How could I forget about their little lunch date? My stomach grumbled angrily but I turned and left the cafe. Who needed lunch? I decided to grab a drink instead.

  Ah, the hotel bar. It was just as I remembered it, right down to the wiry bartender that Frankie had swayed to her cause on our last visit. I didn’t think he would remember me, but the moment I sat down he happily traipsed down to my side of the bar and stood with his hand on his hip.

  “Now there’s a sight for sore eyes,” he said. “Glenmorangie?”

  “Please.” I scanned his name tag for the first time. Xavier. It looked like Xavier was going to be my best friend for the next five days.

  He went to work pouring my drink, glancing over his shoulder at me. “Where’s your girl?”

  I ground my teeth. Maybe we wouldn’t be best friends.

  “She’s not my girl.”

  He smiled and slid my glass across the bar. “She’s something to you.”

  “Why does everyone think that?” I muttered, grabbing the glass and downing the whiskey in one go. Xavier started pouring me another.

  “Because of the look on your face when I asked you where she was,” he replied.

  “Do they pay you extra for that?”

  Xavier picked up on my bitter tone and offered only a polite smile. He knew when to back away, at least. I didn’t fancy getting in another argument, not when I’d been here less than an hour.

  “Holler if you want another,” he said, moving down the bar to check on his other customers.

  I didn’t feel like sitting at the bar anymore. I snatched up my glass and stood, taking stock of the room. It was a quiet afternoon and only a couple tables were occupied. I decided the little one at the back by the window was the best option for drinking alone and made my way over. I sat down, ironed my features into ennui, and took a sip of my drink.

  What the hell was I going to do for the next five days? I couldn’t sit around and stew about Valerie’s shit for brains cousin, that was for damn sure. Only problem was right now I couldn’t think of anything else. I kept seeing his hand on Frankie’s arm, that smarmy grin on his face like he thought he was the funniest person in the whole world.

  I looked around the bar to distract myself. As I did, a pretty redhead came in and approached the bar, wearing a brightly colored ski jacket and matching headband. She looked like she’d skied in straight from the eighties, but it was cute.

  As I made my assessment, she looked over at me. Our eyes met and she flashed a shy smile, batting her lashes. My invitation to approach. I broke contact, turning my gaze to the window instead.

  I should go over there. Hadn’t I just been lamenting the fact that I was going to be bored out of my mind for the next few days? My parents would arrive later this afternoon, but I couldn’t spend the whole trip hanging out with them. I wasn’t that sad.

  No matter what I told myself, though, I had no desire to get up. I didn’t feel like being charming right now. I wasn’t feeling sociable, and she probably wasn’t all that interesting anyways. Besides, did I really want to get stuck with some strange girl tailing me around for the next few days?

  I stayed put, and soon the girl’s friends joined her and they took a table on the other side of the room. I felt her eyes fall on me a few times while I finished my drink, but my mind was made up. There were a bevy of reasons why I didn’t want to go over there. Tons of them. At least that was what I told myself.

  I couldn’t admit that the only thing really holding me back was that no matter how beautiful and keen that girl was, she wasn’t Frankie.

  Chapter 28

  Frankie

  Josh walked me to my room after lunch, playing the role of gentleman suitor to a tee. He all but kissed my hand and bowed as we said goodbye at the doorway.

  “Until next time,” he said in a smooth, melodic voice. It felt like he was putting it on. “I hope to find myself in your company again very soon.”

  “You too. Thanks for lunch.” I waved shortly and unlocked the door.

  Once inside, I fell onto my bed and looked around for any sign of Val. The bathroom door was closed and a strip of light showed underneath, and when I listened carefully I could hear water running.

  I didn’t know how to feel about Josh and I was anxious to talk it over with Val. I could already tell I was overthinking it. He seemed like a nice guy, but I didn’t get the imp
ression he really listened to anything I said. Not like the way Levi listened.

  And there I went thinking about Levi again. Josh would only be a good distraction if I didn’t constantly compare him to Levi. I flicked on the TV and put the kibosh on thinking about either of them until Valerie came out of the shower. I surfed the channels until I found a nature show to zone out to, and concentrated all my thoughts on the exotic wonders of the Amazon.

  Luckily, Val wasn’t in the shower for long. She emerged a few minutes later, one towel wrapped around her head and the other around her torso.

  “Oh, hey,” she said, grinning. “When did you get back in?”

  “Only a few minutes ago.” I turned off the TV and sat up in bed, crossing my legs underneath me.

  Val stepped over to the full-length mirror and started applying moisturizer. “How was your date?”

  “Let’s not call it a date. I’m not sure what to make of Josh.”

  She met my eyes in the mirror and nodded. “Good instincts. I love him but he’s got his faults. He said a couple nasty things about the Wheelers, right?”

  “Yeah. How’d you know?”

  Val gave a knowing smile. “That boy’s got a massive chip on his shoulder about them. He takes the family rivalry to another level.”

  “Why?”

  Val shook her head, chuckling. “Bitterness, mostly. He went to school with Garrick and Levi, and they always outshone him. Josh has a habit of taking everything a little too personally.”

  “Huh.” I reclined on the pillows and stretched my arms behind my head.

  “Don’t let that put you off if you like him though,” Val continued. “I would just take everything he says about them with a grain of salt.”

  “Duly noted,” I replied. “He’s nice, though. We had a really good talk.”

  Val chortled, pulling the towel from her hair. “Yeah, he’s good at that.” She started raking her fingers through her blonde tresses and picked up the hair dryer.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be with Garrick right now?” I asked. “I thought you guys were spending the day together.”

  “Right!” Val spun. “I forgot to tell you. My parents, in the surprise play of the year, have decided to come up this afternoon. They’re going to be here in an hour or so and have requested my presence for the day.”