* * *
The phone only rang once before she picked it up. "Kristy! Happy Friday!"
* * *
I laughed out loud at her enthusiasm. "Hey!" I tried but my voice clearly didn't share her sentiments.
* * *
"What's wrong? You should be thrilled to be out of that place." She giggled.
* * *
"I am just so done. Tom actually had the nerve to invite me over to his place Sunday night."
* * *
"What for?"
* * *
"He claims it was to go over my photo choices for the magazine layout. I know he is just using it as an excuse to get me alone. It pissed me off so much I may have accidentally left the USB stick that contained the images in my desk drawer. Whoops."
* * *
"You should have reported him when you had the chance. I can't believe that he's still bothering you."
* * *
"I know I should have. I just seriously need a new life. If that wasn't bad enough, he called an emergency meeting at three o'clock this afternoon to go over everything that seriously could have been summed up in an email about a paragraph long."
* * *
"What a dick."
* * *
"Then, as if everything wasn't ending on a high enough note, I stopped at Food Mart on my way home and Dena already had my three bottles of wine bagged and behind the counter. Can you believe it?"
* * *
Addie let out a loud laugh. "Oh, Kristy, that's hilarious."
* * *
"Yah it’s really funny. It's pitiful. Seriously, I am twenty-five. When did I become predictable? I am supposed to be carefree, partying it up every weekend, sleeping with random dudes. Instead, the cashier at the grocery store knows that every Friday, at exactly five fifteen, I walk in and buy three bottles of Cupcake Vineyards Moscato, one cold, and two warm, to drown my sorrows over the weekend."
* * *
"It sounds like you need a vacation."
* * *
"I so do. I need away from everything," I bit out, opening the bag of gummy bears I had bought and shoving four of them in my mouth.
* * *
"Why don't you head up to the cottage? Phil and I were supposed to go this weekend, but he's on call, so we had to change our plans."
* * *
"I don't know. It's already almost six. It would take me a bit to get there."
* * *
"Nonsense. You need this. It’s supposed to be a beautiful weekend. Serenity Lake is already covered in snow, and you will have the entire cabin to yourself. You, nature, the mountains. Book a massage, go horseback riding, spend the day in nature. It's exactly what you need."
* * *
I glanced around at my empty apartment. I could either stay here and wallow in self pity, looking at the four white walls, or I could get in my car, drive up to the mountains, and spend the weekend in that beautiful rustic cabin that Addie's family had owned for years, surrounded by wildlife and beautiful scenery.
* * *
"Are you sure? I feel kind of bad going when I know you guys were planning this weekend for so long."
* * *
"I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't sure, Kristy. Phil can't go far. His rotation was changed, and he is on call all weekend. So go, have a good time. I'll even call ahead and book you in for a massage at the hotel down the road with Shawn. I’ll book it for when you arrive tonight."
* * *
"Shawn?"
* * *
"Oh you will love him. He has the best hands in the world, not to mention he is a total hottie."
* * *
I let out a laugh. I could practically see the expression on Addie's face right now as she said those words. The idea of being pampered did sound great. At least it was better than staying here and wallowing the entire weekend. "All right, fine, no need to twist my arm. I will go."
* * *
"Yay!" I could hear her clapping on the other end of the phone and imagined her jumping up and down with excitement because I'd agreed to take her up on her offer.
* * *
"Okay I am going to go and book your massage. My treat, okay! Did you want me to email you directions?"
* * *
"No, Addie, the cottage is enough. I will pay for my massage. I think I remember how to get there, but just in case I don't, please email them."
* * *
"You got it, babe! Have a great time!"
* * *
"You too."
* * *
"Oh, and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Addie laughed into the phone, and suddenly, I wished that she was joining me on this weekend away. I desperately needed girl time or something to take my mind off of everything I had going on.
* * *
We said our good-byes, and I took off down the hall towards my bedroom and packed my bag. I was going to spend the entire weekend in the mountains alone, which may be exactly what I needed to unwind.
2
Austin
I lay with my arm over my eyes, my head pounding. It had been a long day, and I was looking forward to my days off to just lounge around the house and relax. I could hear Addie pacing outside of my bedroom door.
I glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw it was almost six. She should have been gone on her way up to the cottage by now. I was looking forward to having the house to myself this weekend after the set of shifts I'd just had. I'd only completed two rotations after being off for an entire year and a half. I was tired, and I was seriously beginning to wonder if I hadn't jumped at the chance to go back too soon. I also wondered if perhaps it was time I found my own place. Living with my sister had its perks, but it also had its downfalls, one being zero privacy. How would I ever start dating again if she was always around nosing into everything?
Running my hand over my face, I closed my eyes and did my best to try and forget today. We'd been hanging at the fire station when the call had come in. An accident over off Jackson Street. We'd scrambled to get ready, and then, with sirens blaring, we drove like mad fools to get there. I could feel my heart in my throat as we drove there. It was the first call I'd gone on since that night.
"Austin, you doing okay?" Greg asked from the seat beside me.
"Yeah, man, all good," I lied. Memories of Jackson Street stood boldly in my mind. I knew that street all too well and did my best to avoid it at all costs.
"You’re sure?"
I blew out a breath. I knew he was only asking because he cared and probably because he could tell I was stressing. "Yep all good," I lied. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
Greg slapped me on the shoulder and called out to one of the other guys.
I looked out the front window of the rig as we slowed and that was when I saw the car, flipped upside down. My heartbeat accelerated as the rig came to a stop and the guys started climbing out. I sat there for a moment, swallowing hard, panic rising in me as I looked at the red car.
"Austin, grab the AED," I heard Greg yell.
Another surge of adrenaline, and I grabbed the AED and threw it down to Greg and climbed out of the truck. The guys rushed to a body that lay motionless on the pavement. I stood back surveying the scene, and that was when I saw an arm crushed between the pavement and the roof of the flipped car.
"Over here," I called, and two of the guys came running. "Someone is trapped." Paramedics and police arrived just as I was approaching the car. There was blood everywhere on the pavement, and I froze. I could hear a female voice weakly begging for help, bringing back all those horrible memories I had fought so hard to forget.
I froze, unable to move as panic rose in me. I could hear the guys calling me, asking me for help as they tried to lift the car to free the person inside, but I couldn't move. I just stood there, remembering.
The floor in the hallway creaked again and pulled me out of my memory. I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you just come in, Addie," I called.
My bedroom door opened, and Addie stuck her head into my room. "Oh, you're home! I didn't know you had come back from the firehouse already."
Yep, it is definitely time for me to find my own place, I thought to myself. I'd been living with my sister for the past year and a half, ever since Laura had died. I'd never even returned to our home. Addie along with her boyfriend, Phil, and Kristy, had done everything to get the house on the market, while I spent my time battling my own inner demons. I was ready to move on with my life and get over everything that had happened.
"Yep, I'm here, all six foot two, two hundred and thirty pounds of me," I murmured and then put my head back down on the pillow, covering my eyes with my arm.
"How was your day? You look spent."
"It was a day, Addie, that’s all, and yes, I am tired."
"Isn't this your weekend off? You got any plans for this weekend?" she asked, plopping herself down on the end of my bed.
I stared up at the ceiling. "It is my weekend off, yes, and you have no need to worry. I won't bother you in the slightest. I plan on sleeping my entire weekend away. Besides, you aren't even going to be here, so I don't see how I will be any bother to you at all. Isn't this the weekend that you and Phil are heading up to the cottage?" I asked, silently praying that I was for sure going to have the house to myself.
Addie leaned against the wall and shook her head. "No. Unfortunately, Phil’s rotation was changed, and now he is on call at the hospital, so we have to stay here."
"I see. Well, I promise you won't even know I am here." I closed my eyes and placed my arm back over them, blocking out the light to try and rid myself of the horrible headache I had.
"Austin."
I blew out a deep breath. "Yeah?"
"I hate to ask, but would it be okay if you were to head to the cottage this weekend? I mean, you could use the quiet. You say you need the rest."
"Addie, please, I am good right here." It was clear that getting some rest right now wasn't going to happen, so I propped a pillow up behind my head and looked at my sister.
"I know. It’s just… I thought maybe you could use some time in nature. It may help you reset."
"It may, but seriously, I am good here. I have food, a TV, there are a few movie marathons on this weekend. So, I'm going to nurse this headache, and then I'm just gonna chill."
Addie sat there looking at me as if she didn't want to say what was on her mind. She was up to something. I just wished she would come out and say it instead of dancing around the subject.
"Why are you trying to get rid of me?" I questioned.
"Well, I told Phil he could stay here for the weekend. It's closer to the hospital than his place. We had been planning a romantic weekend together, and it’s been ruined, so I figured I'd just bring it here. I guess I just didn't think you would want to be here when..."
"All right," I said, holding my hands up for her to stop. "No need to continue. I'll get out," I said, sitting up and winking at my sister. I certainly didn't want to be here to listen to the goings on of their bedroom life, which led me again to start thinking that it was time I got my own place. There'd be no way in hell I would be able to bring a girl here, not with her bedroom butting up against mine.
The phone rang, and Addie tore off down the hall, while I got up and grabbed a duffel bag from the closet and began to pack my clothes. Forty-five minutes later, I emerged from my bedroom freshly showered, dressed in jeans and a button-down white flannel shirt. It would probably take me a good hour to get there with the weather outside, and I wanted to get on the road.
I walked into the kitchen and found Addie placing the last of the food into a cooler. "What's all this?" I opened the cupboard where we kept the first-aid kit and shook two headache tablets into my hand, popped them in my mouth, and downed a glass of water.
"I made you a care package. Figured since I am the one kicking you out, the least I could do was make sure you had food for the weekend. You've got everything you are going to need. Dinner tonight, breakfast items, stuff for lunch. I even put your favorite beer in there," she said, grinning at me. "Oh and a bottle of this." She held up a bottle.
"Thanks, but you didn't need to go to any trouble. I could just eat down at the main lodge, or better yet go to that little breakfast place in that little town that I used to love," I mumbled as I pulled out the bottle she had packed and read the name. Cupcake Vineyards Moscato.
"Oh, the one Laura never wanted to go to?" Addie said nonchalantly.
I frowned, not saying anything as I put the bottle back into the box.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." I'd asked Addie numerous times to never to mention Laura to me. I knew it had been a slip of the tongue, and I didn't want to make her feel bad, so I just let the comment slide.
"Well, here you go," she said, pushing the box towards me. "Just drive careful, and I will see you on Monday."
"Yep." I grabbed the cooler and box of food, threw my duffel bag over my shoulder, and walked down the back porch to my car.
3
Kristy
* * *
Music blared over the radio as I drove up the road to the entrance of Serenity Lake. I still couldn't believe that Addie had just offered me the entire weekend up at the cottage. I knew she and Phil had been planning this weekend for a while. It was their anniversary, and part of me felt guilty for accepting it, even though I knew she couldn't attend.
* * *
I slowed down as I approached the entrance to a newly built hotel on Serenity Lake. My stomach flipped with excitement. The place had changed a lot since I had been there last. I pulled the car in front of the hotel and cut the engine. I looked up at the stone building. I remembered coming up here to the cottage with Addie's family when we were younger, long before this hotel was built. I remembered seeing all the Christmas lights that each cottage owner had strung around their properties, some adjoining them together through the trees and around the lake. I looked around and the same feeling presented itself. I glanced off to the left where a huge bonfire was burning. People were scattered around the fire, relaxing on Adirondack chairs.
* * *
I climbed out of the car, locked the doors, and approached the front door to the main lodge. There was a long line of people waiting to be checked in at the front desk. I glanced around. Not only was it beautiful in here but cozy too. Couples sat in large, over-sized leather chairs around a huge stone fireplace. It would be a perfect place to read the book I brought, I thought to myself.
* * *
I glanced at my watch. I knew Addie had booked me an appointment at the spa, and if I waited in this line to check in for my appointment, I would be late. I glanced around the lobby and spotted the sign for Serenity Cove and headed in that direction.
* * *
I was welcomed at the desk with a glass of cucumber water and led to the changing room where I slipped into a plush white bathrobe, monogrammed with SC on the pocket. I was then directed to go and relax in a beautiful solarium with a view of the lake. I had barely sat down in the reclining chair when I was brought a hot chamomile tea. The view of the snow-covered landscape combined with the music and warm tea had me fully relaxed from my drive by the time Shawn had come to get me. Addie had been right. He was extremely easy on the eyes, I thought as I followed him down the hall to his treatment room.
* * *
I lay on the massage table with my eyes closed, while Shawn massaged all the tension away from my back and shoulders, digging into every knotted muscle he could find. Addie hadn't been lying when she mentioned he had amazing hands. He spent time working on every aching muscle in my body, and I felt like Jell-O when he was finished. He left the room, and I lay on the table in the dim light for a few minutes, allowing myself to come back down.
Feeling refreshed and relaxed, I left the spa and went out to my car. I started heading down the road towards the cottage and spotted a restaurant off to my left. I pulled in an
d smiled. The Country Winds Pub was still here. I shut the car off and headed inside. Once seated, I placed an order for a hamburger and fries to go. I was eager just to get to the cottage and continue relaxing with some food and a bottle of wine.
* * *
Another twenty minutes down the road, I finally approached the cabin. It was tucked away on the opposite side of the lake from that new hotel and was nestled back in off the road surrounded by trees. It was a cute rustic cabin from the outside, and I hurried to grab my bag, food, and make my way inside. I pushed the door open and glanced inside. It looked exactly how I remembered it. I set my food on the table and took my bag into the bedroom, placing it on the king-sized bed, and sat down to test out the soft mattress. I was looking forward to sinking my body into it tonight.
* * *
I looked around the room and saw a tray on the bedside table I hadn't noticed when I first walked in. A little A-frame card with the words "Our Compliments" written on it. I knew Addie owned part of this time-share and wondered if the hotel staff was the ones who looked after it. I sat up and sifted through the items that were in the basket. I picked up a purple box and opened it, sliding out a sealed bag.
All I Want for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance Holiday Collection Page 32