The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  I drank some more of my drink and moved back over to the bar, pulling up a seat and looking at the muted television. A Christmas Story was on, and I smiled to myself, remembering how Bea looked when she first came to my beginners’ class for skiing. I didn’t even know it was her, she was bundled up so tightly, and then the laughter that came from her chest echoed through the whole mountain, making anyone in range smile at her light and love. I looked up at the bartender as I finished my beer.

  “Will you have to work all day?” I asked.

  “No, sir.”

  “Please, call me Cameron,” I said, smiling.

  “No, Cameron, I am the day shift,” he said. “It usually gets pretty busy in here when everyone is done with family and needs a drink. They have a night crew coming in for that. We all drew straws to see when we would work.”

  “That stinks,” I said. “If you are going to work, you should at least be given a decent money shift.”

  “Just part of the job.” He smiled. “What about you? What are your plans for the day?”

  “Well, so far, I am planning on continuing to drink these beers and keep you company.” I laughed. “I travel, so I am usually never in my hometown for Christmas. I am used to it, but with my buddy being gone, I have decided that this is as good a day as any to drink my way through the jingling bells.”

  “If I didn’t have to work, I would join you.” He laughed.

  “I appreciate the sentiment.” I smiled. “I may take a slight break, halfway through the day, and take to the slopes for a couple hours, but that really depends on how many whiskeys I decide to have between beers.”

  “Well, here is your first,” he said, pouring me a shot. “This one is on the house. A Christmas gift from us to you.”

  “I feel terrible. I left yours at home.” I laughed.

  I drank the shot and set down the glass, closing my eyes and feeling the warmth flow through me. I guessed it was a little pathetic to be getting drunk by myself on Christmas, but I had nothing better to do with my time, so I thought, why not? Besides, was it really considered getting drunk alone when the bartender was there with you? I smiled at the thought of Glen surrounded by his family this morning, unwrapping some terrible socks and some even worse sweaters. As the thoughts ran through my head, I opened my eyes, feeling a hand lay softly on my shoulder.

  I looked down at the pretty, red fingernails and smiled, smelling Bea’s sweet scent. I turned in my seat and looked at her. She was standing there with her beautiful hair curled into ringlets and pulled back with a red bow. She was wearing a mid-length white dress with bells on the hem, and her lips were painted crimson in color. She looked absolutely breathtaking. I reached out and took her hand, pulling it to my lips.

  “Merry Christmas,” I said, smiling.

  “Merry Christmas,” she replied, her cheeks glowing bright red.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I looked at a woman and felt completely blown away by how beautiful they really were. This time, I could barely speak. Bea was a vision, standing there, ready to sit down and spend at least a moment of her Christmas by my side. She was a more than welcomed vision, and I was excited to see her standing there.

  “May I buy you a drink?”

  “I would love that,” she said, pulling out the stool and sitting down.

  “Anything that the lady desires,” I said, winking at the bartender.

  “I’ll have an Irish coffee,” she replied, turning toward me. “It doesn’t count if it’s in coffee, right?”

  “I never saw a thing,” I responded with a deep laugh. “So, what brings you down to the lounge this Christmas morning?”

  “I figured I’d find you around here somewhere,” she said, laughing.

  “You know me too well already,” I replied with a smile, glancing up at the TV and seeing the little boy all dressed up in his snow gear. “Look, it’s you, the first time I ever talked to you.”

  “Very funny,” she said, slapping me on the arm. “Wasn’t that the first time you ever saw me, too?”

  “No, actually,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I saw you for the first time when you arrived here. I immediately tried to find you, knowing I just couldn’t go another day without speaking to you, but then I lost you. I went out to the courtyard, seeing you down there, but by the time I got there, you were gone.”

  “Wait, so I was who you were looking for?”

  “What?”

  “After the courtyard, I came inside and went upstairs,” she replied. “As the elevator doors closed, I saw you walk in front of them, standing there looking for someone.”

  “Yes.” I laughed. “I was looking for you.”

  “Well that is very serendipitous, don’t you think?”

  “Very much so,” I said, looking her in the eye and wanting badly to kiss her.

  “How about a shot?” she asked.

  “I like how this lady thinks,” I said, pulling myself out of the trance. “Three shots of whiskey. One for me, one for the lady, and one for you, kind sir.”

  “I thank you, but I am not permitted to drink.” He smiled.

  “Well, I’ll have to come back when you are off and buy you one, then,” I said, smiling.

  “I would love that,” he said, laughing.

  He poured us both a shot, and I took mine, impressed at how easily Bea swung hers back. Usually, the women that came to resorts like this were more of a shooter kind of person than whiskey. I smiled at her and cleared my throat, already feeling a bit better than when I had arrived. She wiped her mouth and turned to me, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “So, why are you here and not with family?” she asked.

  “Well, my father and mother are good people, but not the most loving of parents,” I said. “My father is a big business man, and my mother owns her own business as well, and I didn’t quite live up to the standards with my chosen career path.”

  “But you own your business,” she pointed out.

  “Very true,” I replied. “That is exactly the argument I’ve had ten times over. But with my father being a conglomerate owner, he doesn’t really consider a business actually a business until you’ve made your first million. Something I will probably never see.”

  “Well, money isn’t everything,” she said, smiling.

  “How about you?” I asked, sipping my beer. “Besides the whole, ex-douche bag thing, why aren’t you with family?”

  “Well, I had thought I was spending Christmas at his boss’s house, so my family went away to the islands,” she replied. “They figured if there wasn’t anyone to celebrate with, why not take in the sun and sand?”

  “They sound like brilliant people.” I laughed. “But seriously, their loss, our gain.”

  “Why, thank you,” she said, smiling. “However, I did come down here to see if you wanted to come spend Christmas with Hailey and me. We actually were just getting ready to open presents and send down for a yummy, room service lunch. I believe I saw that Santa may have left you something under the tree. Besides, there is enough whiskey for three Christmases in our room. And the bartender is more than welcome when his shift is over. I’m pretty sure he’s met Hailey.”

  I looked over at the bartender, who smiled and looked down, nodding his head yes. I thought about it for a second, but looking at Bea’s big, beautiful eyes folded me immediately. How could I ever say no to that face?

  “Yes, I would love to,” I said.

  We finished our drinks, and I made Brian, the bartender, promise us to come up in a couple of hours when his shift ended. When I got upstairs, Hailey greeted me with some red confetti and a glass of whiskey on the rocks. We sat around, opening silly gifts, wearing Santa hats, and watching the worst Christmas movies we could possibly find. This had actually turned out to be one of the best Christmases that I had ever had. Even more than that, it was the first time I cared about the people and the holiday. As the sun went down behind the mountain, and Brian joined us from downstairs, I sat back, wat
ching the girls singing Christmas carols, swaying back and forth with their drinks, and decided that maybe I was missing out on something, being all alone all the time. Maybe, just maybe, Bea was worth keeping around.

  Chapter 16

  Bea

  That had been the best Christmas I’d ever had. We laughed, we danced, we drank, and we cuddled in front of the fire, listening to Brian the bartender read us old Christmas stories from a book he brought with him. It was one of those nights that you hoped would last forever, and that you would probably try to recreate in the future, but never fully be able to catch the exact light that the original had. There were many things in my life that I was thankful for, from my job, to my ability to keep moving in tough situations, but this was the first time that I felt truly thankful for a group of people. Hailey had been my guardian angel, pulling me out of my house and forcing me to open myself up to new experiences. She had stood by the whole time, knowing that Grant was bad for me, voicing it when she could, but knowing that it didn’t matter how hard she pushed me. I wouldn’t see it until I was ready to see it. Her love for me was beyond friendship, and I truly thought of her as my sister.

  Cameron had come up to celebrate with us, and although I was nervous about it at first, he opened right up and was just as goofy as Hailey and me. He laughed, danced, and made a fool of himself, singing “I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus” with Brian in the middle of the suite floor. Hailey and I could not stop laughing, and I found it to be more than adorable.

  When I first decided to ask him to come up and celebrate with us, I was nervous at what he would say. So, to calm those nerves and make sure he couldn’t say no, Hailey put me in one of her 1940s-inspired holiday dresses, curled my hair, and did my makeup. I was impressed and told her maybe investments weren’t her true calling. When I got downstairs, the look on his face was priceless. In the end, it worked out perfectly, and he didn’t even hesitate, making this Christmas unforgettable.

  At the end of the night, or really early this morning, Brian was passed out on the couch, Hailey was passed out in her bed, and I didn’t even remember how I got into my bed. I did remember, though, that Cameron was a gentleman and had kissed my hand and stumbled out to go to his room to sleep. I was still laying in the bed, staring at the sunshine illuminating the snow outside my window, when a loud knock to the door shook my head.

  “Hold on,” I said in a whisper, stumbling to find my robe.

  I stumbled around my bedroom, my head pounding from the insane amount of wine and whiskey that I had consumed the night before. I grabbed the robe out of my bathroom and put it on, tying it tightly around me and looking in the mirror at the mess of curls and smeared makeup. My eyes got big, and I took a wash cloth and quickly dipped it in the water, rubbing my face and pulling my hair into a messy ponytail. I looked like a hungover Christmas Medusa. Finally, I just gave up, figuring whoever it was, they were going to get quite the eyeful when I opened the door.

  I walked into the living room, looking over at the couch and giggling at Brian who was sprawled out, half hanging on the couch, the other half on the floor. I tripped over an empty wine bottle and grabbed my foot, hopping forward and grabbing the door handle. I cracked the door and peered out, thankfully seeing Cameron on the other side. I opened the door and grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him inside and closing the door behind us. I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to stop the room from spinning, but smiling just the same.

  “Well, you look well this morning.” He laughed.

  “Shh, stop yelling,” I said, holding my temples and pulling myself up and into my bedroom.

  “I figured I would find you like this,” he said, quietly shutting the bedroom door. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl drink that much whiskey.”

  “I don’t think anyone ever has,” I replied, sitting down and looking up at him.

  “Well, here,” he said, holding out a paper bag.

  “I hope there isn’t whiskey in here,” I said, taking it from him. “That old wives’ tale of curing a hangover with more alcohol doesn’t actually work. I know. I went to college.”

  “No.” He laughed. “That is a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel, some Tylenol, and a bottle of water. It’s a hangover cure in a bag.”

  “You are a saint,” I said, opening the bag and dumping it out on the bed.

  “I need you to be mobile,” he replied. “It’s time for that personal ski day.”

  “Do they make wheel chairs with skis?”

  “No.” He chuckled. “Eat your sandwich, take a shower, and I promise you will feel much better.”

  I looked at him for a moment and shrugged my shoulders, figuring I wasn’t getting out of it, and in reality, I didn’t want to. I ate my bagel and then moved into the shower, smiling at him awkwardly as I closed the door. It felt strange to be naked with just a door between the two of us. I had every plan in the world to sleep with him, but not yet. I showered quickly and dried my hair, so it wouldn’t turn into ice when I went outside. I pulled on my snow pants, a thermal, a sweater, and the thinner, down coat that I had bought. I could move, I didn’t look like a stuffed sausage, and I was excited to get going. I pulled on my ski cap and twisted a scarf around my neck, nodding happily at my reflection.

  “Okay,” I said, stepping out. “I’m ready.”

  “That is much better than your multilayer, ready for Alaskan ice fishing look,” he joked, grabbing his jacket.

  Our day out on the slopes was more amazing than I thought it would be. We started out on the bunny slopes, just working on techniques, talking about what to expect at the next level up, and having him show me some hip movements that would increase my control and movements. I had to admit, feeling him behind me, his hands grasping my hips and moving them where he wanted them, was slightly distracting, and I wasn’t the least bit cold at that point. I could have stayed skiing like that for the rest of the day and never had an issue with it.

  After about the sixth run on the bunny slopes, we decided to move up a level and try out the intermediate slopes. I had to admit, they were a bit more daunting than I thought, and I swallowed hard, standing at the top of the slope, not sure I was ready to go plummeting down yet. Cameron walked up beside me and smiled, reaching out and running his finger across my red cheeks.

  “You’ve got this,” he said. “And I’ll be right behind you. Remember, if you feel like you are out of control, just sit down. That is the quickest way to stop. I’ll make sure you have no one but me behind you.”

  I nodded my head, instantly feeling more confident. It was strange how he was able to push me up, when all I had been used to for the last three years was being pushed down. I had a warm sensation in my chest, and I used that to find my brave. I pushed off and leaned forward, tucking my arms to my side and moving my hips just how he taught me. I was actually doing it, and I had to say I loved every second of it. The cold wind whipped across my skin, and for the first time in a long time, I felt completely alive. However, as I began to approach the bottom, my nerves shot up, and I realized that I had no idea how to stop. I put my poles down and dragged them through the snow, attempting to slow myself down. It was working well, but my knees were getting wobbly, and as I slowly came to a stop at the bottom, I lost my balance and fell straight down on my butt, laughing hard as Cameron slid gracefully down beside me.

  “Not the most graceful end.” He laughed. “Nonetheless, you made it down and with amazing form.”

  “Well, thank you,” I said, reaching out for his shoulder.

  After that, we turned our skis in to the concierge and headed over to the lounge for some hot chocolate and warmth. My cheeks were red, and my hair was windblown, but I felt absolutely amazing. I held the hot cocoa tightly in my hands and sipped at it, the warmth stinging the skin on my hands. Cameron met me at the table and set some warm croissants down in front of us. I picked one up, pulling apart the freshly baked bread and shoving it in my mouth. I was hungrier than I thought.

 
“So, I was wondering,” he said. “How long are you going to be here?”

  “Hailey and I decided to stay through New Year’s,” I said, smiling. “Luckily, the room was available for extension of stay.”

  “That is really awesome,” he replied. “So, I was wondering, would you consider being my date for New Year’s? The resort holds this amazing party, and I figured we could get all dolled up in our best black-tie attire and make everyone jealous.”

  I smiled and looked over at him, knowing that it sounded like the perfect way to bring in the New Year. I nodded my head, with my cheeks glowing red, and took a sip of my hot cocoa. I had never been to a party like that for New Year’s before, nor had I ever had anyone to ring the New Year’s in with. Grant was always out of town on New Year’s, and I didn’t feel right going out without him, even though it never stopped him from going out without me. This year, though, it looked like I was not only getting to attend an extremely glamorous party, but I was going to be on the arm of one of the handsomest men in the building. I was already excited about it.

  “I’ll get the tickets for us today,” he said, smiling. “I’ll get a third ticket for Hailey.”