by Bianca Vix
Josh’s expression darkens. “You’re not back with Sherwood, are you?”
I almost spit out my mouthful of coffee. “No way. Absolutely not.”
“Good. So you have a new investor? Who is it?”
“Someone I met recently. Her name’s Carysa, remember I mentioned that I met her. Well, I did some research and it turns out that she’s an investment manager. FV is exactly the kind of company that she likes to pitch. We’ve been in touch lately, and she told me found a potential funding source. She was going to get back to me whenever she had a firm answer. That phone call was from her. And the answer is yes.”
“That’s amazing.” Maiya’s hugging me. “I’m so happy for you.”
Josh comes to join us. “Nice work, man. Proud of you.”
“Thanks.”
Someone’s stepping on my bare feet, then there’s a pair of paws resting against my legs. Lucy’s come along to join in the hug too.
My heart’s pounding in my chest. Everything’s back on track. I couldn’t be any happier. But there’s one more thing left to do.
I kiss Maiya and then Josh. We’re still holding onto each other, with Lucy twining herself between our legs to join in.
“It’s everything I wanted. But without you, it wouldn’t mean anything. I love you both.”
I swallow hard. It might’ve been too soon to say it, since we’re only just back together. But I can’t wait. Whether they’re feeling it or not, I am.
Maiya presses into me. “I love you too. And you, Josh. I love you.”
Josh kisses Maiya on the lips. “I love you.”
He turns to me. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but he breaks into a smile. “You know I love you. Never stopped.”
I exhale. I wasn’t exactly sure he’d still be able to feel that way about me after everything that’s happened.
“Me neither. I never will. I love you both and that’ll never change.”
Lucy barks loudly. “You too, girl.” I rub her affectionately behind the ears. “You too. Always.”
Preview: Snow Bound
Three coworkers are trapped together. But a dangerous blizzard could be a perfect storm for love.
Linc
I’m all about work.
Always have been, and even more so since my last relationship ended. I don’t mind being single. Not at all. I get what I need when I need it. And there’s never a shortage of hotties who will give me what I want on any weekend I choose to go out looking. The rest of my time is my own. I like it that way.
But I’ll do anything to get ahead. Even go on a three week long team building retreat, way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. In winter. Being organized by a woman I can’t stand.
Mykayla
Why is true love so hard to find?
I know I should be totally focused on my brand new career, and I have been. But surely there’s someone out there who’s a perfect match for me. I want so much for it to be Jase, but he’s living with another man. Yes, the most perfect guy in the world is gay.
Just my luck.
Jase
I’m doing pretty well on my own.
But I’m ready to settle down. So I’d be happier with a woman in my life. Or a man. Or both. I’d put the chances of that happening at around zero. Maybe less than zero. I’m so used to hiding who I really am. I’m getting tired of it. Mykayla’s someone I could see myself settling down with. Having a regular life. But I don’t know if I can be with just one person. No matter how great she is.
None of it matters if we can’t survive the storm.
Continue reading for a preview.
Chapter 1
Mykayla
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. I’m not going to panic. Everything’s going to be okay.
It has to be.
I grip the steering wheel tighter. That’ll give me more control over the car. Right? I’m going to believe that’s true. Because when the car rental guy told me the road up here is dicey, I never thought he meant anything like this.
He said something about a dirt road. So what? No big deal.
This is not a dirt road. It’s full-on, hard-core mud. With deep ruts in it, although I have no idea how they got there. I haven’t seen a single car in more than half an hour. Not since the truck in front of me turned off onto a side road that I couldn’t even see.
It was a lot easier to follow his lights and swerve whenever he did. I was so tempted to follow him down the road to wherever he was going and ask if I could stay at his place for the night.
Because that would totally work out. That’s how strangers are. Well, maybe they are out here in the middle of nowhere. But that’s not a chance I can take.
So instead, I’m taking my chances on this road. This winding, insanely bumpy road that I can barely see at all because there aren’t any street lights this far out of the city.
I’m sure my knuckles are white under my gloves as I fight to stay on this “road”. I know there are ditches on both sides of it. There’s no way I can even guess at where they are, what with the random piles of snow all around. If they’re as massive as the ones that were visible when I first turned off the main road, I have a very narrow amount of space between my car and their edges.
I could be back in Manhattan right now. Out in a bar on my third glass of wine with my best friends. Or relaxing on my tiny sofa and binging on that new series I’ve been meaning to start. What was it called again? Whatever it is, it’d be better than this.
Even giving my ex a call would be better than this.
Not that I would. I’m recently single and not exactly happy about it. My boyfriend decided he wasn’t ready for a relationship. That was pretty hilarious to find out, since we were already in one. The icing on the cake was that just three weeks after he walked out of my tiny apartment and my life, I found out that he got back with his ex and had already proposed to her.
After three weeks.
At least I’m getting out of town, even if it’s not to a luxury resort or exotic place like I’d hoped.
Curling my fingers around the coffee I picked up on my way out of town, I try to feel its warmth. But my coffee has not only gone cold, the cup’s practically empty.
I swallow the dregs anyway. I need all the help I can get to make it up to the cabin without sliding off the road into one of the ditches. Or getting stuck in a snow bank.
I’m here because of work. I love my job. I really, really love my job. That’s why I’m driving upstate alone on a Thursday night. Right? But I sure as hell never expected a truly harrowing drive to be part of the deal when I volunteered to help out with our annual company retreat.
I joined Xojo just after their last team-building event. Everybody was talking about it, and I was so jealous to have missed out. I expected this year’s one to be even more spectacular. Or at the very least, equally fabulous.
“You’re going to love it.” My boss meant what he said to me at the time. Sam’s really big on team players, and I want to climb up the ladder as fast as I can. I’ve dreamed of making it in New York my whole life.
Now, I don’t have the glamorous life I want. No penthouse apartment. No flashy car or closet full of designer dresses. Not yet. But it’s out there for me. I can feel it. Everything I’ve ever wanted, just waiting for me if I work hard enough.
And so when Sam put out the call for help with organizing this year’s big staff retreat, I stepped right up. I like planning events anyway. This is way more of a working retreat than a fun one, but still. I’m not in charge of setting up the work schedule, so I’ve been working on the fun side of it as much as I can. Everyone’s going to have a blast if I have anything to do with it.
Even in spite of the fact that instead of jetting off to Australia or Jamaica like Xojo’s always done in the past, we’re going to a cabin.
A cabin. In the middle of winter. That is so not what I expected when Sam called a meeting to announce the location they chose.
He was clear
ly uncomfortable when he started talking. “As you know, we’ve had lots of layoffs this year. Lots of changes. That’s going to affect our annual retreat. Don’t worry, we’re still going to have one. But it’ll be a little different than our usual. We’ll be going upstate, to my cabin near Redfern.”
My heart sank as he made the announcement. Seriously? I almost spoke out loud. I caught myself just in time.
Still, I felt bad for Sam. He’s a great boss, and he was genuinely sad about having to make such a big change. So I have to wait another year to be part of a truly legendary Xojo retreat. Things will pick up by then, I’m sure.
He turned to me. “Mykayla. Best if you can head up to the cabin as early as possible. Make sure everything’s in place. I know it’s not going to be the exotic trip that everyone was expecting. So I want to make sure this retreat is going to go as smoothly as possible. That we’ll all have as much fun as we can.”
So here I am. Driving up to a remote cabin in the pitch black night, on something that really shouldn’t even be called a road.
I flick the windshield wipers on. It’s starting to snow. I do love snow. But there’s a time and a place for it.
And this isn’t it.
I’m seriously considering turning back and trying to find a hotel in the last town I passed through. Surely this drive should be at least a little easier in the daylight.
I’m wondering how I can do a u-turn when I can’t see much of anything, or if it’d be better to just throw the car into reverse for the entire way back. A voice breaks into my scattered thoughts.
“Turn here.”
It’s my phone.
I slow almost to a stop. There’s a fence running along the side of the road that I didn’t notice before, stretching for miles in both directions. I squint into the inky blackness.
“Turn where?” I ask it. “Come on. Help me out here.”
“Turn here.”
“Okay, okay.” I’m about to reprogram the maps app to redirect from my current location when something catches my eye.
There is a road there. It’s barely visible under the blankets of snow covering it up, but there it is. Leading right through a gap in the old wooden fence and into the dark unknown.
Carefully I guide the car through the opening. I can’t even tell if this is where an actual gate is supposed to be, or if a piece of the fence is just missing from this spot. But a glance down at the map on my screen shows me I’m close. All I can do is trust that it’s correct. Because it’s even darker here than the stretch of road I’ve just left.
It doesn’t take long before everything changes. The road smooths out. There’s even a light up in the distance. Yes. That must be it. I exhale in relief.
I increase my speed, my normal driving confidence coming back. Everything’s good. There’s still no sign of any buildings whatsoever as I go along, but at least I’m not gripped with fear anymore.
Not completely.
I’ve been holding the steering wheel so tightly, my fingers are cramped up. I shake them out and then slam hard on the brakes.
The car skids around in a full circle before it comes to a stop. I’m facing back the way I came. What the hell?
I climb out and step onto icy pavement. I’m in a parking lot, and what made me stop was another fence, appearing suddenly right in front of me. I didn’t even notice this lot until I was in it. But here it is. Flat and empty.
I grab for my phone. The directions mock me. I tap at it, trying to get it to recalculate again. The results are the same. Half a mile to my destination. “It will be on your right.”
“Great. Thanks.” But my phone doesn’t appreciate my sarcasm. I can just barely make out the shape of a building in the distance. That has to be the cabin. There’s a narrow footpath leading the way. But no more road.
I have to walk?
Fuck.
The snow’s swirling hard around me now. It flies in my face as I tug my suitcase out of the trunk and start to wheel it behind me. The moment I step on the path, I sink into it. It’s mud. Soft, strong mud that’s grabbing onto my boot like it won’t ever let go.
Why? Who doesn’t pave a path up to a cabin?
I yank my foot free, nearly losing my balance. Maybe my boots with four inch heels weren’t the best choice. But I never expected this. When my boss said cabin, I figured he meant a ski lodge type of deal. I sure didn’t have a mud path in mind when I got dressed for work this morning.
By the time I reach the end of the path, I’m covered in melting snow and mud. This is no way to start off a three week retreat.
But at least I’ve made it here. Sam’s cabin. And it’s impressive. Big and looming, but friendly and welcoming at the same time. I dig out the key he gave me and swing the big front door open.
It’s not much warmer in here than it is outside. No matter. I’m the first one here for a reason. To get everything up and running.
Another coffee should help me warm up. Coffee fixes everything. My coat’s perfect for a Manhattan winter. I’m never cold. But it’s failed its first upstate test. Even after the short amount of time I was outside walking from the car up here, I’m actually shivering.
Struggling to get my boots off, I have a quick glance around. Then I take a longer look. Wow. This place is amazing. Even better than I imagined it would be. I have to admit that after the crazy drive up here, I was starting to believe the cabin would turn out to be a tiny, dark log shack or something. Not exactly the kind of place I want to spend three weeks holed up with coworkers that I’ve mostly never met before.
But this place. It’s wonderful.
I could live here. If it was in the city, of course. Setting my boots aside and shrugging off my coat, I take a deep, deep breath. Even the air’s nice here, if a little cold. Surely a place this grand must have a fireplace.
I walk around, switching on every light I can find until I reach the main living room.
Oh, yes. It has a fireplace.
Does it ever.
But there’s no switch. It’s not electric. I peer in closer. It takes wood. Actual wood. Where on earth am I supposed to find that? I’m not going to be chopping down any trees, that’s for sure. I shoot Sam a text to ask about it. It’s not just about warming up. It’s the finishing touches like having a good fire going that are the reason I’ve come up here early in the first place.
But my text doesn’t go through. No signal. Damn. I didn’t expect that. That alone drives home just how remote this place is. I go back to the front door and make sure I locked it behind me. It’s so quiet here, it’s making me nervous. I’m missing the constant hum of being in a twenty four hour city. It’s reassuring. Like I’m not alone.
In spite of no signal, everything else here is ultra-modern and cool. Killer sound system. There’s even a movie room. Its massive screen takes up an entire wall, and it’s complete with movie theatre style seats.
I could so, so live here.
Even I can tell the kitchen’s amazing too. But I don’t take a second look at the gleaming chrome surfaces of the huge appliances. Swinging open the fridge door, I check it out. Yes. It’s already decently stocked up, although there’ll be more delivered soon. There’s not nearly enough to last for three weeks.
Including wine.
I grab for a bottle of white and find a glass in the huge set of cupboards. It’ll take too long to make coffee anyway. This will warm me up just fine.
After the long drive, I don’t want to sit still. Wine glass in hand, I start to explore the entire place. Every single part of it is gorgeous. And bonus, I discover the electric heat. Now that I’ve got it turned on, this place is practically perfect.
My phone vibrates with a text. Not from my boss, but hey. At least there’s a signal now. I suppose cell service might be on and off out here, especially with weather like this.
I finish my drink and go back to haul my suitcase into the bedroom I’ve picked out for myself. First choice of room, one of the perks of helping ou
t.
Now it’s time to try out the amazing claw foot tub in the huge bathroom. In spite of cranking the heat up as high as I could, I’m still cold. Somehow the bathroom’s a lot warmer than any other room in the place. I start up the water and head back to my room.
By the time I get back, the tub’s full. I’ve refilled my wine glass and shed my clothes. I even got the stereo system to work with my phone and I’ve got my best relaxing music coming through the speakers.
I sink in and the warm water surrounds me. Yes. It feels like the best thing ever. Every last bit of tension I had from the crazy drive up here instantly melts right out of my body. I’m so glad I remembered to pack bubble bath. Coconut mango. Mmm. My favorite.
I hate to think about this when I’m trying to relax, but I haven’t felt this good since I was with my ex. I mean, not during the last couple of months. Things were bad for awhile before we ended it. But once, near the beginning, I talked Chad into taking a bath with me. That led to sex that lasted until sunrise.
If nothing else, he was good in bed. I’m sure the women he cheated on me with thought so too.
But forget that. I’m not thinking about him. Not here, not in this gorgeous place. In this perfect bath. He and I were wrong for each other anyway. I’m only going to focus on the positive.
And the first positive thing that comes to mind is Jason Mitchell. He and I work together sometimes, and I wish it was way more often. We’re becoming friends, although I wish we were a lot more. Of course that’s not possible, since he’s gay.
But a woman can dream.
He’s really hot. My heart beats faster every time he’s near me. And now that I’m here by myself, my imagination’s starting to run free. Usually I try not to think about him this way.
But why not now? No harm done. He’s too hot not to have had a lot of women and men dream about him when they’re alone. And naked. And getting way too buzzed on wine due to not having time to grab any dinner.