These guests weren’t going anywhere today.
Swallowing, Mia turned for the stairwell, debating her options. Christmas was only two days away so it was beginning to look like they might have to prepare to spend the holiday in the hotel.
Pausing on the second set of stairs, Mia closed her eyes and dropped her head back. She just had to be grateful the power had stayed on, and they never lost reception. Sure, they had a glitch the first night, but the generator had kicked right in and the power was back on by morning.
And they had plenty of food to get them through the holiday—minus fresh cranberries for the sauce, of course.
It could be worse. Mia counted her blessings and considered the situation a win, so far. If nothing else, Janice would be pleased with the way Mia had handled being snowed in with guests for that long. She hoped.
Even if some of the scheduled guests never arrived and the hotel was losing money each day. The customer experience was great. Mia needed to push that component when talking with her boss after this whole ordeal was over.
“Asleep standing up, eh?” a deep voice said in front of her. “You just keep surprising me with all these new skills.”
A smile formed on Mia’s face and she opened her eyes to find Elliot standing before her on the landing. The dim stairwell was only lit by track lights at their feet and poorly glowing bulbs above, which cast shadows across his face and darkened his unshaven jaw.
He looked dangerous in the soft lighting and Mia had to swallow.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her hoarse voice echoing in the stairwell.
“I was trying to get downstairs. But the acting manager of the hotel was standing in the center of my path, so I was waiting for her to move. Not that I’m complaining. I like the view.”
She lifted her eyebrows, ignoring the delicious way Elliot’s mouth formed a teasing smile. “You couldn’t go down the elevator?”
His eyes darted away, an awkward chuckle escaping his mouth.
Mia knew that awkward chuckle. There was something he didn’t want to share. She stepped a little closer, biting back her own smile. “What is it? Are you claustrophobic now?”
“What? No. It has nothing to do with small, enclosed spaces. If it did, I’d be uncomfortable right now.”
He had a point. The stairwell was narrow and the two of them took up the entire landing on their own. “Then what is it?”
He shrugged. “I just don’t want to be caught in the elevator if the power goes out again.”
Mia pushed out her chin, nodding. “That’s actually pretty reasonable.”
Elliot’s smile was back. “Have a little faith, Mia.”
Then give me something to have faith in.
It was almost as if Elliot had read her mind, for a serious expression fell over his face. His voice fell to a low, throaty tone and he dipped his chin. “Mia, I am so sorry. I was such an idiot. I know I treated you horribly and I should have at least tried to explain what was going on at the time.”
“But you didn’t,” she said, her voice soft and small. Forget what she said about letting it go. One mention of that difficult time and she felt like a nineteen-year-old all over again, crying in her dorm room and wondering what she’d done to ruin everything.
He gazed at her with a look so intense she simultaneously wanted to back up a step and jump into his arms.
But she couldn’t move either direction. Her feet were rooted to the spot, her gaze glued to his face.
“There is no excuse for my behavior,” he said, imploring her with his gaze, “but you need to know I take full responsibility for my actions. I’ve regretted them for years; after you told me never to call you again, I had to respect that, but I see now that I should have kept—”
“Hold on,” Mia said, confusion clouding Elliot’s apology. She lifted a hand to stall his words, shaking her head. “I never told you anything. I haven’t spoken to you since you proposed.”
“I know. I don’t mean you, exactly. I mean when your mom told me what you’d said.”
Her body went cold and Mia swallowed, trying to make sense of his words. “Refresh my memory. When was this?”
“On the phone. During the Olympics. A year after the accident.”
“So right after you moved to LA.”
Elliot nodded. “When I called to talk and your mom answered your phone. She told me you couldn’t bear to speak with me, and it was better if we just let things go.”
Mia felt like she’d been hit on the head with a broomstick. Her brain was going fuzzy and her knees weak. She turned, squeezing past Elliot in the hall and climbing the stairs toward the second floor.
“Wait,” he called. “Where are you going?”
“I have some things to do,” Mia said, opening the door to the second floor and closing it behind her with a final click.
She needed to sort out the story Elliot just fed her. Because it sounded like he was saying he’d tried to make amends. And it really sounded like he claimed that Mia’s own mother had put a stop to it.
But that didn’t make any sense, because her mom was there on the front row for Mia’s entire heartbreak. She heard Mia say over and over again that she never wished to see Elliot again, but she desired with every fiber of her being to receive some closure.
What reason would her mother have had for standing in the way of Mia getting the answers she so desperately wanted?
None. She would have exactly no good reason.
Mom had some explaining to do.
Elliot stood in the stairwell looking up to the second-floor landing where Mia had disappeared. What had he said that bothered her so much?
He’d been pleased with the way the conversation had been going. She was really listening, and he had been gearing himself up to explain the depth of his depression and the way it had affected every aspect of his life during that time, when she’d suddenly turned and left.
Had it been too much for her? Shaking out his arms, Elliot turned for the main floor again. He’d been headed to the parlor to check out the small lending library he’d heard Mrs. Kirkpatrick speaking about when he ran into Mia. He’d checked with the hotel’s handyman earlier that day for an update on the broken road and if he had to guess, he’d assume they were spending another day or two in the hotel.
Which included Christmas.
Not that he was complaining. He would have preferred to be with his parents and the rest of his family, but he was enjoying the Powder Peaks Lodge thus far. Mia had gone above and beyond utilizing her skills and some of his parents’ unused activities to create an enjoyable week for the patrons who would rather be out snowboarding or home with their rainy Seattle weather.
Although, if Elliot had his guess, he’d assume Mrs. Bruin was just as happy in a free hotel room near Park City as she would have been at home.
Chuckling to himself, Elliot opened the door to the lobby.
“Mr. James,” the friendly receptionist called from her desk. She gave him a wide smile. “Anything I can do for you?”
“I’m just checking out the books,” he said.
“Wow.” She looked surprised. “An actor who likes to read. That’s pretty sweet.”
Did she expect him to appreciate the slight? It certainly wasn’t a compliment.
“So, I heard something interesting today,” she continued, forcing him to stop walking and turn toward the desk.
He slung his hands in his pockets and read her name tag. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Ashlyn said around her chewing gum. “I heard that you used to know my boss.”
He froze. Had Mia said something? “The old woman?” he asked, in case Mia hadn’t divulged their relationship.
Ashlyn laughed. “Janice isn’t that old. But no, Mia. Mia Murphy? I thought you two went to high school together?”
Elliot tried not to feel disappointed that that was all Mia had said about their connection. But he supposed that was better than telling everyone he was a liar and a
horrible person. “Yeah,” he confirmed. “I’ve known her since kindergarten, actually. She used to wear these super big bows around her pigtails that were almost bigger than her head. But you didn’t hear that from me.” He shot Ashlyn a wink and she smiled like he’d handed her the keys to his Porsche.
“Were you two friends?” she asked, leaning forward and lowering her voice.
“I’d like to think so,” Elliot said.
“Oh my lanta,” Ashlyn said, shaking her head. “I can’t believe she never told me. All this time I’ve drooled over you on My Crazy Family and she never once mentioned you grew up together.”
Elliot had to chuckle over her mention of drool. He’d heard it a few times before and it never ceased to make him feel insanely awkward.
“Tell me,” Ashlyn said, leaning even closer. “What is Sophy Grant like?”
Elliot paused, doing his best not to roll his eyes. “She’s a really talented actress,” he said diplomatically. He wasn’t about to reveal that Sophy was a spoiled brat who put off production more than he’d like to put up with and the first date they went on was completely ruined because it began to rain and Sophy was deathly afraid of lightning.
Ashlyn’s eyes went round. “She really is. And to think, you get to play her brother on TV. I can’t believe you’re staying in my hotel.”
“Well, I better get going. I was just going to look at the books…”
Ashlyn sat up straight, shaking her head as if she was recalling where she was and what she was doing. “Right. Sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you. Go ahead and browse the books in the parlor, Mr. James, and feel free to take whatever you’d like.”
Elliot did just that. He found an old Louis L'Amour book he hadn’t read since high school and slid it from the shelves. Passing Ashlyn on his way back to the stairs, Elliot lifted his hand in farewell.
“Mr. James?” she called.
He swallowed a groan. “What’s up?”
“You won’t tell Mia that I bugged you, right? I’m sorry. I fangirled for a minute and lost my head.”
Elliot could hear the sincerity in her tone and he liked her for it. Something about her request made him feel like she was less afraid of getting in trouble and more concerned with not disappointing Mia.
He could understand that sentiment.
“I won’t say a word.”
Chapter Eleven
The line rang over and over again in Mia’s ear before going to voicemail. She clicked the phone off and tossed it on her bed.
She’d tried calling her mom six times. And six times, the phone had sent her to voicemail. What could her mother possibly be doing that was more important than answering Mia’s call?
It was probably a good thing Mia hadn’t spoken to her mom right away, because the hour of calling had given her plenty of time to cool down and consider the situation. She was less furious now and more willing to consider that there might be a reasonable explanation.
Chimes went off in the room and Mia nearly dove for her phone, she reached for it so quickly. Sliding it on, she clicked the speakerphone button right away.
“Mom. I have questions.”
“Well hello, honey. First tell me that you’re safe.”
“I’m safe,” Mia said.
Her mom sighed into the phone. “Thank heavens. I saw all your missed calls and nearly had a heart attack. How’s the bridge repair coming along?”
Mia would have felt guilty if she wasn’t feeling so high strung. “Fine. They are working on it. And we have plenty of electricity, blankets and food.” She drew in a breath. “Mom, we need to talk. I had a conversation with Elliot James and it confused me. I need you to straighten out an accusation he made.”
The phone was so silent Mia had to check it to make sure it was still on. “Mom?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m here.” Mom cleared her throat and Mia could hear her walking into another room and closing the door, for the din of voices in the background lowered to nothing. “What is it?”
“Elliot said he called me a year after the accident, and you told him I didn’t want to hear from him ever again. But that’s crazy because you knew I wanted to hear from him.”
The phone was silent again and a small amount of dread began to build in Mia’s stomach. “Mom?” she asked, her anxiety growing with each passing quiet second.
“Yes,” Mom said softly. “It’s true.”
It was Mia’s turn to be silent. She gave her mom a moment to continue but when the silence stretched further, she couldn’t help but blurt out, “Why? You knew I wanted closure.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
Mia scoffed. “Oh, what is this? A cheesy movie? This doesn’t actually happen in real life, Mom. Trying to protect me? You can’t be serious.”
“Well I am. You were home for the weekend and left your phone in the house when you went out with your dad to see his new horse or goat or whatever new animal he had at the time, and Elliot called. I was so shocked I answered the phone, and when he asked to speak with you, the words just came out of my mouth.”
Mia guarded her tongue from biting back and merely asked, “What words?”
“I told him to leave you be. I said you were happy and had moved on and it would only make things difficult if he tried to contact you again. I told Elliot you desired to never speak to him again. And then I made him promise to leave you alone.”
Mia dropped the phone onto her lap, the wall blurring as her eyes went out of focus. “Did he say what he was calling about?”
“What? Mia honey, I can’t hear you. You sound so far away.”
Mia lifted the phone closer to her mouth. “I asked if he said what he was calling about.”
“No. I didn’t ask. I just cut him off at the pass. And I did it for you, Mia. You were just barely starting to get out there and go on dates and I didn’t want him to derail you again. You couldn’t afford to fail any more classes, or you would have lost your internship at the hotel. And look how fabulously that turned out.”
“Yeah,” she agreed absently, looking around the hotel she was currently sitting inside and then down at the phone. It wasn’t the hotel she’d interned with, but that position had springboarded her career. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Mia, are you feeling all right?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “I just need to go.”
“Call me later, please.”
“Sure.” Mia slid the phone off and tossed it on the bed. She didn’t want to be that girl who was hung up on what-ifs, but in the moment, she couldn’t help it. Elliot had called.
He had called. All of those years of hating him for ghosting her while he had tried to make an effort and reach out. And Mia never knew.
She felt an overwhelming desire to pick up one of the fluffy pillows on her bed and scream into it. But then her phone beeped, and she reached for it instead. She found a text from Ashlyn.
The carolers have gathered.
Shoot. She needed to get downstairs right away. Groaning, Mia typed back a reply that she was on her way and slid her phone into her pocket. Now was not the time to worry about the past and the things she couldn’t change. Now was the time for focusing on the job she wanted at the end of this disastrous week and the things she was doing to create a memorable holiday—and hopefully a few five-star Yelp reviews—for her snowed-in guests.
She checked on Pug, where he was fast asleep in his little bed on the floor, and then quickly changed out his water dish.
Rushing down the stairs and to the lobby, Mia was instantly gratified to find every guest from the hotel gathered around the Christmas tree. All they needed was a piano to sing around and it truly would have felt like being home for the holidays.
But this was better than nothing.
Not to mention the fact that at the moment, she didn’t feel like being home anyway.
Elliot stood beside his brother-in-law on the outside of the group and he glanced up as she approached, catching her eye.
Mia held his gaze, unable to ignore the nagging thought in the back of her mind: what if she had answered the phone instead of her mother when he’d called all those years ago?
What ifs and regrets slithered around her stomach and she forced her gaze away from Elliot. But she couldn’t help the thought which swirled on repeat in her mind: he’d called.
“Welcome everyone,” Mia said with forced cheerfulness. “Have you all had a chance to look over the music?”
Nods and murmuring joined in the general consensus that most everyone who wanted to had glanced through their music options.
She clapped her hands together in front of her. “Great. Let’s get started. If we want to form a semicircle, let’s have all of the men on this side” —she gestured to her left— “and alto women here in the middle with sopranos on this side.”
Groups began to break up and the commotion of everyone trying to find their places smoothed out into a semblance of a semicircle, with the exception of the kids on the end beside their mom.
Boston looked around himself for a minute as though he realized he was surrounded by women. Mia approached the child and squatted down to his level. “Did you want to go stand by your dad?”
Boston nodded.
She pointed to where Brandon stood beside Elliot at the far end of the men’s side and her heart squeezed when the boy’s eyes lit up. There was something very sweet about a little boy who loved his dad so dearly.
Boston zoomed past Mia and bowled into his dad’s legs, inciting laughter among a few of the guests. Bringing herself to a stand, Mia exchanged an appreciative smile with Amy before taking the conductor’s place once again.
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