Renner wouldn’t see it that way.
As kids, he’d seen her cry more times than she could count. Everybody had. It was like, her thing. She’d change it if she could, but she’d already spent far too much of her life wishing to change parts of herself. It was pointless.
Her hands curled into fists.
She was who she was. But she wasn’t weak.
Spinning, she faced him. “Fix it,” she demanded.
His head snapped back as if she’d slapped him, and his mouth fell open. She knew he was reacting more to the tears than her harsh tone. She quickly brushed them away.
“Go on. Fix it. Get me out of here. Now.”
“Listen,” he said carefully, “it’s going to be okay. It just may take some time to get the door open. You didn’t have plans did you?”
“Of course I had plans,” she snapped. “I always have plans.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Okay.” He dug his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call Magic and tell him we have a problem. He can sort it out with the lock company.”
His thumb slid around the screen for a second before he put the phone to his ear, walking toward the back of the spa. Beth turned to stare at the door, hoping to hear the lock suddenly click open. But all she heard was the low rumble of Renner’s voice while he spoke on the phone.
Chapter 2
Renner hung up with his sister. He’d promised to update her as soon as he and Bethany were officially “locked in”. But of course, he left out the part about making her cry.
What the hell was that about anyway? It wasn’t like they were stranded under an avalanche with no way out. He’d just wanted a couple hours with her, to get to know her. Maybe impress her with his electronic skills or something. Whatever the case, he didn’t need Layna taking a swipe at his balls.
He returned to the front to find Bethany staring at the door as if it had slapped her mama. Her arms were crossed under her chest. Besides her uniform shirt and khakis, she had a lightweight cardigan on and she was wrapping the thing around her body like it was twenty degrees in the place.
This was all wrong. This wasn’t what he’d had in mind at all.
“Hey… it’s going to be a while. You might as well get off your feet. Why don’t we wait in the back where it’s comfortable.”
“How long?” she asked, not looking at him.
Renner unbuckled his tool belt and threw it on the floor next to his tools. “A couple hours or so, I’d guess.”
“Hours?” Her voice rose as she rounded out the syllable. “I can’t stay here for hours.”
Renner rubbed a palm over his five o’clock shadow. “It won’t be so bad,” he tried, but she pegged him with a furious glare. Her eyes, normally a gorgeous shade of green that reminded him of a brand new evergreen tree before its needles darkened, still held remnants of tears, and her face was splotchy.
Even still, she was beautiful enough to make his heart speed up.
“Alright. Fine.” He sank to the floor, leaning back against the wall, resting his arms on his knees. “We’ll do this the uncomfortable way. Seems like a waste with the couches just in the other room, but whatever.”
She was quiet, staring at the floor for too long before she spoke. “Why don’t you go on in there and use the couch and I’ll just stay here and wait for them to fix things.”
Renner’s brows fell low on his face. They were stuck in this place, and instead of talking to him like any normal person would, instead of having a conversation… she suggested they each wait in separate rooms until the door was fixed? What. The. Hell.
Rising from the floor, he jammed his hands in his pockets. “Do you have a problem with me?”
Bethany glanced at him and then quickly back to the floor. “Not… not really. I’m just… not one for conversation.”
“Is that right?”
She nodded.
“You’re not shy. You talk to everyone else. Just not me.”
She shook her head. “I’m tired. I just want to get to my room and sleep. I don’t want to be here.”
He eyed her. Her body was rigid, where earlier, when he’d watched her, she’d been relaxed and fluid. His plan was a fail. She wasn’t going to open up to him like this. She looked miserable.
Whatever her reasons for avoiding him, this was a mistake. One he could fix with a simple text.
He flipped through his phone to Magic’s number and sent the words that gave the okay for him to override the locking system and set them free.
Open Sesame.
It would only be a matter of minutes now.
Silently, he studied Bethany.
“That isn’t very nice you know?” she said.
“What?”
“Staring.”
Renner shrugged. “Who said I was nice?”
Her gaze snapped to him, and at the same time, he had the strangest sense of déjà vu. He’d had this conversation before. Many times actually, throughout his younger years.
“That isn’t very nice, you know?” She threw her shoulders back.
“What?”
“Calling names. I’m not a fatty.” She raised her chin.
“Who said I was nice?”
“You are. Deep down. I can tell.”
“You don’t know what I am deep down. You don’t know anything. I could be an animal. Or something worse. I could be a monster. Then what? Would you run away crying like you do about everything else?”
Sad watery eyes stared back at him, bottom lip trembling precariously. He hated being so mean but it was for her own good. She was tender and sweet and needed to be tougher. And she needed to hate him. Because even at twelve years old, he thought he could love her. In the way the cats loved. The forever way. The way you couldn’t ever escape. He’d trap her for life.
But he wouldn’t let that happen to her. Not her.
His phone buzzing broke through the memory.
What the hell did you do to that thing, Ren? I can’t get it open.
Shit.
Just unlock it from the computer.
I tried that.
Shit.
Try again.
“What is it?” Bethany asked.
“Nothing. Magic’s trying to get us out of here.”
“Great.” She stalked past him, disappearing through the narrow hallway to the back of the spa.
Renner sighed. He’d give her a few minutes before following. He examined the mess of wires that used to be a functioning electronic lock. He’d messed it up on purpose of course, but he hadn’t done enough damage that the override wouldn’t work. These things were made with a fail-safe. He tried manually resetting the lock but nothing moved. If Magic couldn’t disarm it from the computer, a quick call to the lock company should do the trick.
Renner tapped out a new text. Just call Tri-safe and have them reset things.
It was only a few seconds but it seemed like forever before Magic answered. Already tried that. Their system is down.
Bullshit. I need you to get us out of here now.
If this was Magic trying to get back at him for pulling this stunt…
My hands are tied, dipshit. That storm up north brought ice through Kansas City and Tri-safe’s power’s down. Fucked their system all up. They’re only responding to emergencies until they’re up and running again. You and your lady are stuck for a while.
Shiiiiit. This was serious. That was the longest text he’d ever gotten from Magic. He wouldn’t have wasted his time if he was yanking Renner around.
How long?
No clue.
Let me know.
Fuck you.
Yep. Magic was pissed. Great.
Renner dialed up Layna again.
She answered, but her voice was hushed, as if she was trying not to let on that she was talking to him. “You’ve really done it this time, Ren. Magic’s an inch away from changing.”
Fuck. There was nothing Magic hated more than letting his animal take control. It had to be
done every once in a while, but Magic always waited until it was too much. Until his cat was too touchy, and the littlest thing set it off.
And this obviously wasn’t just a little thing. The spa was the highlight of the lodge. If visitors couldn’t make use of it because of this little ordeal, Magic would be doling out a shit ton of refunds. Refunds that would come out of Renner’s paycheck, no doubt.
“Is the system working for the rest of the lodge?”
“Yes, but it won’t let us override anything. As long as no one decides to pull their lock apart and mess with the wires—ahem—everything should be fine. You and Bethany, however, are screwed.”
Renner sighed. “Damn.”
“Yeah, damn. And fuck. And shit. And you’re going to hear about this for a very long time. I hope your time in there is worth it.”
He glanced toward the back of the spa. Bethany was practically hiding from him. He doubted their time would be anywhere near worth this trouble.
“Listen, can you bring us food? Things aren’t… going so well. Maybe it could help take her mind off of things. And who knows how long we’ll be here.”
“Food? Are you kidding? How am I supposed to get food to you? Abra-fucking-cadabra or something, Ren?”
Geez.
“There’s the air purification vent above the door. You could push a dish through there. I’ll unhook it so it’s ready if you’ll just bring the food.”
The phone was silent.
“It’s for Bethany,” he murmured.
More silence.
“Fine,” Layna snapped. “For Bethany.”
“Thank you, sis.”
The line clicked dead as a ‘you’re welcome’.
Beth busied herself organizing the shelves along the wall of the main parlor. She’d tried the back door that led out to the open air area where Christina did yoga classes, but it was no good. The lock set both doors. There was no way out. The simple task of separating bottles of oil by scent helped take her mind off of the situation. Made her feel a tad less trapped. Sort of.
Maybe if she could stay busy “working” she could avoid Renner until the lock was sprung.
She made sure all the bottle labels were lined up facing front and all the utensils were hanging side by side. The towels were folded and stacked pristinely on the racks. She wiped down all the massage tables with disinfectant even though it had already been done.
When she’d straightened and organized everything she could find, she went back to the lotions and oils and messed them all up so she could fix them again.
Just how long was it going to take for Magic to unlock the door?
She sighed. Maybe this was pointless. Renner would figure out who she was eventually. She couldn’t avoid him all season. Especially with the Christmas celebration coming up. It was an all hands on deck event, and it took days to prepare in a way that wouldn’t disturb the guests. It meant lots of overtime to pad her pockets, but it also meant she’d see Renner a lot. Layna had mentioned Renner was in charge of the event.
Layna. She couldn’t believe the first friend she’d made here at the lodge had turned out to be Renner’s older sister. Luck had no love for Beth, and this just proved it. She didn’t even know he had a sister. As kids, she’d thought he was an only child.
She felt—not heard—him enter the room. His presence was like a warm blanket on her chilled body. And he wasn’t even near enough to breathe on her.
What was wrong with her?
Beth threw her shoulders back and turned to face him.
“You hungry?” he asked. In one hand, he held a small round foil pan, and two water bottles were tucked under his arm. Whatever was in that container smelled like heaven and garlic.
“No, thanks. You eat it.”
Her stomach growled in argument.
“It’s for you. Layna brought it.”
Beth’s brows furrowed. “How did she get in here?”
“She didn’t. I disconnected the air filter and she slid it through. Here, take it. You’re obviously hungry.”
He shoved it into her hands so she couldn’t refuse. She swallowed the knot in her throat. She couldn’t eat now. Not with him. Eating was worse than merely spending time in the same room. Eating was something he’d always thrown in her face as being the cause of her pudginess. And even though she’d come to terms with the fact that she was always going to be on the thicker side, and even loved her curves, there was no way she could eat while he watched her. She’d end up doing weird things like chewing without breathing or fumbling the fork like a bad football play.
Nope. Satisfying her rumbly stomach wasn’t worth it.
Beth shook her head, hoping to slap her brain into thinking normally again. Why the hell did she care what he thought now anyway? They weren’t kids anymore. She didn’t know anything about him and he didn’t know anything about her. They’d grown up, and apart, so how could his opinion even matter now?
“You eat it.” She shoved it back at him but he didn’t take it. He only frowned, like he was staring at a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
Beth set the container on the counter and went back to reorganizing the bottles of oil and vitamin supplements. Renner sank into one of the couches looking perturbed.
“So… what’s your story, Bethany?”
Her hand hovered over a bottle. The way his voice curled around her name, it sent a shiver branching through her body and limbs like a strike of lightning.
“How much longer do you think it will be?”
Renner sighed. “A while probably. Why don’t you just sit and relax? Isn’t that what this place is for?”
When she continued messing with the bottles instead of answering, he rose from the couch. He eased up behind her, his breath landing on her bare neck. She wanted to run away. Or maybe stay. If she was someone different. Or if he was.
He reached around, covering her hand with his for a moment before pulling the bottle from her grasp and setting it back on the shelf. Then he just stood there, invading her space, staring at her profile while she stared at anything that wasn’t him.
Come on, Beth. Get a grip. Deal with this mess like you have an ounce of badass in you.
Before she could over think it, she turned to stare into his eyes. Attempting an even tone, she asked, “What did Layna bring?”
He grinned, and it was the smile from her childhood. Not the sneering one he’d used to make her feel like she was worthless, but the one she’d witnessed so many times when he’d been caught off guard. A true smile.
“I don’t know. Let’s see.” He leaned over the counter and opened the container. “Looks like pasta. Alfredo. You like that?”
It was her favorite. And her stomach professed it for her.
Renner handed her the container and a plastic fork. She took it and sat on the couch. Beth stared at the food. She could do this without making herself look like a fool. It was just food. God.
Tuning him out, she twirled a tiny bite onto the fork and put it in her mouth. It was delicious of course. Eagan was a genius in the kitchen.
She took several more bites before she realized Renner sat in the chair adjacent to the couch. He was lounging with one ankle over his knee. His fingers were steepled over his mouth, and his intense eyes took in her every move.
What was he thinking?
Was he looking at her extra pounds and wondering if she ate more salads if she’d be different?
And the question of all questions: why the hell couldn’t she stop caring what he thought?
But that was the thing about her. It wasn’t just Renner, the boy who’d made fun of her, that she cared about. It was everybody. It was family and friends and acquaintances. It was strangers and customers and people she passed on the street. What people thought of her mattered more than it ever should.
It was a sick obsession, and if she didn’t find a way to stop caring about it, she’d never be happy.
Beth dropped the fork into the container, disgusted. “
You want the rest?” she asked.
Her question seemed to break Renner out of his musings. “Don’t you like it?”
“Sure. It’s great. Eagan is pretty amazing.”
Renner stiffened.
“I’m just not in the mood for food.”
“What are you in the mood for?”
“Bed.”
Renner raised an eyebrow. “Any bed?”
“My bed.”
A wicked smile—one she’d never seen before—melted his curious expression. “But you’ve never tried my bed.”
“And I never plan to.”
“Ouch,” he said, grabbing his chest. “‘Never’ is a strong word.”
How could he sit there and flirt with her, and not remember who she was? That she used to pet his hair at night when he would cry because he missed his family? And she’d never taken advantage of his weaknesses to get back at him for his cruelty. She’d just taken everything he dished out because she knew he could be better. She’d waited for him to be better.
But he never was. Instead, he was moved to a different home. She never knew where and Ryan never talked about it. Neither did mom. Foster kids changed homes all the time. Renner had been the only kid they’d ever taken in, but Beth knew how it worked.
So she’d cried. And pretended to get over all the jokes and teasing and the few random moments of actual friendship. And she wondered what had happened to him. Assumed the worse. Assumed the best. But never ever did she imagine she’d run into Renner when she took the job at the lodge.
“You know what else is a strong word? Harassment.”
His playful grin vanished.
Beth stood. “I’m going to wait by the door. Maybe Magic will come through soon.” She dashed from the room before he could answer.
Except he followed.
“Hey, wait, Bethany…”
God, she wished he wouldn’t say her name.
His hand caught her arm, pulling her around. “Hey, I wasn’t… I was just…” He shook his head. “I was just joking. Trying to lighten the mood that’s all.”
Alphas for the Holidays Page 24