The Winter Affair

by Alicia LaFontaine

  “Well, I haven’t seen the room yet, but I’m sure it’s big enough.”

  Her answer made him laugh heartily, dispelling the awkwardness of their situation for a moment. She was asking her former high school boyfriend to spend the weekend snowed in together in a hotel.

  Finally, he responded with a smile she remembered from their teenage years, one which said she was meant to read between the lines of his next words. “I haven’t seen it yet, either, but I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”

  8

  The room was, indeed, big enough for two. Big enough for five, actually, Trish thought as she checked it out.

  A king-sized bed in any other hotel room would’ve dominated the space. In this master suite, however, it was just the right size as there was also a mammoth bureau, two end tables, a settee, and a full-size wardrobe in the bedroom area. French-style doors opened up to reveal a study/dining area, complete with chair and tables. An impressive balcony beckoned from beyond floor-length curtains.

  “Holy shit!” Trish heard Garrett exclaim.

  She hurried over to where his voice had come from the bathroom.

  “There’s a huge, whirlpool tub in here!”

  Words failed her, standing there, gazing into the deep porcelain tub. The heat from Garrett’s body was rapidly warming the bathroom.

  Or, was it from her body?

  Trish quickly exited the bathroom, seeking relief out on the balcony. Why she could not stop her mind from wandering to all sorts of romantic scenarios involving her one-time boyfriend, frustratingly, she had no clue.

  “You alright?” Garrett’s voice called softly behind her.

  She didn’t dare allow herself to turn around. “I’m fine. Today’s just been so crazy.”

  “I know,” he agreed, coming up to stand next to her with his forearms leaning against the railing. “So many memories.”

  Her head jerked his way. How could he have known she was thinking the same thing?

  He continued, staring ahead as snow continued to fall just beyond the balcony’s reach. “I feel horrible for not keeping in touch better.”

  “Or at all.” Thankfully, he took her joking tone and chuckled.

  “Crazy how someone can mean so much to you one day and the next…”

  Trish clenched her jaw and looked away. Yeah, crazy was a good word for it.

  “I’m really sorry,” he added, making her regard him once again. His eyes were soft and genuine.

  Suddenly, Trish felt herself get very emotional as she stood there with him, neither breaking their gaze. She was sorry, too. Garrett had been her first love. Her first for a lot of things, truthfully. But, it was more than that which made her guts twist into a knot thinking of all the lost years between them.

  He was a good guy. She knew that, instinctively, even way back then. She’d never worried he’d hurt her. And, now, she felt that same assurance deep within her.

  He was one of the good guys.

  So, when he turned his body to lean sideways against the rail, she didn’t stop herself as she stepped in closer, automatically taking his outstretched hand.

  “For the record,” he said, his voice a notch lower, “you never stopped meaning a lot to me.”

  He closed the gap between them and his lips found hers. Her hands found the solid strength of his chest and she let herself fall completely into the kiss.

  Natural. Sensual. Familiar. Thrilling.

  Trish felt the vibration of a moan ripple through his chest beneath her fingertips but it was lost on the wind as the breeze picked up. It was as if the building force between them was fueling the winter storm around them.

  It could rage all weekend long, for all Trish cared at that moment. Tucked away, alone with Garrett, exploring the depths of what still lingered between them sounded like a damn good plan to her. From the way his arms wrapped tighter around her waist, she was relatively sure Garrett felt the same.

  A smile crept its way across her lips.

  “What are you smiling about?” he asked playfully before running the tip of his tongue lightly across her lips.

  “Oh, a lot of things.”

  “Mm, you’re right about that. I’m going to give you all kinds of things to smile about this weekend, sug.”

  She couldn’t stifle her moan as his lips recaptured hers. His use of his old pet name for her caused a blossoming of warmth in her chest which quickly spread throughout her limbs. They could’ve been standing in a snowbank for all the cold would’ve affected her in his embrace.

  She let her hands slide up around his neck and pressed her hips into his. As his hands slunk lower to grab firm hold of her bottom to hold her secure against him, Trish sent up a silent message to a different man.

  Thank you, Devin, you asshole, for being the biggest jerk on the planet.

  Wrapped up in Garrett’s arms was where she wanted to be this weekend. And, if it had taken Devin’s wife pulling her by her hair out of bed to allow Trish to wind up (just maybe) in bed with Garrett all weekend, Trish almost felt as though she should send a silent thank you to her, as well.

  Almost.

  9

  Trish and Garrett didn’t spend all weekend in bed.

  After their kiss on the balcony and without saying it in so many words, they decided to take their time in rediscovering just what still lay between them.

  They went back to the diner for dinner and to rack Janet’s brain of the best ways to spend a weekend in her cozy, little town.

  In fact, she informed them, they were in luck because this weekend was slated for a wood carvers’ convention, which explained how there had only been one room left available at the hotel.

  “Of course, lots of the locals partake, seeing as we have the lumber yard and mill here in town. But, it does bring a fair share of visitors into our sleepy community every year. Can’t say how the pieces would stack up against a convention in a much larger city, but it’d be worth your time taking a look if you need a break from your hotel room.” Janet winked before heading back towards the kitchen.

  “You don’t suppose there was any hidden message there at the end, do you?” Trish asked.

  “The lady does seem to know what she’s talking about. She hasn’t steered us wrong yet. These pork chops, by the way, are divine!”

  Trish laughed as Garrett tucked into another large bite from his plate. “Think we might have to take her advice, then. You know, if we need a break from the room.”

  She amazed herself at her own brazen flirting. That kiss had been extraordinary, though. The kind of first kiss romance novelists write about. Had it been a true first kiss between them—or, had Trish not already spent a decade weeding through a maelstrom of idiots and assholes—she could envision herself falling hard and fast. The whole scenario was playing itself out like a Hallmark Christmas movie.

  That’s not to say she wasn’t enjoying it.

  But, she knew how those movies went. More than once, she’d nursed her breakup wounds with something sugary and a sappy chick flick expounding how, if you just open yourself up to true love, it’ll find you.

  Trish considered herself worldly enough now to not be taken quite so easily by that fantasy. Still, her inner, annoying dialogue said, she’d let herself get a little too involved with a married man. Should’ve seen that one coming.

  “You’re not married, are you?” she blurted out. Better to be direct with it. At least, then, if he was married, he will have lied to her directly and she could just berate herself for believing a liar instead of blindly following her romantic instincts.

  He chuckled, oblivious to the shame-fest going on inside her head. “No, why?”

  “Just checking.”

  “Ah, I think I get it.” He nodded and set his fork back down, leaning back in his chair. “Wondering if you can trust me this time around, huh?”

  Okay, for one, this time?! She made a mental note to revisit that.

  She shook her head. “No, not you. I’ve just…” She
hesitated, debating how much of her past to explain to him. “I’ve been burned in the past.”

  He nodded again and continued, stubborn. “Look, Trish, I can’t undo what I did back then—”

  “We don’t have to get into that. Seriously, I wasn’t referring to you. It was just a question. Why don’t we just drop it. I don’t want to think about negative things, not when today has been so…nice.”

  The sultry smile which played across her lips at the thought of their kiss earlier did the trick in snapping Garrett from his remorseful state. “There’s more where that came from, darling.”

  “Oh my god!” she burst out laughing. “You’re such a cheeseball! You always were.”

  “You like it.”

  She continued to laugh, shaking her head, incredulous. “What am I going to do with you all weekend?”

  Garrett leaned forward against the table and made a show of looking her up and down. “Whatever you like.”

  Not willing to let him see just how much his words had set her heart to pounding, she leaned forward as well over their tiny table—the same one as earlier in the day. Before she could fire back her own playful comeback, he craned himself over the remaining distance between them and surprised her with a soft, slow, controlled kiss.

  Surprising because it did just as much to ignite her passion for her old flame as had their balcony kiss. If she could really trust what he said—and what he didn’t say—this could be one hell of a weekend.

  If…

  10

  At Janet’s suggestion, Trish and Garrett checked out the tiny, local movie theater after dinner. It was showing an old classic, as was the routine on Friday nights.

  As they sat in the dimly lit room, practically alone except for one older couple, Trish couldn’t help but make comparisons between Garrett and James Dean. East of Eden was playing, and Trish had always considered the scene were Dean is sweet-talking-up the young woman at the bar to be the quintessential example of his enduring sex appeal.

  Those eyes! That look he could impart with such unassuming ease, leaning casually on his side against the bar, it always reminded Trish of Garrett.

  He’d never understood the elements of his own attractiveness which, inevitably, only added fuel to the fire. Garrett never maneuvered to get what he wanted from smoldering stares or by consciously drawing attention to his kissable pout.

  Still, those charms were there. In the same way James Dean gave the appearance of a man who didn’t peddle his sexuality but knew what to do when the time was right, Trish had always viewed Garrett in the same light. She’d delighted in fantasies of just how well he’d naturally—uncannily—know just exactly what to do with her in the bedroom.

  They’d never gotten there, though.

  Trish had been seventeen when they’d dated in high school. She wasn’t ready then for all the possible consequences of taking their relationship to that level. To his credit, Garrett had, absolutely, never given her any reason to suspect he wasn’t fine with that.

  Truthfully, she’d always secretly thought he’d felt the same way.

  Not that they hadn’t had some seriously intense makeout sessions or gotten around a few bases. Some heavy petting is to be expected with puppy love.

  But, never sex. Trish had always felt, then, she was considerably lucky. She couldn’t count the number of friends of hers whom had had much less savory memories of high school boyfriends freaking out if they refused to have sex, followed by an inevitable breakup. Garrett just wasn’t that shallow. He would’ve never broken up with her over something so crude.

  He had broken up with her, though.

  Trish took a big swig from the jumbo-sized soda which sat between them, attempting to hide her face behind it as she fought back the onrush of stinging tears. She assumed it was because he sat mere inches away from her that her body was unable to control its reaction to the memory of them graduating from high school and then…

  She nearly jumped as the warmth of Garrett’s hand covered her own.

  “Hey, you okay?” he asked as her head snapped in his direction.

  There wasn’t a fountain drink large enough to hide the emotions as they clawed their way to the surface. Trish barely saw the look on Garrett’s face change from slight confusion to alarmed concern before her eyes clouded over from onrushing tears.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She rushed to stand and make her way up the darkened aisle, sending their tub of popcorn tumbling in an embarrassing display across the worn-down carpet.

  She didn’t care at that moment, though. She just needed to get to the door. She needed to put some distance between herself and those memories, between her and Garrett.

  Of course, there was no way he wasn’t going to chase after her. He wasn’t that type of guy, either.

  Just as she burst through the doors into the light of the lobby, Garrett’s hand caught hers and pulled gently but firmly enough that her forward momentum was redirected. Their bodies collided and Trish sank into the arms which folded instantly around her.

  It occurred to her the show they must be putting on for the, likely, confused theater staff which always lingered behind the snack counter during showings. Flush against Garrett’s body was too safe and secure a spot to leave, though, knowing it meant facing not only strangers’ inquisitive looks but Garrett’s, as well.

  Again to his credit, Garrett allowed her to take her time, never pushing for an explanation, just holding her. Once or twice, he planted a kiss on the top of her head which did more harm than good and threatened to undo all Trish was attempting to do to muster the courage to step back and face him.

  Though, he didn’t know that, which made her nearly lose her control over her watery eyes yet again. She was reduced to a blubbering idiot over the memory of losing her first, real love and said romantic hero was now holding her close against not only his chest but against an onslaught of regret she never knew she’d held.

  She had no clue how long they stood there but it felt as if it was over all too soon when she was finally able to pull away.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered again, not trusting herself just yet to look up from the faded carpet.

  His response shocked her. “I know. I get pretty upset when I think about it, too.”

  What?!

  She froze. How was it he seemed to always be able to read her mind? Had she mumbled something without realizing it?

  Warm fingers found their way interlocked with hers. As if imparting his body heat into her through this touch, it had the effect of thawing her frozen state so she could lift her head.

  Or, perhaps, it was curiosity. Had he been harboring feelings of regret or guilt—even love—for her all these years? She wanted to read the expression on his face for any minute clue it would reveal.

  His face was innocent and a bit somber. “It never should have happened. It was just a tragedy.”

  Okay, that was a bit dramatic. But, he definitely seemed to have some strong feelings.

  He took her other hand in his and gathered them up to his chest.

  Holy shit! He really does feel guilty about our breakup!

  Garrett shook his head slightly and then let it hang for a moment. “He just died so young. A great actor cut down in his prime. Such a shame.”

  Slowly, his head lifted to reveal a devilish smirk and a mischievous gleam in his eye.

  “Oh!” she gasped, realizing his joke and shoving him playfully in the chest. At least, she meant for him to take it that way. In truth, she needed a moment to regain her composure and process what had just happened.

  He hadn’t read her mind. He hadn’t been referring to their breakup. How her heart had pounded so fiercely at the thought of Garrett harboring feelings for her! But, it would have to wait to be examined at a different time. Right now, she needed to school her features.

  “Hey, you want to just go back to the hotel?” he asked.

  “What about the movie?”

  “We’ve both seen
this one before. I think we remember how it ends.”

  Trish wasn’t sure which was the better option, practically alone in the dark with Garrett watching a movie which seemed to spur some crazy feelings or totally alone with Garrett in a hotel room. She may know how the movie ended, but she had no clue where their night might still lead.

  “Okay,” she finally agreed. His hand smoothly recaptured hers as they turned toward the door. With her other, Trish pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket which she’d turned off for the movie.

  The screen lit up and she was about to slip it back into her pocket when a notification caught her attention.

  “Oh, shit!” she exclaimed.

  Garrett’s head swiveled on a dime and she returned his look of concern with a disheartened shake of her head.

  “I’m sorry, I need to make a quick call,” she rushed to explain as she dialed a number.

  Garrett still held the same expression as he watched her but it turned to one of pure shock once Trish started talking into the phone.

  “I’m so sorry, Jordan. I meant to call you earlier.”

  11

  “J

  ordan?” Trish could see Garrett mouth the name. It took her a moment before realizing he thought she was on the phone with a man.

  “Yeah,” Trish was responding, “I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner. I got stuck in the snow off the highway and had to get towed to this tiny town. Actually, I don’t even know if I caught the name of it. But, I’m here until Monday when the shop can get the parts they need to fix my car.”

  They continued to walk slowly back the short distance to the hotel. Trish chanced a peek at Garrett out of the corner of her eye. He was doing his best not to seem intrusive as he walked next to her, obviously able to hear her side of the conversation.

  She thought it was rather adorable how surprised he’d looked when she’d mentioned her assistant’s name. Trish had only mentioned earlier that she had an assistant, not her name. It felt sort of cruel to let the conversation continue on, leaving Garrett in the dark a while longer.