One Walk in Winter

by Georgia Beers

  Chapter Six

  Thanksgiving fell later in the month than it had in a few years, and the snow that had fallen overnight gave the world the fresh, clean look that was one of the things Olivia loved most about winter. It also muffled the sound of life a little bit, so when she and Walter were strolling through the woods, everything felt peaceful and quiet. The sun was just breaking over the trees, making the snow sparkle like glitter had been sprinkled all over it. The only sound was that of Olivia’s footsteps as she walked along after her dog.

  This was as close to meditation as she’d ever get, and she relished it.

  Another thing she loved was making the first tracks along the path she and Walter walked every morning and sometimes at night. It might be a weird thing for her to derive pleasure from, but there was something about it, about being the very first human to walk through the fluffy white that made her feel grounded. She glanced down as she came to a fork in the path and furrowed her brow.

  There was another set of footprints ahead of hers.

  Her consternation annoyed her because she obviously knew she didn’t own the woods, and it was a silly thing to get annoyed about, but still. It took a little bit of the spring from her step. She picked up her pace as she couldn’t see Walter, who’d gone over the little berm ahead, and she followed his tracks—which followed the other ones.

  As she crested the small rise in the path and her eyes found Walter, she was hit with a major sense of déjà vu. There was her dog, his butt wiggling with happiness.

  And there was the red parka.

  “Damn it,” Olivia muttered.

  Hayley turned around then, as if she’d heard, and stood up from the squat she’d been in while petting Walter. “Fancy meeting you here,” she said, her smile a bit hesitant and much dimmer than the first time they’d met here. God, was that only last week?

  “Hi.” As she approached, Olivia gestured to the camera that once again hung from Hayley’s neck, resigned to making at least a little bit of small talk. “Getting anything good?”

  Hayley’s expression seemed to brighten a bit. “I am. The sun coming up over the horizon is just breathtaking. Here, check it out.”

  Olivia stepped closer and tried not to be affected by the proximity.

  Hayley wore gloves with no fingers, presumably so she could snap away on the camera, and she pushed a few buttons, then scrolled so Olivia could see the photos she’d taken.

  “Wow,” Olivia said softly, unable to hide her surprise. They were gorgeous. The way Hayley framed the peeks of sunlight that seemed to drop over the branches, the way the combination of colors—from the brown and green of the evergreens to the white of the snow to the soft yellow of the rays of sun—evoked a mood of peace and tranquility. “These are beautiful.” Olivia meant it. She admired a couple more before asking, “What do you do with them? Frame them? Sell them?”

  “I paint them.” Hayley said the words as if they embarrassed her, as if she was ashamed, and she looked down at her feet.

  “Really? Like, on a canvas and everything?”

  That seemed to amuse her, and Hayley’s smile grew a bit wider and seemed less tentative. “Yes, on canvas. Usually with pastels, but I’ve been experimenting with oil paints.”

  Olivia wasn’t sure why she was so surprised—and intrigued—by this unexpected tidbit of new information. “Maybe you could show me some of your work some time?” What? What? God, did I actually say that out loud? Am I in a cheesy romantic comedy with that line? She quickly turned her focus to Walter, who could not get enough of Hayley, apparently, and was pushing his snout at her for more attention. “Wally, enough.”

  “He’s okay,” Hayley said, and lowered her hand so the dog could sniff and lick at her fingers. “He’s such a sweet boy. Has he always been like that?”

  As if by unspoken agreement, they fell into step together and headed down the path in the direction of the parking lot, Walter on his leash now, just like they had the first time they’d met. It was as if they did it all the time, this walk, and again, Olivia had to force herself not to dwell on those thoughts.

  “He has. Not a mean bone in his body. He’s the gentlest creature I’ve ever known.”

  “I always wanted a dog.” Hayley’s voice held a wistful quality to it, and when Olivia glanced at her, she was gazing off into the distance.

  “You’ve never had one?”

  “My brother was allergic. He’s quite a bit older, so once he moved out, I started to torment my dad to get me one.”

  “No luck?”

  “He’s a tough nut to crack, my father.”

  “What about when you moved out?” Olivia lowered her voice and teased, “I assume you don’t live in your parents’ basement.”

  Hayley’s chuckle held a musical quality. “No. I have my own place. I promise. I just never got around to seriously considering a dog once I got older.” Something crossed her face then, quickly, but Olivia couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “I travel a lot and stuff.”

  Olivia nodded as if she totally got it. “Are you seeing family today for dinner?”

  “Dinner?” Hayley’s light brow furrowed and she glanced at Olivia, clearly puzzled.

  “It’s Thanksgiving. Remember?” Honestly, they’d just discussed this yesterday.

  “Oh! Right. We set up a schedule and everything. Totally slipped my mind.” She spun a finger near her temple and widened her eyes. “No. No, I’m not seeing any family. I’ll just be here. I know you said you usually hang here, but are you sure you don’t want to take the afternoon? I’m sure I can handle things.”

  Olivia stopped in her tracks, every gene she’d inherited from her mother screaming in protest. “Wait. You’re not going anywhere for Thanksgiving?”

  Hayley had gone four steps ahead before apparently realizing Olivia had stopped. She turned and blinked at her. “No?”

  “You’re not spending it with your family?”

  “No?”

  “It’s just you? All by yourself?”

  “Yes?”

  Olivia smiled at how all Hayley’s responses sounded like questions. But then she grew serious again. This would not do. Her mother would kill her. “You’re eating with us, then.”

  Hayley’s eyes went wide. “Um, what?”

  Olivia started walking again. She heard Hayley scramble to catch up. “My family comes to Split Rail because Roger”—she glanced at Hayley—“the guy who had the job before you, always had me work the holidays. My mom got fed up and decided that she and my brother and sister would come to the Evergreen instead of waiting for me to get home—which always ended up being way past dinnertime—and it’s been great. We’re all together, she doesn’t have to cook, and I’m nearby if something happens and I’m needed.”

  “He made you work holidays? Plural?”

  Olivia nodded.

  “Well, that’s some bullshit right there.”

  The factual manner in which Hayley said the words made Olivia burst out laughing. “It is, right?”

  “Absolutely. What a prick. I assume he went home?”

  “He did. Every holiday. Except for Halloween. Because he hated Halloween.”

  “Who hates Halloween? I repeat, what a prick.” They walked a bit farther and finally reached the parking lot. Hayley turned to her, all humor gone from her face. “Listen, Olivia, I really appreciate the invitation, but it’s not necessary.”

  “I know. But my mom will ask about you, and when I tell her you’re alone, she will march herself right up to your room if she has to and drag you to dinner by your ear. So you might as well save her the trip.”

  They stood quietly in the parking lot then, Walter between them, looking up and turning his head from one of them back to the other.

  “Okay,” Hayley finally said quietly.

  Olivia felt the grin spread across her face without her permission. “Good. Tessa has dinner being served at seven, as you know, but my family always comes a little early for drinks. So we’ll
see you there.”

  Hayley’s cheeks were flushed and her smile was beautiful as she walked backward toward her car. “Thank you, Olivia.”

  Olivia nodded, forced herself to turn away and lead Walter to her own vehicle. Once inside—and sure Hayley had pulled out of the lot—she dropped her forehead to the steering wheel and groaned loudly.

  What had she just done?

  * * *

  “What the hell have I done?” Hayley asked her reflection in the bathroom mirror later that day. And why was she so nervous?

  The day had been a long one, though the atmosphere around the Evergreen had been light and fun. Folks were in a good mood, laughing and joking, and Hayley had to admit it had been the best day so far, no lie.

  Now she fussed with her hair, trying to tame the one hunk that liked to do its own thing, especially when she was trying to look presentable. She gave up on the errant locks and went out into the suite to stand in front of the full-length mirror. Thank God she’d packed her little black dress, because she hadn’t packed much more that was beyond pants and shirts for her managing position—though if she asked Olivia, they weren’t suitable for that.

  No, she told herself. Don’t do that. Don’t be snotty about her. She invited you to dinner with her family so you wouldn’t be alone. That was nice.

  And it was. Hayley had a feeling it was more to satisfy Olivia’s mom than anything else, but whatever. It wasn’t until Hayley started to dress for dinner that, despite her nervousness, she found herself happy to not be spending Thanksgiving by herself.

  Yeah. She didn’t want to give too much time to that thought.

  Serena had called her that morning to wish her a happy Thanksgiving, adding, “Guinevere keeps asking me where you are. You seriously didn’t even tell her?”

  “I was afraid she’d follow me,” Hayley said, expressing a legitimate fear. “I just needed to get away from her.”

  “Yeah.” Serena knew Guin could be pushy and demanding, so Hayley was pretty sure she got it.

  Hayley shook any thoughts of Guinevere from her head, smoothed her hands down her sides, added a chunky necklace, and stepped into her black shoes with the slight heel. Serena was always trying to get her to wear higher heels, but Hayley couldn’t get the horrifying image of rolling an ankle and falling on her ass in the middle of a crowd of people out of her head, so she tended to play it safe. Two inches, max.

  Maybe she could look Olivia in the eye then.

  Pretending she didn’t just have that thought, she gave her hair one last fluff, glanced at her phone, which told her it was almost 6:30, and hurried out the door and into the hall.

  Guests were dressed to the nines, Hayley noticed, as she did her best to fly under the radar. She nodded and smiled, but being new—and without her name tag—most people didn’t know she was the hotel manager, and she kind of liked it like that. Way less pressure to impress, which she sucked at, so tended to avoid. In the back of the elevator, she smiled as she listened to a young boy of maybe seven telling his parents everything he was about to eat for Thanksgiving dinner, including “corn berries.”

  “Cranberries, honey.” The woman holding his hand corrected him gently.

  “That’s what I said,” the boy replied, obviously annoyed by his mother’s inability to hear him correctly.

  To Hayley’s left was a beautiful woman with shining silver hair. Her red dress was by a designer Hayley recognized, and it probably cost a couple grand. A visible shiver went through the woman’s body as the man next to her put his arm around her.

  “Still cold?” he asked softly.

  The woman nodded. “The hot water ran out so fast.”

  “I’m sorry I took such a long shower.”

  “You really didn’t,” the woman said, and shivered again. “I’m warming up. Some hot food will help.”

  “So will a martini,” the man said with a chuckle, as the doors slid open again.

  The elevator proceeded to stop at every floor, and by the time it was headed for the lobby, Hayley was flattened against the back wall by well-dressed, hungry hotel guests.

  In the lobby, the riders spilled out of the elevator and moved in the same direction—toward Split Rail—like a school of fish. The hum of conversation mixed with the clicking of heels on the granite floor mixed with the scents of various pricey perfumes and colognes. Hayley observed it all from the back of the crowd, taking it all in, as she kept her pace leisurely so she didn’t arrive at the restaurant with them. At the front desk, she stopped, rested her forearms on it, and waited for the guests to disappear around the corner.

  Stephanie had worked the early shift and had since gone home to make dinner for her family, so a young man Hayley had met earlier, Jacob, stood behind the desk. If she remembered correctly what Olivia had said when they’d been introduced, Jacob was a college student who picked up hours at the Evergreen over the summer and when he was home for a holiday. When he glanced up and saw her, his eyes widened and he straightened his relaxed posture as if he were a soldier and Hayley, his commanding officer. She noticed him subtly (or not so subtly, really) slide his phone into his back pocket.

  Hayley looked at him, keeping her expression dead serious for a beat, before she burst out in a laugh. “Relax, Jake. It’s Thanksgiving.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His eyes darted around nervously.

  “Ma’am?” Hayley echoed and put on her best horrified face. “Dude, I’m thirty, not fifty.”

  Jacob nodded, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. His cheeks slowly began to redden.

  Hayley shook her head with a grin and reached across the counter to pat his shoulder. “Seriously, take a breath. You’re fine.”

  She hoped she’d calmed Jacob’s nerves a bit, but meanwhile, hers hadn’t settled. Hayley noticed, as she walked toward Split Rail, the butterflies in her stomach and the way she couldn’t seem to stop clenching and unclenching her fists.

  She’d never been good at first impressions.

  A small group of people waited at the hostess podium while reservations were found and folks were led to their tables. Hayley scooted past everybody and made her way in, then stood and scanned the room.

  Split Rail was classy, there was no arguing that. All dark wood and dim lighting and white tablecloths, it evoked a mood of richness. Of warmth. Of elegance. Hayley fit right into this kind of place, having practically grown up in them, and she felt some of her nerves slide away…until she located Olivia leaning on the bar and chatting with a handful of other people. Somebody said something funny, and she threw her head back and let go of a laugh Hayley had never heard from her before. It was gorgeous and sexy, and when she saw Hayley and their eyes locked, all those nerves came screeching right back into Hayley’s body. Multiplied by about a million.

  “Oh, what the hell was I thinking?” she muttered to herself, as Olivia waved her toward the group and she headed in her direction.

  She was gorgeous, Olivia was. Hayley tried to take her in while not looking like that was what she was doing. Olivia’s dress was a deep ivory—a bold choice for this time of year, but it worked wonders. It was the perfect combination of classy and goddamn sexy, and Hayley swallowed hard. All that dark hair was down, pin straight and sleek, and Hayley could easily picture Olivia on the catwalk during Fashion Week in New York.

  The woman who was talking to Olivia and had her back to Hayley turned as Hayley stepped into their group. She was shorter than Olivia, but her smile was definitely bigger than Olivia’s. She didn’t have that slightly reserved, probably irritated veil that Olivia always seemed to have around Hayley. But it was more than obvious this was Olivia’s mom.

  “You must be Hayley,” the woman said, closing her hand over Hayley’s forearm. Her smile reached her eyes, also unlike Olivia, and crinkled them at the corners adorably. “I’m so happy to meet you. I’m Angela.” And before Hayley knew it was happening, Angela Santini wrapped her in a warm hug.

  Hayley looked over Angela’s
shoulder at Olivia, eyes wide. Olivia simply smiled in amusement, shrugged, and sipped her red wine.

  The difference between Morning Walk Olivia and Work Olivia was marked, but Hayley realized quickly that there was more to the repertoire: With Her Family Olivia was the one at the dinner table that night, and she was different from the other two. While Morning Walk Olivia was quiet and kind, With Her Family Olivia was a little louder, a little bossy—though in a different way than at work. Very big sistery. Which made sense, as that was exactly what she was. Hayley watched the dynamic between Olivia, her brother Tony—who’d brought his girlfriend, Priya, who seemed to be fairly new, given the way Olivia and Angela were watching every move she made and asking her nine thousand questions—and her sister Ann Marie.

  “What’s this?” Ann Marie asked as she pointed to the orange pile on her plate.

  “Squash. You’ll like it,” Olivia said, before Angela could chime in.

  “I don’t like squash,” Ann Marie said with a grimace.

  “You’ll like this. Tessa made it different this year. Just give it a try.”

  Ann Marie studied Olivia for a moment, then pointed at her with her fork. “You did good with the flatiron.” She took a bite of the squash.

  Olivia colored slightly, cleared her throat, and thanked her sister. With a quick glance at Hayley, then back down to her plate, she said, “Ann Marie does hair.”

  “Olivia has so much to work with,” Ann Marie said, as her face lit up. She was obviously excited to be talking about a subject she knew. “Her hair is gorgeous. But she wears it two ways: down or in a ponytail. I’m trying to get her to branch out.”

  “It’s ha-a-ard,” Olivia said, making the word into three syllables.

  Ann Marie grinned and shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

  Hayley put a forkful of potatoes into her mouth as she observed these two sisters who were grown adults but obviously fell back into childhood roles with minimal effort. The exchange about the squash told Hayley that Angela had worked a lot and Olivia helped to raise her siblings. The back-and-forth about the hair was just kind of sweet to watch, and not for the first time, Hayley wished she’d had a sibling closer to her own age.