That’s why he stopped over? Because Bev had asked? I groaned and cradled my face in my hands. He wasn’t worried about me. He was just fulfilling a duty. And I just threw myself at him like some desperate woman that hadn’t been touched in forever. No wonder he left this morning so quickly.
I texted Frankie.
Mattie: I slept with Giles.
I didn’t even have a chance to set the phone down before it rang.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Tell me everything,” my sister demanded.
I gave her a recap of last night and this morning. Including how I had awoken to Giles already gone and finding out that his aunt was the one that had asked him to check on me.
“I’m so pathetic,” I said when I was done recounting the tale.
“Um, no, you’re not. He goes over to check on a hot girl in the middle of a power outage, and he ends up getting lucky? That’s like every guy’s fantasy. No way he regrets that. I’m sure he was just as desperate as you were.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I, for one, am proud of you for sleeping with someone else. Now we can forget that ex of yours, what’s-his-name, ever existed.”
“It was pretty amazing,” I murmured.
“Dude, I believe it. That man is gorgeous.”
“Do you have the Google image search of him pulled up again?”
“I’m just making sure I have the proper visual. Goddamn, I’m a little jealous.”
I groaned. “Well, don’t be too jealous. I doubt it’ll happen again.”
“Not with that attitude. When are you seeing him again?”
“I mean, probably at the lodge today, unless he tries to avoid me.”
“Well, you better look extra good, just in case.”
* * *
I tookFrankie’s advice to heart and made sure to spend a little extra time on myself that morning. My normally messy bronze hair was curled to perfection in large bouncy waves, and I had on my favorite black V-neck sweater. It wasn’t low enough to be unprofessional, but it did show enough of my chest that I hoped it would play with Giles’s imagination. I threw on my favorite pair of jeans and black boots before grabbing my coat.
You’ve got this, I told myself. When in fact, I had no idea if I had this. Something told me this situation with Giles was not going to be simple.
Once outside, I walked carefully over to the lodge. Someone had shoveled the driveway and path, so it was a lot easier of a walk than I was anticipating.
I took a moment to look up and around me in awe. The mountains were drenched in feet of snow. The early morning sun danced off them, and the white peaks were glistening like diamonds. Even the cold air was starting to grow on me. I took in a deep breath and savored the crisp, fresh feeling.
At the lodge, I threw open the back door to see a line of a few guests waiting at the front desk where Bev was standing. I rushed over to help.
“Busy morning?” I asked her.
“A lot of guests that were supposed to come in last night are here this morning because of the storm.”
“Got it.” I waved to the next couple in line. “I can help you get checked in right over here.”
The first hour of the day flew by as Bev and I worked the front desk. My brain had no time for excess thoughts. The minute the rush slowed down, however, I found myself scanning the lodge looking for a certain someone.
“Did Giles come over last night?”
