I sank into the armchair, pulling Leo’s sweater into my lap for warmth. My life was still a mess, and I was stuck in Cold Spell for a while longer, but this was the right thing to do. Delia deserved the chance to prove herself.
Now all I had to do was call her and deliver the good news.
Chapter 13
Leo
“You look tired,” Valeriesaid, glancing up from her spreadsheet. She clicked to close the document and sat on the edge of my desk with her arms folded.
“I slept on the sofa in the staff breakroom,” I said, rolling my neck to relieve the tension. It felt like there was a vice around my shoulders and nothing eased it.
“That was three days ago.”
Right. Three days.And I’ve hardly slept since.I could blame it on the resort being busier than ever, but really, it was that freaking mattress.
No, the memory foam density was fine. It was the fact Sage had slept on it, and now the whole bed smelled like her. Even after washing the sheets, so it was definitely psychological.Candy cane sugar mixed with the lingering scent of sugared berries.A fatal combination. I was a goner. Might as well switch rooms because there were no other options.
“Have you tried asking Sage out on a date?” Valerie asked, bluntly.
“What? No. I can’t do that.” I scrubbed a hand over my jaw and corrected myself. “I mean, why would I do that? We’re just friends…kind of.”
“Wow!” Valerie dropped her head into her hand and rubbed the spot above her eyebrow. “As your festive minion, I’m disappointed with your lack of self-awareness, not to mention your level of defeat.” She pushed off the desk and jabbed her finger in my face. “Where is the man willing to put on a mortifying elf costume? What happened to the quest for Cold Spell domination through a cleverly disguised blackmail plot, leading to your second shot at romance? Have I taught you nothing?”
Her words landed like a snowball to the back of the head. “Second shot at romance? Have you been paying attention? My ex-friends terrorized her on my mountain. She was almost injured in a very small—yet not insignificant avalanche. And that’s not even getting into the fact she hates me for what I did to her all those years ago. It’s not a lack of self-awareness. Trust me. I’mextremelyaware I have no chance of fixing this.”
Valerie huffed and sank back down on the edge of the desk. Her fingers tapped out a rhythm on the wooden surface. “Okay. I see your point. This is a tricky situation, and it requires deep thought.” She chewed on the corner of her mouth for a minute, then snapped her fingers. “I know. We need to act like ninjas and sneak attack. Are you familiar with the use of a grappling hook?”
I groaned. With Valerie in charge, I was going to die alone in a botched rappelling accident.
“Absolutely not. Will you stop devising weird plans where I have to think like a villain or act like a ninja? Where do you come up with this stuff?”
Valerie shrugged. “It’s in the handbook.”
“What handbook?”
“That’s not important.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, counted to three, then planted my fists on the desk. “How about, I do something normal like take her somewhere quiet where the two of us can talk?”
Valerie picked at her cuticle and sniffed. “It’s not as cinematic, but it has an appeal. Okay!” She rallied, clapping her hands like she was breaking a huddle. “I'll lure Sage to the lodge and you trigger your mundane talking idea. May I suggest snacks? Maybe a bottle of red?”
“No. I'll handle the details. You finish up the plans for our last fundraiser. We still have a sizable amount of money to raise. I want to see Sage's face when we cross the threshold. It'll mean a lot to her.”
“Got it. I'll handle the fundraiser.” Valerie collected the notebook Sage had left behind. “You don't have to worry about a thing. Your talking plan is solid. No one ever fell asleep while someone was talking.”
“Valerie,” I warned.
She held up her hands. “The truth shall set you free. But if it doesn't, and it blows up in your face like an inflatable lawn Santa, maybe improvise a little.” Valerie wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Sometimes a guy just needs totake action.”
***
The ski lift shuddered to life, grinding its gears as the chairs began a slow climb up the mountain.
Morning sunlight bounced off the snow, and the frigid air was sharp in my lungs. I stood behind Sage, arms tense to catch her if she spun around and charged back to the lodge.
“There is no way you're getting me back on that thing.” Sage eyed the lift like it was the Abominable Snowman. She folded her arms and dug in her heels. “Keep dreaming, Grayson.”
“Come on, Bennett. I already promised we weren’t going to ski. You’re wearing regular boots.” Placing my palms on her shoulders, I nudged her toward the lift. “This is strictly a scenic outing. Where is your adventurous spirit?”
