Aimee chews the inside of her cheek, a nervous habit she never could break.
“What happened?” I ask.
She takes a step back, out of my hold on her and I have to refrain from pulling her back in. God, how I’ve missed holding her.
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“Give me the abridged version.”
“Basically, I’m running from my problems.”
“Maybe a little more detail than that. Come on.” I pick up her bags and set them behind the desk, then guide her to the big, comfy couch in the lobby. I offer her a seat on the couch, while I face her sitting on the coffee table, my knees bracketing hers as I take her hands and hold them in her lap. “Spill it.”
Aimee’s chest rises with a deep breath, and when she lets it out, she confesses, “I got fired.”
“Oh, Aimz. I’m sorry. Is there anything I—”
She holds up a hand. “It’s fine. I didn’t want the job to begin with. It’s a relief to be done with it.”
“Wait. Is this the job at that big tech company your dad got you the interview for?”
“How did you know about that?” she asks, her voice pitching up into dog whistle territory.
“Have you forgotten the power of small-town gossip?”
She side-eyes me. She knows I hate getting involved in that crap.
I tell her the truth, “Your mom let it slip when I ran into her a few months back.”
Panic fills Aimee’s eyes. She asks with a tremor in her voice, “What else did she tell you?”
“Nothing much. Though, she might have mentioned you haven’t been on a date in years?” I make it a question because I can’t believe it. What men wouldn’t throw themselves at this woman’s feet?
Ten years… I’ve known this whole time but seeing her now closes even the smallest gap where doubt might have wormed its way in and now I know for an absolute fact, I never stopped loving her. I’m a fool for letting her go. I have nothing but luck to thank that she’s here now and still single. I will not let her get away from me again.
“Ugh. Mom.” Aimee blushes and I take that as confirmation of her mom’s assessment.
“Yeah. She acted kind of smug about it. If you ask me, I think she might still have a bit of a couple crush on us.”
Aimee blushes an even deeper shade of red and I wonder if maybe she still has a bit of a crush on us too.
“Well…” Aimee says with a sigh. “If you know about the interview, I imagine you can guess why I don’t want to see my dad right now.”
“He loves you to pieces. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“You’re probably right but I’m just not ready to face him yet. Which brings us back to why I’m here.” She flashes me a big toothy smile and tilts her head toward the front desk.
“Yeah. About that. I’m all out of rooms. Rented the last one seconds before you walked in.”
Her eyes go wide again before she shifts them to look out the big bank of windows on either side of the fireplace overlooking the slopes.
“How cruel do you think I am?” I tease her. “I’m not sending you back out in this storm.”
“I’m not about to squat on your couch here. Not exactly the experience you want to give your guests.” With one hand on her chest, she gestures around the room with the other announcing in an exaggerated commercial voice, “Come stay at the What Cheer Lodge. Wake up to a hot breakfast and a hot mess passed out by the fire.”
We both have a good laugh at that one. It’s good to see she hasn’t lost her sarcastic sense of humor.
“I’m sure everyone would understand considering the circumstances with the weather being what it is but I was actually going to suggest you stay at my place.”
