Page 27 of The Christmas Accomplice

Chapter 7

Welton’s mind buzzed as he exited the main building. No, not just buzzed, but quite possibly jittered inside his skull. The intensity of his smile was making his cheeks hurt, but he had no way to control it.

He’d spent hours wandering around the lodge, thinking about his time with Reece. The silly dance lesson had flowed smoothly into a slow dance that may as well have happened underneath a gently spinning mirror ball.

He didn’t want to spoil this good feeling by seeing Dean, so he’d ignored Dean’s texts and found a quiet spot to sit in the lodge and read some online blogs about Rex Garland and his husband, Will. It was difficult not to put himself in their place, and he chided himself on doing so after one romantic moment with a man he’d just met. But his mind refused to give up the fantasy and kept returning to the possibility of a happily ever after with Reece.

Who worked and, more importantly lived, in Colorado. Which was nowhere near Michigan.

But, still, there were ways to make relationships work over a distance. He spent all day working from home, surely he could figure out some way to love from home as well?

Love? Who the hell said anything about love?

He was one of the first guests in line when the restaurant opened for dinner, and he smiled even as he ate off in a corner by himself. Afterward, he tried not to look toward the registration desk as he headed for the exit, but he couldn’t resist. Reece was nowhere in sight, and though he was disappointed, Welton was a little relieved. He wanted to keep their dance as his last memory of him for a while longer. He had no idea how Reece might react the next time they saw each other. What if Reece started to have regrets about the dance? Welton really didn’t want to see that reflected in his expression. Not yet. He wanted to savor the romance of their moment, at least for the rest of this night.

It was dark out when he left the lodge, but the asphalt pathway was lit by well-spaced lights, and Welton smiled even as he stuffed his gloved hands in his coat pockets and shivered. He greeted other guests he passed, and even complimented one couple on their matching parkas.

Who was he and what had Reece done to him?

Very nearly kissed you, that’s what Reece has done to you.

Welton’s knees went a little weak at the thought. He stopped to look up at the starry sky and drew in a lungful of crisp, fresh air.

And then immediately started coughing.

Oh, right, high altitude, cold air, stuff like that.

“There you are!”

The force of his coughing had caused his eyes to tear up, and Welton squinted at the blurry figure that approached. It wasn’t until the figure was almost right in front of him when Welton realized it was Dean, and his smile immediately dimmed.

“We need to talk,” Dean said. “And no storming off this time.”

Welton blew out a breath and it clouded in front of his face, momentarily blocking Dean from his sight. If only it were that easy. “Fine. Let’s talk.”

“Not a very private spot for a conversation.”

“Oh, it’s going to be a conversation now? You’ll allow me to talk?”

Dean seemed taken back by the comment. “What? What’s that mean?”

Welton was a little taken back himself, but now that he’d started, he was determined to speak his mind. “Yesterday when we were talking at the cabin, you kept running over me and wouldn’t let me finish my sentences. It’s what you’ve always done to me. That’s why I stormed off.”

Dean looked apologetic, even in the low wattage glow of the path lights. “Oh. Well, I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep from doing that.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Dean jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Can we go to the cabin and talk there? It’s really cold out here, and we need to figure this all out.”

“There’s nothing to figure out. We agreed back when we broke up that I would use the rental cabin for this trip, and you showed up unexpectedly. What more do we need to figure out?”

Dean half-turned and gestured back the way he had come. “Can we please get out of the cold and talk this through?”

Welton clenched his gloved hands and stomped past Dean. The wind cut through his coat and the fabric of his pants. It was annoying to admit, but Dean was right about getting in from the cold.

They walked in silence, ice melt crunching beneath their steps. Once inside the cabin, they kicked off their boots and hung up their coats. Welton marched into the downstairs bathroom and shut the door. He ran his cold hands under lukewarm water for a time, staring at his reflection as he tried to keep from smiling, but it was difficult. Even now, nervous and annoyed as he was about talking with Dean, thoughts of Reece made him smile.

Reece wouldn’t make me feel like I’ve done something wrong when I know I haven’t.