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Chapter Five
Brady
Pleasantly surprised at Lexi’s unexpected apology, I watch as she sprints upstairs to change. We simply got off on the wrong foot—especially since she thought my job was to tote suitcases and provide room service. With that little misunderstanding cleared up, I feel confident that she won’t be asking me to move around her suitcases anymore.
The actress looks more excited about the prospect of sledding than anything else since she arrived. Yesterday, when her assistant mentioned an upcoming meeting, Lexi looked like she just sucked on a lemon. Why would a rich, successful celebrity be unhappy? As they say, money isn’t everything, but I’m still perplexed as to her current state of mind.
This morning’s less flashy version of Lexi is beautiful in an understated way. She’s tall and slim, maybe a little too slim, but that seems typical for an actress these days. Without makeup, she’s got the girl-next-door look down pat with those brown eyes and long blonde hair. I wonder why they always have her glammed up in movies because she’s even more attractive without all that.
While I wait for Lexi to return, I get a fire going in the large stone fireplace centered in the conversation area beside the reception and check in. Guests like to gather here to read or socialize and an inviting fire draws them from their rooms. With today’s chilly temperatures, the fire will keep the room warm and toasty.
“I’m ready!” Lexi says in a breathless voice, as she reappears. I’ve still got my back turned so I’m briefly startled at her excited greeting. When I rotate around, my breath catches as I take in her new outfit. The skin-tight black leggings, red sweater, and knee-high black boots are quite stunning on her tall frame. She’s clutching a bright pink puffy parka in her hand along with a white knit hat and scarf that looks like they’ll keep her warm.
After several beats of silence, my power of communication returns, and I say, “Yes, looks like you’re dressed to hit the sledding hills now.” Lexi smiles at my approval of her outfit while I grab my coat from the rack in the corner.
“Do you want your own sled, or should we take the toboggan?” I ask as I tell myself that I’m going to treat her with cool, professionalism, and not get pulled into her allure. I’m just acting as a representative of the Christmas Inn by showing her some of our amenities—assuming sledding can be classified as an amenity. Keep telling yourself that Brady.
Her eyes light up at the mention of the toboggan. “My parents and I rode on one sled when we were here before. Do you think that was a toboggan?”
“Most likely. We have several of them and they’re popular with guests. When were you and your parents here before?”
“When I was four,” she replies, her eyes taking on a faraway, nostalgic look as if she’s fondly remembering that visit.
Is that why she came here? Trying to recapture some of her childhood memories?
We head outside and I grab one of the toboggans from the shed beside the inn. “You know, you’re lucky we have enough snow for sledding. We got four inches overnight, but it’s going to melt quickly. Today might be your only opportunity to do this.”
“Then let’s make the most of it,” Lexi says, and she strides off, walking at a fast clip. I have to jog to keep up.
As we approach the snow-covered hills behind the chapel, we hear laughter, squeals, and happy voices from other sledders echoing across the valley. “How many times have you been to the Christmas Inn?” I ask to break the silence that’s fallen between us as we trudge through the snowdrifts.
Lexi bites her lip. “Just that one time. I’ve been too busy with my acting career since then.”
I stop and look at her in shock. “But you were here when you were four. How old were you when you started acting?”
A small grimace slides across her pretty face then she hides it. “I got my first acting role when I was five. My mom dragged me to an audition, and I got the part.” Lexi shrugs. “She got bit by the acting bug more than me. She insisted that I keep chasing the next role, and I haven’t had much downtime since then.”
“Wow, that’s a long time.” My reply seems lame, but I can’t imagine missing out on my childhood like Lexi has. When I was five, I was fighting with my brothers and learning to play T-ball.
No wonder she can afford ten suitcases full of clothes, two bodyguards, and a full-time assistant. She doesn’t mention her parents and I don’t ask, sensing that it’s an off-limits topic. When she talks about her mom, there’s a touch of sadness in her voice. That’s a story I’d like to hear after we get to know each other better. I need to do a little research about her career—the movies or TV shows she’s appeared in. Up to now I wasn’t interested in the A-list celebrity’s background, but now she has me intrigued.
When we get to the base of the hill, I stop to scan for a place where we can launch the toboggan in an area with fewer people. Kids and adults of all ages are flying down the hill on sleds of all shapes and sizes. Toboggans. . . Saucers. . . Even a blown-up inner tube or two. . . It’s a free-for-all and I’d like to avoid crashing into someone or have them crash into us. “Let’s go over there,” I say as I point to the least congested side of the ridge.
We start climbing to our launch site and after a minute or two, Lexi says, “I didn’t know the hill would be this steep.” Her breath comes out in white billows, and she sounds a little winded.
“Do you need to take a break?” Since I do manual labor all day long, I forget that other people aren’t in as good of shape as I am. She looks fit, but probably not used to scaling a steep, snowy slope.
She waves her hand. “No, let’s keep going. I can keep up.”
I shorten my stride to a slower pace. Lexi trails behind me, watching the antics of the other sledders. She grins when a pair of boys go flying down the hill on one of the inner tubes, screaming at the top of their lungs. “That looks fun. Maybe we can try one of those tubes later?” Lexi shouts to be heard over all the noise.
“Sure, but they’re kind of difficult to hold on to.” Just as those words leave my mouth, the pair lose their grip on the tube. They somersault head over heels for several feet, like a tumbleweed of colors from their bright parkas, until coming to a stop with one boy piled on top of the other. Lexi puts her hand over her mouth and watches with a concerned look, but within seconds the two boys jump up, retrieve the tube, and one yells “Race you to the top.”
When we reach our launch site, I position the toboggan and say, “Get on and I’ll get on behind you.”
In her excitement, Lexi quickly jumps on the sled. I almost lose my grip on it, sending her down the hill solo. She giggles and claps her mitten ensconced hands. “Get on. Let’s go!”
Keeping the sled steady, I carefully climb on behind her, wrapping my arms and legs around her. She’s like a bundle of energy, I feel the excited tremors flowing through her slender body even though it’s encased in the bulky coat.
“Here we go!” I yell as I push us off. The toboggan starts sluggishly, our weight slowing it down until gravity and the steep slope take over. We gain speed rapidly and in seconds we’re sailing down the hill just like the boys on the inner tube. Snow flies up in our faces, dusting us with a fine powder. Lexi snuggles her face into her scarf in order to keep the biting wind from taking her breath away. I snuggle into her back trying to do the same thing.
The ride is exhilarating and cold. It feels like it lasts for several minutes although it’s probably only a few seconds. With the landscape a blur, and the voices of the other sledders muffled by the wind, it’s like we’re in our own little bubble. When we get to the bottom of the hill, I let the toboggan gently glide until it comes to a stop. We’re both breathing heavily, our breath coming out in frosty puffs.
“That was awesome!” Lexi says as she disentangles herself from me and scrambles to her feet. She holds out her hand, ready to yank me to my feet. I grab her hand, but since I’m bigger than her, my weight pulls her off balance, and we both end up tumbling into the snow.
I try to lean so I land on the bottom, but instead I land squarely on top of her. Our eyes lock as we gaze at each other for a few beats, cold nose to cold nose. Her cheeks are red, but she’s smiling, and I suddenly want to kiss those luscious lips. Coming to my senses, I quickly roll off her and say, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
She laughs. “I’m fine. I’ve had bigger guys than you land on me when doing some of the crazy movie stunts.”
Thankful that my brawny frame didn’t injure her, I help Lexi to her feet and ask, “Want to go again?”
Lexi pumps her fist and yells, “Race you to the top!” She takes off like a gazelle dashing through snow.
I just chuckle and trail behind her, relishing in her laughter. Looks like Alexis Taylor is living some of the childhood that she missed out on.
My initial impression of her as a spoiled celebrity is softening. This woman has many layers, and I’d like to get to know each one better. But a maintenance man has no future with an A-list actress, so I shove that thought aside and vow to keep our relationship on a professional level. Keep telling yourself that Brady.
~*~
We’re both cold and exhausted, but also fulfilled from our sledding adventure. We even made a spontaneous stop to make a snow angel in the rapidly melting snow. Lexi’s beaming smile lights up her face, and I feel happy knowing I helped put it there. As we trek back to the warm and toasty inn, I tease, “Four runs on the sledding hill are quite impressive for a rookie.”
Lexi giggles. “That’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Maybe ever.” Her eyes widen at her confession, and she bites her lip, as if wishing she could pull the words back. I ignore the comment, although I’d love to find out why riding on a toboggan down a snowy hill is the most fun that she’s ever had.
The instant we enter the inn, Lexi’s redheaded assistant jumps up from a chair near the fireplace and charges towards us like a raging bull. Lexi swerves to an abrupt stop and I almost plow into her. “This isn’t good,” Lexi mutters under her breath.
“Alexis Taylor, where have you been?”
Before my eyes, the fun-loving confident woman from the sledding hill turns into an apologetic child. It’s as if she works for the assistant rather than the assistant working for her. Wringing her hands, Lexi says, “I’m so sorry. We lost track of time. I’ll go change really quick and we can go to lunch.”
Her assistant’s eyes narrow. “What were you doing that caused you to lose track of time?” Her tone implies that we’ve been on some nefarious excursion, obviously up to no good. The red head throws me a scathing look as if I’m the one to blame.
Swaying back and forth on the balls of her feet, Lexi replies in a small voice, “We went sledding.”
If fire could erupt from the assistant’s eyes, it would be burning Lexi and me right now. Her unapproving gaze even makes me a little queasy. “Need I remind you that you’re shooting a movie in a month? If you got injured while sledding, the studio would sue you for breach of contract and you’d be replaced in a flash.” She snaps her fingers to emphasize her point.
Her harsh words make Lexi look even more dejected. Her shoulders slump and her lips wobble. I want to pull Lexi into a hug and tell her that she’s done nothing wrong, but I don’t dare do that in front of the incensed assistant. That would only add gasoline to an already raging fire.
When the red head turns on me as if to give me a tongue-lashing, Lexi quickly intervenes. “Brady did nothing wrong. I asked him as an employee of the inn to accompany me.” Grasping Evelyn’s arm, Lexi tugs her towards the door and says, “I don’t need to change, let’s go get something to eat. I’m sure you’re hungry.” Her eyes plead with the assistant to be reasonable and put an end to the public dress down.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a couple guests who are whispering behind their hands while watching the proceedings with interest. At least no one is filming the incident on their cell phone.
The promise of food dissuades Evelyn from further humiliating Lexi. As they walk towards the front door, the assistant yanks her coat from the rack, anger still vibrating off her thin frame. Lexi looks over her shoulder at me and mouths “sorry.”
I nod and give her an encouraging smile. Alexis Taylor is going to relive all her fond childhood memories while she’s here if I have anything to say about it. Smiling to myself, I switch into maintenance man mode, sauntering off to repair the leaky faucet that I ignored earlier so that I could take Lexi sledding.
