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“Come on, get your stuff.”
“Excuse me?”
“I think if we leave right now, we can get down the mountain just fine before it really starts to pile up.” I thought she was pissedbeforewhen I just showed up here.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Come on, I’m not playing around. Let’s go!” I reach for her arm but she jerks it away.
“No! I took a few days off and I deserve it. I want to stay up here.”
“Why are you always so difficult?” I close my eyes and rub my temples. I had a pretty good feeling she’d fight me on this. “Fine,” I say, reaching for the door again to go grab the things from my truck. “But when I get back in here, we’re going to sit down like adults and have a serious fucking conversation, you understand me?”
“You think you’re staying here?”
“Damn right.”
“You’re lucky I’m alone, you know that?” Her arms are crossed, but at least she’s not fighting me on this.
I pause, my hand on the doorknob. “Meaning what?”
“I could’ve had Styles up here with me.” She shoves her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, a bratty little look on her face.
“Is that what you wanted? To spend time with him up here?”
She tries to remain stoic, but her face softens and she shrugs her shoulders. “No . . . not with him.”
We stare at each other for a few seconds. There’s so much I want to say, and tonight, I’m finally going to.
7
DAHLIA
“You know there’s only one bed.” I watch as Ranger kicks off his shoes and slides his coat down his arms.
“That couch will be just fine.” He nods toward the couch behind me as he walks over to the fireplace. He opens the doors, grabbing two logs and stoking the fire.
“So what’s the plan? We’re just stuck here together until the storm passes?”
“Is that how you see it—that we’re stuck?”
“Well, it’s not like either of us planned for it.”
“Was Styles supposed to be here?”
I pause, considering telling him yes just to make him jealous, but decide against it. Not only is it childish, but doing it in the past never worked in my favor. When Dean approached me in the hallway at school the same day Ranger did, I only agreed to go to the homecoming dance with him in the hope that it would make Ranger jealous and he’d ask me out. Little did I know at the time that they were best friends. Had I known, I wouldn’t have said yes to Dean . . . a fact I’ve struggled to admit to myself. I know it doesn’t lessen the love we had, but it still makes me feel guilty nonetheless.
“No. We aren’t even going on a date. I really did just participate in that auction for the charity benefit to the library. He’s a nice guy, but he’s too young for me.”
“You’re only 29, Doll.”
“Yeah, so? I prefer guys my age or older. Besides,” I push off the wall I’m leaning against and head to the kitchen to make some coffee, “he’s not my type.”
Ranger scoffs. “You mean a tall, ripped fireman who rescues cats and old ladies isn’t your type?” He looks at me skeptically. “Sure didn’t look that way.”
“Yeah? Well, if you think he’s so dreamy, why you don’t you date him?”
Ugh, I hate how immature I’m behaving.
