The Stars at Night

by Gerri Hill

  “Yes. It’s a shame. I’m not sure her family even knows who Kyler is.”

  “That is sad.” Yes, it was. Kyler was nice, sweet, thoughtful. She was way better than merely good enough. She hated that for her. “I know she thinks of you as family.”

  “Oh, and we do too. We love her to death.” Her mother looked at her, holding her gaze. “You like her a lot too, huh?”

  She smiled. “Yes. She’s been fun. She’s definitely exposing me to new things.”

  “When I had first asked Kyler to show you around, I wondered if you could become friends. You seemed so different from each other.”

  “Complete opposites, I believed you called us.”

  “Yes. Maybe my perception of you was wrong. I certainly didn’t envision you traipsing through the woods like you’ve been. Never thought you’d get up in the middle of the night to go stargazing, that’s for sure.”

  “Me either.”

  Her mother met her gaze for a moment longer, as if she wanted to ask her something, but she must have changed her mind.

  “Well, I guess we should take advantage of this lull before next week when the Christmas crowd starts coming. You want to do a practice run at payroll?”

  “Sure. You think I’m ready to fly solo?”

  “You took meticulous notes. I don’t think you’ll have a problem.” She went to the coffeepot to refill her cup. “You want some?”

  She was about to decline when a gust of wind did indeed rattle the panes. It made her shiver. “I guess I’ll have another cup.”

  As she stared out of the window, she saw snow flurries blowing about. She got up, going to stand there, looking outside. Yes, the wind was fierce, whipping the trees around and scattering the snowflakes.

  “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get some snow?”

  Her mother came up beside her, handing her the cup of hot coffee. “It would be beautiful, wouldn’t it? And so close to Christmas.” Then she nudged Lexie’s arm. “Let’s not wish for it too much though. We would hate to have guests cancel reservations because of the weather.”

  No, she didn’t want that. Her mother had shown her the books. One hundred percent occupancy for nearly two weeks brought in a lot of cash. Especially with the “dead” months coming up. So she wouldn’t wish for a white Christmas. But they still had a week before the holiday crowds would show up. A few days of snow now wouldn’t hurt things. Besides, Kyler had promised her a sled ride if they got enough.

  Thoughts of Kyler made her smile. Thoughts of Kyler made her feel warm. Thoughts of them together—in bed—made her feel downright hot. She stepped away from her mother lest she feel the heat permeating from her body. Oh, yes, Kyler did that to her. She’d intended on leaving Kyler’s house at five so that she’d be back before her father got up. But no. Once back in bed, she couldn’t drag herself out of it again. At six, she’d still been in Kyler’s arms. And at six thirty, she’d snuck into her apartment as quietly as possible, hoping that perhaps—because of the weather—her father hadn’t been out to notice her absence. What she really hoped was that Mark hadn’t noticed her car missing. The lights had been on in the restaurant. He’d surely been down the trail. But she wasn’t going to worry about it. It had been too blissful of a morning to worry about Mark or her mother guessing how she and Kyler had spent their time.

  She didn’t know why she wanted to keep it a secret anyway. They’d find out soon enough. But as Kyler had said, it really wasn’t their business, was it?

  No, they’d slept together and it wasn’t anyone’s business. And they’d slept together without there being a big scene too. There’d been no lengthy discussion—unusual for her. There’d been no weighing the pros and cons—her specialty. There’d been no guilt or blame that morning. No self-reproach. No running and hiding.

  Quite the opposite. She’d had to drag herself out of Kyler’s bed. One more kiss. Then another. And another. She’d wanted nothing more than to stay right where she was.

  It occurred to her that they hadn’t really talked. Not that morning when she left, certainly. No, she’d been more interested in kissing than talking. When would they see each other again? Would it be awkward? Or would they continue what they’d started?

  She frowned. What exactly had they started? Were they having an affair? A secret affair?

  “Why are you frowning?”

  She jerked her head up, finding her mother watching. “Nothing. Thinking.”

  Her mother scooted her chair around. “Do you want me to watch over you? Or would you rather try it on your own and only let me know if you hit a snag?”

  “You better watch. I may not know if I hit a snag or not.”

  She pushed thoughts of Kyler from her mind and pulled up her notes on payroll. Time to get to work.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Kyler drove slowly along the winding park road, her eyes filled with wonder as she took in the snowy scene. They’d barely had an inch so far, but the wind had finally died down, allowing the snow to cling to branches now. Big, fluffy flakes fell, hitting the windshield of her Jeep. The clouds were thick and heavy, bringing dusk a little earlier than normal.

  She was feeling a tad nervous as she pulled in at the bar. Despite the snow, there were five or six vehicles in the parking lot. She recognized the Mertz brothers’ truck and Stuart’s old Ford. She wondered if they ever missed a night. Before getting out, she took in the blinking Christmas lights in the windows, looking all the more festive with the snow floating around.

  Her gaze slid to the bar, and there she was. Mark was leaning against it, his attention on something Lexie was telling him. Lexie had texted her earlier, asking if she wanted to “pop” over for a beer and dinner. There was nothing else to the text. No flirty innuendo. No mention of how they’d spent that morning. No mention of having a repeat. Nothing personal whatsoever. So she’d replied with a “sure” and left it at that.

  Maybe Lexie was having second thoughts now. Maybe she was sorry they’d crossed that line after all. Or maybe she wanted to pretend it never happened, much like she’d attempted to do after their first kiss. She sighed, wondering if it should be this complicated.

  She finally turned the engine off and paused, listening to the quiet for a moment. Then she got out, lifting her face to the sky, letting snowflakes hit her cheeks, feeling their gentle kiss as they landed on her. She smiled then, pushing her uncertainties about Lexie aside. It was too beautiful, too serene an evening to worry about that. She was a player in this game, yes, but Lexie held all the cards. If they went forward with this, it would be Lexie’s decision, not hers. And if they stopped things right where they were—that was Lexie’s choice too.

  With that, she walked up to the porch, stopping once again to peer inside, smiling as her gaze landed on the familiar scene and familiar faces, the Christmas tree, the twinkling lights inside and out—and the snow clinging to the windowpanes. She pushed the door open, hearing the bell jingle, seeing Mark look up at her, a smile on his face.

  She smiled back at him, then met Lexie’s gaze in the mirror. The look there simply took her breath away. No, Lexie wasn’t pretending it didn’t happen. And no, she didn’t appear sorry in the least. Her eyes were warm, the look she gave her had an intimacy to it, one shared between lovers. The relief she felt was palpable, and she smiled a little broader as she walked over to her.

  “Hey,” she said to the eyes in the mirror. Lexie nodded, then spun around on the barstool.

  “Hey yourself.”

  Mark was already drawing her a beer. “How’s the snow?”

  “Looking better now that the wind has stopped.”

  “Stuart heard we might get five inches overnight.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Jim said too. Wouldn’t that be awesome?” She turned to Lexie. “More than enough for sledding.”

  Lexie nodded. “I’m game.” She looked at her brother. “You?”

  “Oh, yeah. That’s fun. Makes you feel like a kid again.” He slid the be
er over to her. “This weather makes me want to cook up a big pot of chili or something.”

  “I’ve got a great vegetarian chili recipe,” Lexie offered.

  She and Mark groaned. “No,” they said in unison.

  “Venison,” Kyler said.

  “Mixed with beef,” Mark added. “We made a good one last year. Simmered that baby most of the day.”

  “Since when do you eat venison?” Lexie asked.

  “Since we moved up here. Phil gives us some every year. He likes to hunt, but Tammy isn’t crazy about eating it, so he shares.”

  Lexie turned to her. “As much of a tree hugger as you are, I can’t believe you’d eat a deer. Like Daisy.”

  “God, I’d never eat Daisy.”

  “Who is Daisy?”

  “I throw corn out in the mornings. There’s this young doe that comes by.”

  He laughed. “And you named her Daisy?”

  “I think it’s cute,” Lexie said and bumped her leg with her own.

  “Yeah. But maybe you’re right. I wouldn’t want someone to shoot and eat Daisy. Who’s to say the deer that Phil gives us wasn’t someone else’s Daisy.”

  Mark shook his head. “No! Do not let her brainwash you! God, you’ll be eating tofu and shit before too long.”

  “Look, I just want some fish.” She took a swallow of beer. “When is that happening?”

  “Supposed to get the grill delivered on Friday. This weather might set them back.”

  “Where’s it being delivered from?”

  “El Paso.”

  “Let’s hope it’s not delayed,” Lexie said. “Like Kyler, I’m looking forward to my first fish dinner.”

  “Speaking of that, I’m placing my weekly food order tomorrow. If you want input, come over about ten.”

  Lexie nodded. “I will definitely be here.” She turned to her. “What kind of fish?”

  “Snapper or grouper would be my first choice.”

  A bell dinged from the kitchen and he went to pick up the order. Lexie leaned closer to her. “I kinda missed you today.”

  She smiled at her. “I kinda thought about you all day.”

  “Were you thinking naughty things?”

  “Very naughty.”

  Lexie laughed. “I had to take a nap at lunch. I was exhausted.”

  “I only worked long enough to get a hot water heater reset, then I went back home. Slept for four hours.”

  “Not fair. I only got an hour and a half.” She moved away when Mark came back over. “I didn’t think it would be this crowded with the weather like it is.”

  “Oh, the regulars. The Mertz brothers and Stuart are like the post office. Nothing keeps them away.” He grabbed three beer bottles from the cooler and left them again.

  Lexie leaned closer, meeting her gaze. “When can I see you again?”

  “You mean alone?”

  “Yes, alone.”

  “Like maybe have a repeat of last night?”

  Lexie smiled at her. “Well, it was actually this morning, but yes, a repeat.”

  “I could maybe be persuaded.”

  Lexie laughed. “That would be nice.” She again moved away when Mark came back over.

  “You two going to eat here tonight? Or are you cooking or something?”

  “Eat here,” Lexie said. “As you know, I don’t have a kitchen and I doubt Kyler wants me to take over hers.”

  “I don’t mind. That chicken you made the other night was really good. Saves me eating this fried food here.” She smiled at Mark. “Sorry, but she’s right. Everything on your menu is fried.”

  “Apparently not for long. But we’re adding to, not taking away, right?”

  “You’re the boss,” Lexie said. “I’m only offering suggestions.”

  “Sure. Call it that if you want.”

  The evening wasn’t unlike others where they’d sat at the bar and shared a meal. Easy banter, good-natured teasing, and the harmless flirting that they usually did. However, whenever Mark slipped away to tend to a customer, the looks between them became steamy. The not-so-innocent touches, and the bump of knees and thighs had her squirming on the barstool by the time they’d finished their dinner—burgers.

  “So you’re saying this was the last veggie burger?”

  “Do you want me to order some?”

  “We could put it on the menu,” Lexie said with a smile. “I’m sure you have people ask for veggie burgers all the time, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, right. All the time.”

  “Well, it was very good. Put some fresh sprouts on there and an avocado slice and it would rival those I used to get in Austin.”

  “Don’t push your luck,” he said dryly.

  “How’s my tab, by the way?” Kyler asked him. She normally settled up every two weeks or so.

  “Not too bad. You can wait another week if you want.”

  “How many people run tabs?” Lexie asked.

  “Oh, a few of the regulars. The Mertz brothers and Stuart, for sure. They usually pay on Saturdays when they come for dinner.”

  Lexie shook her head. “And they come every day?”

  He shrugged. “None of them are married. Guess they got nothing else to do.”

  Much like Mark, she thought. Unless she dragged him out of here, he literally did nothing except run this bar.

  “You’re coming sledding with us tomorrow, right?” she coaxed.

  “We’ll see.”

  “No. You come,” Lexie said firmly. “If it snows all night, you’ll have no customers tomorrow.”

  “We’ll go about nine,” she said.

  He finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll meet you out there. If there’s nothing happening here, I’ll swing by, make a few runs.”

  “Good.” She pushed her plate away. “Then I guess I’m heading out.”

  “Me too,” Lexie said. “It’s been a long day.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You two were up at two-something this morning.”

  “Try one thirty,” Lexie countered as she got up. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Don’t forget we’re ordering food tomorrow. We’ll do it after sledding.”

  Lexie nodded. “I won’t forget.”

  “Want a ride?” Kyler offered as they went outside. It was a lame excuse to be together. By the time she drove around the lodge and to the back, Lexie could have already walked there.

  They stood off the porch, just out of the shaft of light. The Christmas lights glowed in the darkness and snow fluttered around them as their eyes met.

  “It’s so quiet.” Lexie’s gaze lifted to the sky. “Strange to look up and not see stars.”

  It was indeed quiet. No wind. So quiet, in fact, you could almost hear the snowflakes as they dropped to the ground. Lexie then looked back at her.

  “Yes. I’ll take a ride.” Then she paused. “Can you stay?”

  Kyler nodded but said nothing. The short drive was made in silence. When she parked, Lexie got out first, again meeting her gaze and again saying nothing. Kyler followed her inside.

  When the door closed, there was no more pretense. Lexie moved into her arms and Kyler pulled her close. She moaned into the kiss as Lexie’s body pressed against hers, pushing her back into the door.

  “I’ve been thinking of this all day,” Lexie murmured against her lips.

  Kyler let her hands move up, cupping Lexie’s breasts. Lexie’s head fell back, and she put her lips against her neck, nibbling at the exposed skin. Lexie’s hands at her waist pulled their hips together.

  “Stay?” Lexie asked in a whisper.

  Kyler moved her lips to Lexie’s ear. “My Jeep…your mom…”

  “Stay for a little while? An hour?”

  Kyler smiled then found her mouth again. Lexie’s opened, her tongue meeting her own. The rush she got from that drove out any hesitation she had about staying. She felt Lexie’s fingers at the zipper of her jeans, and she shoved Lexie’s sweatshirt up, urging it over her head. She pushed the bra away, he
r mouth settling over a nipple as Lexie moaned. Then Lexie’s hand found its way inside her jeans and she jerked hard as fingers slipped through her wetness, circling her clit.

  “God, you’re so wet.”

  She was panting as Lexie touched her and she brought her mouth back to Lexie’s. “Yes. Do it.”

  “Bed.”

  Lexie pulled her hand away and, with a purpose, led her into the bedroom. Kyler followed on shaky legs.

  Chapter Forty

  Lexie stared at the snow-white trail that glistened in the morning sunlight. She turned wide eyes to Kyler.

  “That’s like straight downhill!”

  “Not at all. It’s an optical illusion,” Kyler said with a teasing smile.

  “Why don’t I believe you?” She turned in a circle, her boots crunching on the snow. “It’s so beautiful. Everything is pristine. It should be Christmas already.”

  “Gonna be above freezing tomorrow. The snow won’t last long.”

  “So it’ll all be long gone by Christmas?”

  “Afraid so.”

  She looked around, taking it all in, trying to memorize the scene—the snow clinging to branches and covering rocks, the birds that landed, knocking snow off. A raucous call of a blue bird brought her attention around. What had Kyler called it?

  “A scrub jay?”

  Kyler smiled at her. “Dang, look at you.”

  “I think I would like birdwatching. I certainly like being outside. Even when it’s Twenty-eight degrees.”

  “Once we’re hiking back up this hill, you’ll be plenty warm.”

  Kyler brought out a plastic sled from the back of her Jeep. It was a bright blue and looked more like a small boat than a sled. The color was quite the contrast with the white snow.

  “Where’d you get that?”

  “I can’t take credit for it. It was in the maintenance shed. Nobody seems to know where it came from.”

  “So you claimed it?”

  “I did.” Kyler walked to where the trail seemed to tumble over the side. “We’ll have to tip it over at the end of the trail and fall off—so we don’t end up in Limpia Creek.”

  “In the creek? Okay, so you’re going to ride in the front, right?”