Autumn Getaway (Seasons of Love)

by Gracen, Jennifer

  Either I’m way stronger than I thought, Lydia muttered to herself inwardly, or I’m just the dumbest woman who ever lived. Probably both.

  She found her shoes—one by the bed, one by the closet—and put them on. She picked up her handbag and went to leave as she saw Sam’s note to her out of the corner of her eye. She strode back to the bed, picked it up, and read it again. Sighing, she sank down onto the mattress. What am I doing? Sam was more than charming and witty, more than attractive and sexy as hell. He was a genuinely sweet, good-natured guy. He’d been open with her, sensitive to her, and treated her with total respect. Even if she couldn’t let herself believe all the things he'd said, he certainly didn’t deserve to come back to an empty room and no explanation. He deserved so much better than that. She scolded herself harshly for her panicky, immature impulses. She could do better than that, and no matter how flustered she was right then, she had to.

  Okay, she decided. New plan: go back to her room, take a long shower, think hard, and go down to the brunch to see Sam and see what would happen.

  She folded his note carefully and put it in her handbag; she’d have a keepsake of their night together, evidence to have and to hold, no matter what. She found the hotel stationery and a pen in the long, middle drawer of the writing desk. She gnawed at her bottom lip as she tried to decide what to say.

  Sam, she wrote. Good morning. Got your note. Hope you enjoyed your run. I went back to my room to shower and get dressed. I’ll meet you at the brunch—I always take too long to get ready, and would hate to think of you having to wait for me. You go ahead. See you downstairs.—Lydia

  She pulled the heavy, ornate velvet comforter up over the bed, making it neater, and left the note in the center of the bed, where Sam wouldn’t be able to miss it. She took a quick last look around the room. A pang of wistfulness hit her. She had so enjoyed her night with him. It had been fantastic, beyond her expectations… clutching her handbag, she walked out, closing the door behind her.

  She checked the long hallway. Empty, thank God. Sam’s room was on the third floor, hers was on the second. Keeping her eyes averted and head down, she quickly got to the staircase and swept down them in a blind rush. But because her head was down, she didn’t see anyone coming down the hallway until she literally slammed into him.

  “Careful,” Alec said, catching Lydia’s arms to steady her as she bounced off his chest. Something wicked flashed in his eyes, and a salacious grin popped onto his face.

  “I'm so sorry,” she began to apologize as she looked up. When she saw who she’d collided with, her eyes widened and her face flushed bright red.

  Alec laughed lightly, obviously amused. He let go of her. “Well, well. Good morning.”

  She pressed her lips together and just stared at Sam’s brother, unable to think of anything witty or clever to say, feeling stupid and exposed. His eyes glided over her slowly, and a dark eyebrow arched. She felt smaller, somehow degraded, just from his cool, assessing stare. His condemnation of her came off him in palpable waves.

  Alec cleared his throat and said with smooth sarcasm, “Mrs. Powell. You look fantastic. You know, I liked that dress yesterday too. Really held up remarkably well, huh?”

  Her blush deepened.

  “In a hurry?” he asked dryly. His stare turned even more haughty. “Where are you running off to? Or, should I say, running away from? But I guess that answer is obvious.”

  “Having fun?” she said in a hushed tone, her eyes level on Alec’s face. She was now humiliated, and he, apparently, was enjoying himself immensely at her expense. He'd been nice enough to her all weekend, even if she'd sensed his slight disapproval. She couldn't believe he'd purposely be openly nasty.

  “C’mon, Lydia, lighten up. I’m just teasing you.” Alec’s aloof smile didn’t reach his eyes, however. His pale green eyes relayed something slightly malicious. “Is Sam in his room? That’s actually where I was headed. Safe to assume that's the scene you're fleeing?”

  “He’s not there.” Lydia worked to keep her voice flat and even. “He’s out on his run. He’ll be back soon.”

  “Wow. He is dedicated, I have to hand it to him,” Alec marveled. “I’m so hung over I can barely see straight, and he’s out running after what was obviously a long night? I wouldn't think he'd be able to pull himself out of bed, away from a willing woman, but what do I know. Maybe he just needed space to think… nah. He's out there solely because he has incredible discipline. Yeah, that's it. He’s something else, isn’t he?”

  Lydia just offered a silent, tight smile that felt like a grimace. Her hands were ice cold, but they were itching to slap him.

  Alec grinned again, relishing her discomfort. “Yup, you’d be hard pressed to find a better guy than my brother. But here you are, for all the world looking like you're running away from him… Hmm. Am I wrong?” He pinned her with a stare.

  Lydia swallowed hard. She'd never been great on her feet when openly confronted. “Your brother is a wonderful guy,” she managed to say, her voice low and a drop shaky. “And I have to say, I don't think he'd appreciate your acting like this towards me.”

  “Acting like what?” Alec asked. The look on his face reminded her of a cat toying with a mouse. “Being… truthful? Hey, sweetheart. You've known Sam for all of, what, forty-eight hours? I've known him for thirty-five years. Don't tell me what he'd appreciate from me.” His eyes narrowed as he went in for the kill. “You know what I'd appreciate? A woman so newly divorced not toying with my brother. The ink isn't even dry on your divorce papers yet, and you had no problem jumping into bed with him. So don't pull a high and mighty on me, okay? It doesn't fly.”

  Lydia was speechless. The blush disappeared as the color slowly drained from her face.

  “Hope your night was fun,” Alec murmured in a soft, vicious tone, “but don't go looking for more than that. I know you're just starting up again, but that's the nature of a one night stand, honey: one night only. Welcome back to the dating pool. I wish you luck. But my brother has a wide future in front of him. He doesn't need to get involved with a woman like you. Go home and take care of your son.”

  Lydia felt frozen in place, but managed to grind out, “Go to hell.”

  “Well!” Alec’s tone was now jovial, even though his eyes were still as cold as ice. “Seems like you’re in a rush, I assume to change your clothes before anyone else catches you so disheveled. So I’m gonna just mosey on back to my room. Back to Paige and the kids, since it seems Sam’s not around to join us for the brunch just yet. But hey, we’ll all see you down there, huh? That’ll be great.”

  “Can’t wait,” Lydia said in a low snarl, and shot past him back to her room without a backward glance. She heard him release one smug chuckle, and a shiver ran down her spine.

  Once she’d closed her door, she ripped off the dress and threw it into the closet with a furious grunt. Her heart was pounding, and she was, to her dismay, trembling all over. Like a shaken, frustrated child, she got into bed, pulled the covers up to her chin, curled up into a ball, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her head was throbbing now, she was slightly nauseous, and her breath felt tight in her chest, somewhat strangled in her throat.

  Of all the people she had to run into, it had to be Alec? The only way it could have been any worse would have been if it were Sam’s mother or father, and Lydia was pretty sure that they wouldn’t have delighted in her obvious state of disarray and embarrassment as Alec had. She'd been humiliated, vulnerable, and he'd poked the stick with a vengeance. He was one of those people that had the unique power to belittle someone with just a look, and had wielded it on her with glee. He'd looked like he was actually enjoying himself as he hurled his verbal grenades at her. That snarky bastard, she cursed inwardly. If she had been on the fence before about whether to meet Sam at the brunch or not, Alec had just pushed her over.

  No way am I going down there, she thought with vehemence. No fucking way.

  The phone rang, and it made her jump. She le
t it keep ringing. If it was Matt, he would have called her cell phone, not her hotel room phone. Anyone else, she had no desire to speak to. It kept ringing. She waited until it stopped, then got up and headed into the bathroom to find some Tylenol and escape into a very long, hot shower.

  * * *

  When Sam was finished with his morning run and got back to his room, he opened the door cautiously. He was hoping Lydia would still be asleep in his bed, so he could kiss her awake, maybe convince her to share a shower with him. But what he found disappointed him: a quiet, empty room. He placed his iPod and room key on the desk and went to peek into the bathroom; it, too, was quiet and empty. Her dress was gone, and the T-shirt he'd loaned her to sleep in was neatly folded on the arm of the couch. Lydia had fled the scene. As that registered, the elation and light seeped out of his body like the air from a balloon.

  He saw the sheet of paper on the bed. As he picked it up, read it, and sank down on the edge of the mattress, a wave of unease washed over him. He glanced over at the clock: there was less than half an hour until the brunch. Refusing to let the nervous energy overtake him, determined to ignore the twisting sensation in his gut, he kicked off his sneakers, undressed rapidly, and jumped into the shower. He just wanted to get ready so he’d be able to get downstairs to meet Lydia. Once they were face to face, he could determine with more certainty where her head was, instead of torturing himself and wasting energy by speculating.

  In under fifteen minutes, Sam showered, shaved, dressed in a navy button down shirt and jeans, and was out the door.

  He tried to stay calm as he strode purposefully through the lobby, down the hallway that led to the main dining room, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. When he got there, the brunch had already started; a few people were sitting at tables, sipping coffee or mimosas or Bloody Marys, and waiters were flitting around to take orders.

  His eyes quickly swept the room. Ryan and Melanie were at a table with both sets of their parents, chatting away. His entire family was already there, at an adjacent table to the Selbys, with one empty seat, probably reserved for him. On the other side of the room, Donna and Kathryn were already in attendance as well, at a table with Joann and her husband, and an empty chair that seemed to glare at him, to taunt him. Lydia wasn’t there.

  Sam went straight to Lydia’s friends, ignoring his brother calling out his name, ignoring everything around him, focused with purpose. “Good morning,” he said, his voice even.

  The four people seated looked up at Sam; Donna and Kathryn looked surprised, even confused. “Hi,” they all said collectively.

  “I thought maybe Lydia would be here already,” Sam said to Donna, his eyes holding hers.

  Donna met his gaze and picked up on the intensity, but she was obviously thrown. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Sam, but we thought she was with you. I tried to call her three times this morning, and she didn’t pick up the phone. So I assumed…”

  Sam’s jaw set tightly, but his voice stayed calm as he ground out his thanks before turning away and heading for the door.

  “Hey, little brother!” Alec was there, meeting him at the doorway, practically blocking his way as he clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Where ya goin’, you just got here. Come, sit.”

  “Alec, not now,” Sam said in a low, controlled voice. “I have to go.”

  “Off to look for Lydia?” Alec asked.

  Something in his tone made Sam stop and carefully study his brother. Alec looked smug, and his eyes were twinkling with barely concealed mischief as he grinned. That was the grin of the cat who swallowed the canary.

  Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Have you seen her?”

  “Have I seen her?” Alec nodded as the corners of his mouth twitched, trying not to let the casual grin turn into an open smirk. “Oh yeah. I saw her less than an hour ago. Doing the walk of shame from your room back to hers. I don’t think she was too happy to run into me.”

  Sam grabbed Alec by the elbow and pulled him out into the hallway.

  “Easy, Sammy, easy,” Alec muttered, wrenching his arm free. He knew it took a lot to get Sam visibly ruffled, and he was pretty edgy. That put Alec on notice to tread with caution.

  “What happened?” Sam asked tightly. “What did you say to her?”

  “Wow! Automatically assuming I said something. Nice.”

  “I know you, big brother,” Sam all but growled. “And worse, I know that look on your face. It's like when you kick someone's ass in court. Gloating victory.”

  Alec shrugged. “We ran into each other and I ribbed her a bit, that’s all.”

  “She doesn’t know you, Alec,” Sam said, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “She probably doesn’t appreciate the subtle charms of your sense of humor.”

  “She did seem fairly embarrassed,” Alec admitted with fake chagrin. “I only teased her a little, but she wasn’t playing. She got pissed. No sense of humor. Maybe she was too tired?”

  Sam closed his eyes, took a deep breath to calm himself, and tried to squelch the urge to slam Alec up against the wall. “Why the hell would you do that?” he ground out. “Why?”

  “Sam.” Alec dropped the flair. “Come on. So you had a one-nighter, and now she’s not here. It’s not a big deal. It's done. I set her straight. So now you can chalk it up to a fun romp and go home, free and clear.”

  Sam glared with fury at his older brother, his jaw set so tightly that he was clenching his teeth.

  “Come back to the brunch, be with the family,” Alec said with a light, breezy tone. “We’ll all be going our separate ways by tonight, and probably won’t see each other again until Thanksgiving.”

  “You go back,” Sam said in a low, lethal tone. “I have to do some damage control.”

  “I barely spoke to her, Sam,” Alec said, his voice hardening. “If she’s not here, I highly doubt it was because I teased her a little bit. We’re all grownups, aren’t we?”

  “Not all of us, apparently,” Sam growled.

  “Sam.” Alec lost his casual tone and got down to business. “She’s pretty, I’ll give you that. She’s smart, pleasant, even kind of sexy, I can see the attraction. I’m glad you had fun last night. But, man, come on. What are you thinking? She's been divorced for what, five minutes? Women like that turn into clingy, needy stalkers. And she's got a kid to boot. You don't need that, Sam. It's good for you if she's not here. Best to leave it alone, let her be. Just let it go.”

  Sam’s eyes narrowed menacingly on his brother’s face. His fingers flexed and curled into fists as he tried to control his temper. But before he could open his mouth to answer, he saw that Melanie was quickly approaching them.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” she said, obviously unaware of what she'd walked into. She turned to Sam. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  “Gladly,” Sam said. He shot a venomous look at his brother. Alec nodded curtly and went back into the dining room.

  “Where’s Lydia?” Melanie asked Sam, not bothering with pretense.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I thought I was meeting her here, that’s what she told me to do. And, as you can see, she’s not here.”

  “Is everything alright?” Melanie demanded. “Is she alright?”

  “She was fine, Melanie,” Sam assured her. “Calm down, please.” He pulled her aside and lowered his voice in discretion. “She was asleep when I left; I run every morning, and I went for my run. I left her a note telling her that, and that I’d be back soon. But when I got back to my room, she was gone, with a note she’d left telling me to just meet her at the brunch.” A muscle jumped in his jaw as he revealed, “I think she had a small run-in with Alec, I'm not sure. I'd like to think he didn't drive her off. But Donna couldn’t reach her on the phone. She’s not here. So now you know as much as I do.”

  ““Shit.” Melanie bit her lip. “I should go find her.”

  “You should do no such thing,” Sam instructed her in a quiet but forceful tone. “This is your brunch
, you are the bride, the hostess. Go back to your guests. I’ll go find her for you, and I'll bring her here.”

  “Okay. Do you know where she could be?” Melanie asked. “If she's not in her room?”

  It suddenly occurred to Sam that Lydia could have checked out of the hotel and left, for all he knew. She could've been halfway back to Long Island by now. His stomach lurched as if he were taking the high loop of a roller coaster. He left Melanie standing there, watching after him as he practically broke into a jog towards the main desk.

  “Excuse me,” he said, getting the attention of a hotel employee.

  The young woman smiled at him. “Good morning. How can I be of assistance?”

  Sam gave her the most alluring smile he could muster, made a conscious effort to smolder. “Could you please tell me if Lydia Powell is still in the hotel, or if she’s already checked out?”

  The young woman blinked and swallowed hard, apparently taken by his masculine dazzle. “I, um, I'm sorry, but I’m not supposed to—”

  “She’s a guest of the Dawson and Selby wedding,” Sam went on assertively, not dropping the powerful smile. “The bride asked me to come and check for her. They're doing the brunch now; I'm just doing Melanie a favor so she doesn't have to leave her guests.”

  “Oh.” The woman blinked again, putty in his hands. “Well… alright. Hold on…” She went to the computer and tapped a few keys. “No, Ms. Powell hasn’t checked out yet, she’s still here.”

  Sam felt relief flow through him in a rush. “Thank you very much. Ms. Dawson—I mean, Mrs. Selby—will be grateful for the information. Thanks again.”

  He rushed up the two flights of stairs and went straight to Lydia’s door. Then he stopped himself. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, angry at himself for letting Alec piss him off; he'd deal with his interfering brother later. Sam felt guilty for assuming the worst about Lydia, for the surge of doubt he’d had to quell. Surely he was making too much of things. She’d said she didn’t want him to wait, she was probably just still getting ready, that was all. Maybe she’d been in the shower when Donna had called and she’d never heard the phone ring. He knocked lightly on her door and waited.