by Hunter, Lara
“Right,” Anna said, tearing her eyes away, suddenly conscious that she was staring. “Well, I wish you Happy Holidays...Mr Hawthorne,” she said, turning towards the door. “See you in the New—”
“Wait,” Jason said, stopping her. “First of all, Anna, call me Jason. Second, before you head back, I wanted to make it up to you for making you drive here…by extending an invitation for you to join me for lunch. I’m a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself,” he smiled.
Anna was taken aback. He’s inviting me for dinner? Her instinct was to immediately decline his offer, but her curiosity stopped her. She was no hound for luxury, but the world of the superrich was so alien to her that she couldn’t help but be fascinated. What would it be like to eat the kind of food that billionaires eat? she mused. Secondly, she wanted to see what was up with Jason Hawthorne’s completely different demeanor outside of the office. Why the Jekyll and Hyde act, CEO?
Slowly, Anna pushed the thought of her waiting family from her mind. “Well,” she said, coming to a decision. “You know what, I am kind of hungry,” she nodded.
“Wonderful. Help yourself to a drink while I get things going,” Jason said, heading into the kitchen.
Following him into the kitchen, Anna thought, Sorry for the delay, Mom and Dad… As Jason busied himself by the stove, Anna pulled out an intricately-carved chair and took a seat at a grand mahogany dining table that was so huge she was afraid it would swallow her whole. I might as well get some food for all my trouble.
With Jason occupied, Anna took the opportunity to properly check out the kitchen. The liquor wall was even more impressive up close, and the professional-looking set up with endless fancy gadgets, many of which Anna didn’t recognize, would be enough to make even the most popular TV chefs jealous. I mean, there’s a wood brick oven here. A wood brick oven!
Still, just as she had found in the reception area, Anna thought that the space felt empty, and lacking any real warmth. She knew that if Jason ever put the place up for sale, and for some reason she ended up being in charge of selling it, she would definitely be faking any enthusiasm she expressed to the clients.
“Wow,” she said, noting motifs of dragons and grape vines on the chair she was sitting in. “What an interesting piece, it’s so unusual. Where did you get this set?” Anna asked.
Jason looked up and turned from the stove, coming over to check out the chair. “Huh…I guess I never noticed.” he said, raising his eyebrows. “I don’t know where it’s from,” he said as he dashed back to whatever was sizzling in the pan. “My parents probably hired someone to take care of the decor, way back when,” he said quietly.
“I see,” Anna said, tracing her fingers along the carvings.
Jason cleared his throat. “I’m making grilled salmon. Dressing it up with bell peppers, nuts, and nutmeg,” he said cheerily. “Do you cook?” he asked.
“Ah, yes. I wouldn’t say I’m a great chef, but I love to cook,” she said.
Everything about Jason’s behavior was contradicting her initial impression of him. He was addressing her in a pleasant manner, taking a seemingly genuine interest in her, and hadn’t shown even a hint of the strained, aloof character she had first seen in his office. Despite her confusion at Jason’s sudden shift in personality, Anna could feel herself warming up to him.
“My family and I have a tradition of cooking together during the holidays,” she continued. “We always get together in the kitchen to try out one new experimental dish alongside the tried-and-tested favorites.”
“Oh really? That sounds like a wonderful tradition,” Jason replied. “What would you say has been your favorite new dish so far?”
Anna thought about it for a second. “Well, a few years ago, we made a mango and coconut curry. It was unlike anything else I’ve tasted. It was amazing,” she said, feeling a pang of sadness as she remembered that she would currently be cooking with her family if everything had gone to plan.
“Yes, it sounds like it. I love Asian cuisine. Just the fact that it has all these contrasting flavors, that somehow end up working together,” he said, as he sautéed vegetables in a pan.
The sizzling became louder, and the smell of everything coming together wafted through the air. Wow, that smells delicious, Anna thought. She took a second to really look at Jason, taking in all the details of his appearance, his dirty-blonde hair, and the light stubble which dotted his jaw. She couldn’t deny that she found him attractive, although it was only a recent revelation. I suppose the impression of him being an asshole blinded me to his good looks, she thought. She would prefer to have any feelings between them remain strictly professional, but watching Jason skillfully prepare a meal for her had set her mind going in an altogether different direction.
As Jason set up the table, Anna noted the delicate silver and gold patterning on the plates and cutlery. Must have cost a fortune.
Finally, he brought over the meals themselves, and settled into a seat opposite her.
“Wow. This looks delicious,” Anna said, genuinely impressed.
She had just picked up her knife and fork when she heard a crash from outside, making her heart jump—it was the sound of the wind rattling the windows.
“My God, that is loud,” she said, raising her voice over the sound. Glancing out the window, she could see the snow swirling around menacingly. It seemed like it was only going to get worse.
Shit, she thought. That does not look good… She looked between the food and the scene outdoors, thinking about her family waiting for her. She decided to make the pragmatic choice, and leave the beautiful food behind, while she still had the chance to leave.
“Jason, I’m really sorry about this, but I’m going to have to leave,” she said suddenly. “I have to make it to my parents’ before this storm gets any worse,” she explained, getting up from the table.
“Anna, wait,” Jason said, getting to his feet. “I understand you want to spend time with your family…but, based on experience, I can tell you that the storm will get worse quicker than you think. Driving out on the mountain now will be risky,” he cautioned. “I think it would be safer for you to stay until the storm passes.”
Anna was torn. Her cautious, and generally dominant, side urged her to listen to Jason and stay put—but she was so desperate to finally spend quality time with her family, and already so late to the celebrations. In an unusual move, Anna decided to override her cautious side.
“Thanks for your advice, Jason,” she said, “but I think I’ll brave the roads.”
Anna moved to put on her jacket, and Jason protested again. “I think that’s really unadvisable, Anna.”
The fact that Jason seemed so vehemently against her going brought out Anna’s stubborn side. “I appreciate your concern, Jason,” she said diplomatically, “but I really have to get back to my family now.” Anna could see that Jason looked anxious, but she was already halfway to the door. “Thanks so much for making dinner, I wish I could have stayed to try it. And thank you for the donation, again,” she called out, before opening the door. Jason’s “Wait!” was drowned out by the howl of the wind, which reverberated throughout the cabin, as if the door were the lid to Pandora’s box and Anna had just let chaos inside.
CHAPTER TWELVE
After struggling to close the door against the wind, Anna stood outside, fully immersed in the winter chaos. As soon as she stepped out from the shelter of the cabin, she felt blindsided as the wind slapped her face and the snow tackled her. Her car was barely detectable, with walls of pouring snow blocking the view. Still think you can “brave the roads”, Anna? her cautious side asked, pointedly.
I’m not going to back down easily, Anna thought grumpily. I’ve already been delayed so much by catching up on work and driving up here… She cursed her curiosity for leading her to accept the dinner invitation. Why didn’t I just politely decline and go on my merry way? What happened to ‘get in, get out’?
Having somehow made it to her car, Anna sat
in the driver’s seat as she calculated her next move. So…if I attempt to move my car, I basically won’t know where I’m going because everything looks like the same endless expanse of white. She twiddled her fingers on her steering wheel, frowning. Crap, she thought, sighing. I have to admit defeat and go back inside. This is going to be so embarrassing…
As she slowly opened her car door, Anna saw that just as quickly as the onslaught had gotten going, it had let up. She could now more or less tell where she was.
She exhaled in relief, and closed the door she’d just opened. Okay, great, she thought. Let’s do this. She prayed that the weather would stay calm and not quickly change its mood again during her descent.
She made it out of the driveway and onto the windy mountain highway without too much difficulty. I wonder if it will be weird between me and Jason when we get back to work. Almost having dinner, and then me bailing… she mused, after a mile of slow, careful driving. Why was he so desperate for me to stay, anyway?
The visibility started to worsen, and Anna tensed up in her seat. Just need to make it out of this treacherous stretch and onto the highway, she thought nervously. Then I can have a relatively normal drive home, and finally celebrate Christmas…
Her nerves compounded as the weather turned again, the snow falling harder with every mile. I wonder what everyone will think of their gifts, Anna thought, trying to distract herself.
Eventually, she found herself in the same hazardous conditions she’d left the cabin in. Oh my God. It’s that endless expanse of white again. I can’t see ANYTHING, she thought, gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles showed through her skin. I could be driving straight off the edge right now, she thought, starting to panic. As soon as she located a spot where she could pull over, she brought her car over.
I think this is the shoulder…but for all I know, I could be in the middle of the goddamn road! Anna thought, her face contorting with worry. She took deep breaths. Don’t panic, don’t panic, she instructed herself. A glance out the passenger window showed a rocky slab of mountain peeking out from the snow, thankfully confirming that she was not parked in the middle of the road.
Anna’s frantic mind flicked through the possible doom scenarios: An oncoming car could lose track of where it is and collide right into me; the wind could send boulders rolling down the mountainside to crush me.
The snow began to smother Anna’s car, and soon all of her windows were entirely covered. Okay, calm down, she thought, attempting to be rational. I can wait it out. It changed quickly before, so it might again, right? She slumped back into her seat, resigned to the fact that she was stuck waiting at least for the meantime.
Scarcely five minutes later, Anna’s mind started up again. Oh my God, I’m going to be waiting here forever! That is, if a boulder doesn’t crush me first. She reached for her phone only to find, as expected, an icon telling her she had no service. She started breathing heavily. Shit, shit, shit.
Anna took stock of what was in her car. All she had was the gifts she’d bought for her family and a few extra clothes she’d packed for her stay at her parents’. So I have no food or water, but at least I can hide in a freaking pile of clothes if worst comes to worst! I’m sure that cocktail dress I bought for Cathy will be very insulating!
Anna groaned loudly and buried her face in the steering wheel, emitting a light honk as she did so. Why am I such an idiot? I just had to stay for fancy billionaire dinner, and then I just had to ignore Jason’s advice and brave the goddamn roads. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She berated herself for a few more moments, but there was only so much beating herself up that Anna could take before tears took over. What if I die out here on this lonely road? My legacy will be one of idiocy; a dumb, reckless person who ignored all the reasonable warnings…
She jumped when she heard someone tapping at the passenger window. She looked up to see someone was brushing the snow off to try and see inside.
Anna quickly wiped her tears and rolled down the passenger window.
“Oh my God,” she said, as the snow from the window piled into her car. “Jason, is that you?”
He was covered head-to-toe in winter gear, but his piercing blue eyes were visible under his balaclava. He gestured for her to get out of the car. Anna rolled the window back up and opened her door. Wow. Has he…come to rescue me?
Anna met Jason on the other side of her car. Before she could say anything, he shouted over the roaring wind, “I just came out to see if you’d made it down—I’m glad I checked!” He picked up a pair of skis that were on the ground beside him. “We can ski back to the cabin,” he yelled.
Anna couldn’t believe he had skied down the treacherous road while carrying another pair of skis and poles just to check that she was okay.
“But I don’t know how to ski!” Anna replied.
“It’s okay,” Jason shouted. “It’s easy.” He took off the backpack he was carrying and pulled out a pair of ski boots. “Put these on and then step into the skis.”
She obliged. The boots weren’t a perfect fit, but they would suffice. She had a bit of trouble figuring out how to fasten herself into the skis, but eventually she heard the satisfying “click” of the boots slotting into the bindings.
“What do I do now?” she yelled.
“Propel yourself forward with these,” he said, handing her the poles.
Anna tentatively stabbed the poles into the ground and pushed off. Jason nodded approvingly. “There, you’ve got the hang of it. But at that pace, we’re gonna be here all night,” he chuckled. “Let me give you a hand and we can practice your technique later,” he said, taking Anna’s hand and dragging her with his own momentum.
Jeez. Who knew he was secretly a body builder. “Jason?” she asked, as he propelled her up the mountainside. “Thanks for doing this. Rescuing me, I mean,” she shouted, realizing the magnitude of what Jason was doing for her. Jason nodded in response, not saying anything as he focused on the physical task at hand.
Anna looked back at her car, as it faded into the distance. I’ll come back to rescue you too, old steed, she thought with a sigh.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
By the time they reached the cabin, Anna’s face was numb, red, and sore. The fact that they had made it back was almost entirely thanks to Jason’s efforts, although Anna had done her best to propel herself using her free hand.
Once she stepped inside the now familiar cabin, her joy at surviving was suddenly marred by doubt. While she was grateful to Jason, she was uncomfortable with the feeling that she owed him a great debt. And she couldn’t help but be disappointed at the realization that she was now stuck in the middle of nowhere instead of celebrating Christmas back at home.
Anna turned to Jason, whose face was only slightly red in contrast to her frozen tomato look. She wanted to articulate how she weird felt about the whole scenario, and pinpoint the doubt that was nagging at her, but couldn’t find the words. “Thanks again,” she said, hesitantly.
“I’ll go warm up the food,” Jason said amiably. Anna made her way over to the dining table and sat down in the same ornate chair. She fidgeted, trying to regain the feeling in her face, hands, toes and everywhere else.
“I can’t say I’m not embarrassed that I didn't listen to your advice,” she said sheepishly, when Jason returned with the food.
“It’s okay, Anna, I understand. You just wanted to get back to your family.”
Anna nodded. “Can I ask you something?” she blurted out. “It’s amazing that you were able to find me out there. It seems kind of…coincidental, don’t you think?”
Jason blinked. “Um…not really?”
Anna sighed, looking down at her plate of salmon and vegetables. She brought a forkful to her mouth and ruminated on what her family must be thinking with her not being there by now. Cathy will definitely give me a firm talking to…
As soon as she took the first bite, her stress thoughts came to a halt. She was blown away by
how good it was. Her first instinct would be to exclaim how delicious the food was, but she held her tongue, not wanting to compliment him just yet. She knew it may be irrational, but she resented Jason for the fact that she was stuck in this cabin. They’re probably cooking the experimental dish without me right now, she thought sadly.
“Wine?” he offered, holding up a bottle she didn’t recognize. That bottle probably cost more than my car, she thought.
“Um, I’m okay, thanks,” she said, smiling politely to mask how she was really feeling. Through the window the snow continued falling in huge clumps. Anna could see it piling up rapidly, as if trying to choke the house. I’m going to be stuck here forever, she thought dejectedly.
They ate in near-silence. Anna sensed Jason sneaking a few glances at her, but he didn’t say anything. Finally, he asked, hesitantly, “Uh…is something wrong, Anna? Have I done something to upset you?”
