“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. Tomorrow we should be able to use my wi-fi to make a phone call.” His smile fades a bit. “To call your boyfriend.”
I kind of regret that I’ve told him I have a boyfriend, but I'm not about to tell him the truth now. That would just make me look like an idiot. Plus, it’s kind of like an invisible layer of protection, giving me an excuse to rebuff his interest in me. “Okay,” I say. “Good.”
I hope that doesn’t sound as lackluster to him as it did to me.
Fifteen
DRAKE
The tone of Ashley’s voice seems to lack enthusiasm, which surprises me. I thought she’d be excited to be with her boyfriend.
Maybe she feels about him like I feel about Rachel.
Inexplicably, the thought makes me happy.
ASHLEY
I soak in the hot water, enjoying the heat in contrast to the cold air that surrounds me. I think about the snowball fight and smile.
“What are you smiling about?” Drake asks.
“The look on your face each time I hit you with a snowball.”
He smiles. “Which was what, twice?”
I laugh. “I think it was more than that.”
“But I got you three times as often.”
I narrow my eyes. “Yeah, but you’ve been in how many snowball fights?”
Nodding, he says, “True.”
We soak in silence for a while, the only sound the bubbles as they break the surface.
“I’m starting to get hungry,” he says after a while. “What about you?”
At the mention of food, my stomach rumbles. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
He climbs out of the jacuzzi, then wraps a towel around his waist. “Great. I’ll get dinner started. Are you ready to get out”
“Yes. Do you have a towel I can use?”
“Sure.” He picks up a large towel, then walks around to my side and holds it open for me.
I climb out of the jacuzzi and allow him to wrap the towel around my shoulders. “Thanks,” I say.
“Uh-huh.”
Then he surprises me by taking my hand as he leads me inside. The warmth of the kitchen washes over me, and it almost feels too hot after being in the jacuzzi. Gently pulling my hand from his, I say, “I need to get dressed.”
He smiles. “Okay. I’ll see what I can find for dinner.”
Trying to avert my gaze from his adonis-like body, I hold my towel tightly around me as I hurry out of the kitchen and head toward the stairs.
DRAKE
I watch her go, and as I think about sitting in the jacuzzi with her, I wonder if I should have moved closer to her and tried to kiss her. Yes, she punched me in the stomach when I kissed her earlier, but after the time we spent together today, I get the sense that she’s as attracted to me as I am to her.
She brings out a different side of me—a playful side. But when I look at her, I want to pull her into my arms and kiss her until she melts against me. On the other hand, she has a boyfriend.
And you have Rachel.
I frown, then turn to the fridge to see what I can dig up for dinner.
ASHLEY
In my room, I stare out the window. The sun is setting and I stare at the darkening sky, replaying the fun I had with Drake when we played in the snow, and then the quiet time we spent together in the jacuzzi. A warm glow starts inside me as I picture the impossibly handsome man who I find myself drawn to.
As I get dressed, I imagine how nice it would be to spend more time with Drake, to get to know him better. But then I realize I shouldn’t be thinking that way. I have plans, and Drake isn’t part of those plans.
A knock on my door pulls me out of my reverie.
“Dinner’s just about ready,” Drake says from the other side of the door.
I turn toward the sound. “Okay. I’ll be there in a minute.” I take some time to freshen up in the bathroom, then I head downstairs.
Something smells good as I enter the kitchen and I see that Drake has set the table.
Standing in front of the counter putting a salad together, he’s wearing a pair of well-worn jeans with a button-up shirt that’s not tucked in, along with a pair of comfortable-looking slippers.
“Do you need any help?” I ask.
“No, I’ve got it covered.” He turns to me with a smile. “You can clean up afterwards though.”
His suggestion doesn’t annoy me this time. “Okay.” I stroll over to where he’s working. “What’d you make for dinner?”
“I had some hamburger patties in the freezer so I threw them on the grill.” He looks at me with a question. “You’re not a vegetarian or anything, are you?”
I laugh. “No. I definitely like my steak.”
“Good.” He hands me the salad. “Put that on the table and I’ll get the burgers.”
I do as he asks, then watch him through the kitchen window as he scoops four hamburger patties off of the outside grill and slides them onto a plate, then adds four toasted buns to the pile.
A moment later he sets the plate on the table.
“Mmm,” I say as the scent of barbecue reaches my nose.
“Help yourself,” he says, motioning to the plate.
I take a bun and place a burger on it, then add a piece of lettuce and a slice of tomato. He takes a burger and squeezes out a large dollop of ketchup.
We’re quiet as we eat, lost in our own thoughts.
“I’ve liked having you here,” he says as he starts on his second burger.
I smile, glad I haven’t been too much of a nuisance. After all, he came to his cabin to relax, not to take care of a stranger he picked up on the side of the road. “I appreciate you not leaving me to freeze.”
He frowns. “I hope you know I would never do that.”
I smile, certain he means that, and touched to know he cares.
We eat in silence for a while, then I ask, “How long were you planning on staying here?”
“I usually just come for the weekend.”
Today is Saturday, so I consider what this means. “Do you think we’ll be able to get a tow truck to pull my car out of the snow tomorrow?”
He looks out the window. “Possibly. The snow seems to be tapering off.” He turns to me with a smile. “Just depends how busy they are, I guess.”
“Is there a place nearby that we can call?” Reno is a couple of hours north—a little far for a tow truck to come.
“Yeah. There’s a place in town I can call.”
I think about this and wonder how long I’m going to be stuck here. Though it’s been fun to flirt with Colton Drake, I have plans. I want to get to Reno and get started on my life.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asks, pointing to my half-eaten burger.
I look at the food on my plate and realize that my appetite has diminished. When I try to figure out why, I realize that these last twenty-four hours have felt like an interlude between college and real life, and it turns out I’m not as eager to start real life as I’d thought. “Yeah,” I say, and pick up the burger to take another bite.
Drake smiles at me. “Make sure to save room for dessert.”
The burger stops an inch from my mouth. “You have dessert?”
He laughs. “You have a sweet tooth, do you?”
I laugh. “Kind of.”
After we finish eating, he stacks our plates and carries them to the counter, then he takes some things out of the freezer and refrigerator. His back is to me so I can’t see what he’s doing, but a moment later he carries two glass dishes to the table and sets one in front of me.
“I hope you like ice cream,” he says as he sits in his chair.
I look at the dish in front of me and see a banana sliced lengthwise with two scoops of ice cream on top—one vanilla and the other chocolate. Whipped cream is piled on that, with a cherry on top. Smiling, I look up to see him watching me. “This looks delicious.”
DRAKE
“I thought you might like i
t,” I say as she digs in to her ice cream. Having a banana split seems like the perfect dessert after all the fun we’ve had. Again, I’m kind of amazed at how little work I’ve done—ever since Ashley interrupted me in my office, I’ve hardly thought about work.
Rare as that is, it’s even more unusual that I’ve put work aside to play. But I know it’s something I’ve needed to do for a while. And it’s completely thanks to Ashley.
I watch her as she eats, and a small smile curves my lips.
I wonder how serious she is with that boyfriend of hers.
Sixteen
ASHLEY
We eat in silence, and when we’re done he sets his spoon in the dish. “I’m going to stoke the fire while you clean up.”
I watch him walk away from the table and toward the living room and a feeling of satisfaction comes over me. Today has turned out to be one of the best days I’ve had in a while. And I know it’s completely due to the company I’ve kept.
Smiling in contentment, I load the dishwasher, then wipe down the counters. When I’m done, I walk into the living room.
Drake’s stretched out on the couch reading my book, and when he sees me, he smiles. “I haven’t read Lord of the Rings in years,” he says.
“Well, it’s your book.”
He sets it on his stomach. “Yes, but you’re the one reading it right now.”
I sit in the recliner and lift the foot rest, then stare at the crackling fire.
After a moment he sits up and holds the book out to me. “I’ll read this when you’re done.”
“I’m not going to be able to finish it while I’m here, so you might as well read it.”
“You can take it with you, then just send it to me when you’re done.”
I take it from him. “Do you get mail out here?”
“I have to go to the post office to get mail here, but I’ll give you my Reno address.”
What does that mean? Is he trying to say he wants me to know where he lives? I decide not to overanalyze his comment. “Okay.”
“Reading that makes me want to watch the movies,” he says.
“I know what you mean.”
A smile curves his mouth. “I think I have the movies here. Would you like to watch them?”
I don’t see a TV, and wonder if one is hidden somewhere in the room. “Uh. Sure.” Then I ask, “Where’s the TV?”
He laughs. “It’s in my bedroom.”
“Oh.” That information takes me by surprise, and I can’t help but wonder if he has an ulterior motive.
Then he says, “I can even pop some popcorn.”
At the look on his face—kind of like the look he got when we built the snowman then had the snowball fight—I smile and I rethink my assumption that he has an ulterior motive. After all, I told him I have a boyfriend, so maybe any flirting he’s done with me has all been for fun. Maybe he has a girlfriend and he has no intention of cheating on her.
Feeling a mix of relief and disappointment, I get up from the recliner and follow him into the kitchen.
“I just have the buttered-flavor popcorn,” he says. “But it’s really good.”
“That’s my favorite kind anyway.”
He puts it in the microwave and a few minutes later he pours the freshly popped corn into a large bowl. Turning to me, he says, “Ready?”
I nod and follow him toward the stairs. As we climb the stairs, then walk down the hall, I admire his muscular body and wonder what it would feel like to have those strong arms around me. The thought startles me and I almost turn around and go into my room.
“My TV’s in here,” he says as he crosses the threshold into his bedroom. He gestures to his bed. “Make yourself comfortable.” Then he turns his back on me as he opens a drawer and begins looking through his Blu-ray discs.
His king-size bed takes up the middle section of the wall and a matching dresser sits against the wall directly opposite the bed. Above the dresser hangs a large flat-screen TV, and a pair of oversized windows meet at the corner of the room, creating a spectacular view. At the far end of the room I catch a glimpse of the entrance to a large bathroom.
I stand where I am, my gaze darting between him and the King-size bed, at war with myself over whether this is a good idea. I’m no nun, but I’m also not the type of girl who has one-night stands. Whenever I’ve been intimate with a man, it’s been because we were in a long-term relationship. But when I look at Drake and think of the connection I’ve begun to feel with him, I wonder if a relationship with him could be in the cards. And if it is, I wonder if I’m ready to give that part of myself to him, to open my heart to him.
Then I realize I’m getting ahead of myself.
Get over yourself, Ash. He just wants to watch the movie and this is where his TV is. It doesn’t mean he’s trying to make a move on you. Or that he’s interested in anything beyond friendship.
Slightly disappointed that friendship might be all that he wants, I climb onto the bed and scoot back until I’m leaning against the pillows. Then I make sure I’m sitting as close to the edge of the bed as I can get without falling off—no point in making him think I want more than friendship either. Even if the truth is that I do want more than friendship. Very much.
Drake turns on his TV, then places a disc into the Blu-ray player. A moment later he turns to me with a smile, then carries the popcorn to the bed and climbs on. He sits toward the center of the bed so that we’re only a few feet apart, then he sets the popcorn between us. He motions to the popcorn. “Help yourself.”
See? He just wants to watch the movie.
The disc loads and the movie starts, and I settle against the pillows, trying to forget that I’m on Drake’s bed, and that he’s within easy reach of me. And that I’m within his reach as well.
DRAKE
I really do want to watch Lord of the Rings, but having Ashley sitting so close is much more distracting than I’d anticipated. As much as I’d like to repeat the kiss we had earlier—minus the part where she punched me in the stomach—I don’t want to do something that will put her in an awkward position. Especially considering she has a boyfriend.
But I’ve really grown to like her, and I’m curious to know if there could be a future with her.
What? You’re jumping ahead a bit, don’t you think? You haven’t known her long enough to think about a future. And don’t forget about Rachel.
With a tiny shake of my head, I remove all thoughts of Rachel and try to focus on the movie. After several minutes I realize I’m more interested in talking to Ashley than in watching the movie. “How’s your ankle?” I ask. “You didn’t seem to be limping earlier.”
“I think it’s a lot better,” she says, glancing at me before facing the TV again.
I stare at her profile, taking in her beauty, knowing I’m going to miss looking at her and being around her once she’s gone.
Seventeen
ASHLEY
Out of the corner of my eye I see Drake staring at me. I like that I’ve captured his undivided attention, although I’m dying to know what he’s thinking. I turn to him with a self-conscious smile. “What?”
A full-wattage smile lights his face, making his dimple appear, and when I look into those green eyes, my heart melts and I desperately hope my chance meeting with Colton Drake on a snowy road is the beginning of something more.
Drake watches me for a moment before saying, “I’m wondering if you noticed anything different between the book and the movie.”
Somehow I know that’s not what he’s really thinking, but I play along. “I haven’t gotten that far into the book.” And having you so close is making it hard to focus on the movie.
He nods, then faces the TV again.
DRAKE
I’m glad she caught me staring at her—I wanted her to catch me. But now what? Now where do I want things to go? I’m captivated by her, but it’s more than her looks—although she’s gorgeous. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together—playing, fl
irting, relaxing—and I find that I want more.
I scoot closer to her to see what she’ll do. She doesn’t move away from me, which I take as a good sign. The bowl of popcorn sits between us and the only sound is the movie. I pick up the bowl of popcorn and place it on the table beside the bed, then take her hand in mine.
She doesn’t yank it away, so while keeping my eyes on the TV screen, I gently stroke her hand with my thumb. In my peripheral vision I see her looking at me. I turn and meet her gaze.
She’s biting her lip, and I wonder what she’s thinking. Then I decide to ask. “What’s on your mind?”
She stares at me a moment. “Do you have girlfriend?”
An image of Rachel fills my mind, and without thinking, I pull my hand out of hers.
ASHLEY
His reaction seems to confirm my fears, and disappointment swells inside me. Yes, I want more than friendship, but if he has a girlfriend, then he’s not available and I can forget about wanting more.
“What?” he asks.
My question has clearly caught him off-guard, and I realize he hasn’t actually answered. “Do you?”
He frowns. “I get it. You have a boyfriend.”
Tempted to grab on to the phantom boyfriend excuse—if only to keep myself from looking overly eager—I hesitate. But then I decide if I want to move things forward, I can’t cling to that lie. So I tell a different one. “We’re not that serious.”
Drake smiles. “Oh?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
His smile grows. “We’re not that serious either.”
Oh. So he is seeing someone. That’s not what I wanted to hear, but his answer gives me hope. That, plus his smile. As if my answer makes him happy.
Drake and Ashley: The Complete Story Page 6
