Page 34 of The Christmas Romance Wish

“We agreed on the truth, right?” I hiccup.

“Here’s a truth, I hate flying.” Alex slows because of the worsening visibility.

“I’m not a huge fan either. My brother is a pilot. He was in the military too.”

“He might like some of the Wild Warrior workshops.”

“You could do a swap. He has an organization called Boo’sBattle Bros.” I tell him about the work they do matching retired military working dogs with veterans.

Alex handles the road with care and confidence, but he isn’t a cocky driver and in these conditions, I appreciate that. “No way. I heard about them. I think we’re both sponsoring an event for vets this spring.”

“Here’s a truth. I wanted to surprise my brothers for Christmas, but I wasn’t all that excited to go to Coco Key.”

“That’s where you grew up at the resort. It’s home, right? Sounds like a cool place.”

“It’s a place. Lots of memories there.” I tip my head to the side. “Actually, that’s not quite right. It’s more like there should’ve been lots of memories there. Instead, it was kind of lonely.”

“But you have four older brothers.”

“They mostly did their own thing and treated me like a princess.” I hiccup at the same time the wind from the blizzard buffets the Jeep.

“A jiu-jitsu princess? Doesn’t sound half bad.” Alex shifts into a lower gear.

“That was for their benefit so they could sleep at night, knowing I could defend myself if necessary. So mostly for selfish reasons on their part. But our parents practiced it, so in a way it makes me feel closer to them.” Talking to Alex about my mother and father feels like a risk. The more he knows about me, the more hurt I could get. All my turtle-like protection mechanisms tell me to keep my mouth shut and retreat inside my shell, but I don’t. I can’t.

Alex is quiet for a long beat. “Here’s a truth. My parents split when I was in sixth grade. I was an only child and wish I had siblings.”

“But you have an entire brotherhood. And I bet they’re every bit as stinky and annoying as my brothers.”

Alex chuckles. “As I get older, I forgive my parents andappreciate my brothers and sisters in service, but it’s not the same as a family of my own. You know?”

“To a degree.”

He squints through the windshield as the wipers work double time to keep the glass clear. “So, let’s hear more about this tropical island where you grew up because that sounds mighty appealing right now.”

“It’s not as fancy as it sounds.”

Alex raises an eyebrow. “You know me well enough by now, I’m not a fancy kind of guy. A few bells. Not too many whistles.”

“The last time I was at the Driftwood was shortly before my grandfather passed away. After Hurricane Howie, it’s like Chip gave up on the property. It fell into disrepair. The whole town did. My brother inherited the resort.” I hiccup. “He is a fancy kind of guy. Until recently, he lived in Manhattan not too far from me, but in a penthouse. I expected him to level the resort to the ground and replace it with something shiny.”

“Sounds kind of like Tad Tobin who’s been poking around Holidayle. I live in Holidayle Hills, but it’s technically part of the town.”

My inner terrain quakes. “Who?”

“Tad Tobin. Thinks he’s a hotshot developer. He made a ton of money in tech and got into real estate I guess. No one in town likes him.”

“And with good reason,” I mutter. The guy is a snake. Alex must not hear me over the howl of the wind and the scratching of the windshield wipers, trying to keep up with the snow freezing on the glass.

“He wants to take over the Holidayle Hotel. Turn it into a modern resort with what he called smart amenities like automated room service and toilets with twenty settings like the kind they have in Japan. The folks here aren’t like that.”

“Sounds just like him.”

“The guy even offered me twice the value of my land because the trails in the back are adjacent to the resort’s property line.”

The last person I want to think about is Tad, so I make a slight redirect. “Thankfully, my brother didn’t sell out. He and his wife did the right thing and restored the Driftwood to its former glory. At least, that’s what he claims. Knowing Royal, there are probably a few extra bells and whistles.” I hiccup.

The blizzard is blinding and the wind pushes the Jeep toward the canyon wall. There aren’t any other cars as we approach the mountain pass, but Alex turns his full focus to the road.

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