Page 31 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

I swallow.

He smirks, probably reading the look on my face and knowing that he’s gotten to me.

“Okay. Well, in that case, I’m begging you to put those damn things in the oven already. I want one.”

“Fine,” he says stubbornly, turning off the mixer. I find it so cute.

My phone rings. I’m pretty sure the number on my screen is the owner’s, which I did not save. I answer it. Liam watches me intently as I talk with the person on the other end. It’s not good news. They say there’s a snowstorm coming and they can’t get anyone up to the cabin to fix it today, maybe not even tomorrow. He apologizes and says he’ll reimburse me for those nights, but I’m not so worried about that at the moment. I’m more worried about finding a new place to stay for a few days. I tell them I want to keep the booking for the rest of the trip though, in case they fix it soon. I love the place and I’m getting used to it.

I tell him thank you and hang up. There’s no point in getting mad when there’s nothing that can be done right now. I let out a huge sigh and start looking up hotels on my phone.

“What are you doing?” Liam questions, eyeing me.

“Trying to find a new place to stay for the next few days. Maybe I should just go home…” I think out loud.

“Don’t,” Liam says. I look up at him. “I mean, you can’t leave now…Jackson would be so sad to come back and find that you left early.”

“Right…”

He inhales and appears to be pondering something. Then, finally, he says, “Can I show you something?”

“Sure…” I reply.

He grabs my hand and leads me to our boots at the front door, then instructs me to put them on, along with my coat. He pulls my hood up and takes me in, smiling. I blush.

He grabs my hand again and leads me to the large sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. As we step outside, I realize how hard the snow is coming down now. I might not even be able to drive in this. The ground already has a few inches of fresh snow.

There’s a covered patio with a hot tub under it, but he leads me past that to the far side of the backyard, just at the edge of the small hill the property sits atop. I have a feeling I know where he’s taking me.

He stops at the fire pit, which looks exactly the same as it did almost ten years ago, except it’s covered in snow. It’s dark now, but I can make out its familiar shape, even with the porch lights barely illuminating it. The fire pit is the same, surrounded by the same circular pattern of chairs and the same scenery. I’m sure the chairs have been updated after years of wear from the harsh weather, but I can’t tell for sure since they’re all covered in a thick coating of snow. I can’t see too far in the distance because of the heavy snow coming down, but I’m sure if it were a clear day I’d be able to see the old cabin my family stayed in so many years ago. Across from where we stand is the spot Liam and I sat all night, talking and kissing until dawn.

“It’s…a fire pit?”

Liam looks defeated. Perplexed even.

“You…you really don’t remember at all?” he trails off.

I turn and stare at him, my mouth hanging open slightly. A million questions race through my mind. He…remembers? Why didn’t he say anything? When did he realize?

“You remember?” I ask. His eyes flash with something I can’t place. “Why haven’t you said anything?” I say, the hurt and surprise evident in my voice.

“I…don’t know,” he shrugs, shaking his head. His eyelashes are dusted with snowflakes.

“And Dex…he must know. Is that why he showed up on our date, laughing? Is it just a big joke to you guys?”

“No…what?” he replies, hurt sounding in his voice. “You haven’t said anything either. Why?”

“I didn’t think you remembered me…I didn’t want to be embarrassed if I brought it up and you had no idea what I was talking about…if you didn’t remember me at all. I understand why you wouldn’t. It was one day, and it’s been years…”

He grabs my hand and quickly leads me back inside, where he shakes his hair out with his hand. We’re covered in snowflakes that are quickly melting.

I cross my arms and bask in the warmth. I hadn’t realized how much snowfall had come down on us in those few minutes out there. He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him.

“I recognized you within ten seconds of seeing you,” he urges. “I don’t know why I didn’t say anything at first. Probably for the same reasons that you didn’t. And now that we’ve been spending a lot of time together…I didn’t…I didn’t know how to bring it up at this point.”

“The coffee?” I ask.

“Yes. I’ve been drinking it black since. I remember everything,” he pauses. “Everything.”

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