Page 84 of Snowbound with the Santas

“I’m sorry to wake you.”

“How—” Dryness pulls painfully at my throat, and I screw up my eyes, coughing. When I open them, Archer has a cup of water in front of my face. I take it and drink deeply for a few minutes. “How long was I asleep?”

Archer shrugs. “Maybe ten hours?”

“Ten hours!” Heat flushes through me from head to toe. “And you didn’t wake me?”

“We didn’t want to. Seemed like you needed the rest,” Archer replies. “We would have let you sleep until you woke naturally, but we have to go.”

“Go?” Instantly, the burning heat inside me turns to an ice-cold chill. “Where?”

“The ski lodge.”

Oh, no.

My stomach drops and my head spins slightly. This is it. I’m being taken back there to face the music. My fear must be written all over my face because Archer moves his hand to my knee.

“Nick’s ex-wife has turned up,” he says. “And it makes no sense why she’s even here, but she’s been waiting since just before Christmas, and he can’t let her wait any longer.”

Amanda is here? My mouth falls open slightly as I try to think up a reason she, of all people, would suddenly be making an appearance.

Archer pats my knee and stands. “We leave in thirty.”

“Can’t I stay here?” I ask, my voice trembling despite how hard I try to avoid it.

“I know you’d like to.” Archer pauses at the door. “But if we come down the mountain without you, it will look…” He sucks in air through his clenched teeth. “I’m sorry.”

I nod slowly. Archer closes the door as he leaves, and I slump back into the damp pillows.

Shit.

Everything I’ve been avoiding is suddenly very much at the forefront of my mind. I have to go and face Ashton. My mom and Uncle Cecil. All those people who have likely been churning the gossip mill. The only silver lining is that I might get a chance to call Nina.

Right now, she feels like my rock in a storm if I can just get through to her.

I dress quickly and drag a comb through my hair, trying to look presentable. In the mirror, I’m a far cry from the glitzy princess who fled that party all those weeks ago. Sure, I look healthier. My cheeks are fuller and rosier, too. My skin is glowing, and the dark shadows under my eyes are long gone.

I look and feel like a different person.

Going back is a nightmare and one I can’t avoid.

I take a deep breath and head out into the cabin. Luckily, everyone is in a hurry to pack up so no one stops to question me. Frankie presses a sandwich into my hand and Nick flashes me a stressed smile, but all in all, it’s all hands on deck until we get into the Jeep.

Archer drives. Apparently, he’s the most trusted driver when it comes to driving in the snow. Nick lingers in the cabin, checking that the fire is out for the umpteenth time before he comes running out and jumps into the truck.

“Alright,” he sighs, slumping in his seat. “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure?” Archer asks.

“Yeah. I dumped snow in the fireplace, so if we come back and this place is burned down, it’s definitely arson.”

“Alright.” The truck rumbles to life, and Archer sets us off on the trail down the mountain.

Silence lingers for around twenty minutes before Frankie clears his throat.

“Rayne?”

Here it comes. Thethanks for hanging around, but uh, fuck offtalk. I played it over in my head when washing up, and the ball of nerves in my gut has grown through every second of this long, drawn-out silence.

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