Page 100 of The Lodge

He’s kept himself hidden for eight years, I remind myself. I guess anything is possible.

I give up after ten minutes, my gut full of dread. Where is he? Why isn’t he answering? I could try Julie or River, I guess, see if they know anything. If he knows that photo is circulating, they would have been the ones to tell him.

I turn around, intending to head to the elevator, but my own door catches my eye instead: there’s an envelope taped to it. I definitely missed it on my way out.

My hands shake as I open it, as I pull out the handwritten note.

Alix,

I’m so sorry. You were the best thing to happen to me in years, and nothing in me wants this to be over. I need to go clear my head. If we don’t see each other again, I know you’ll understand why—I just hope you’ll forgive me.

Love,

T

What?

Excuse me,what?

I read it three times before it fully sinks in. Tyler isn’t simply out for a few minutes—it sounds like he doesn’t intend to come back.

On my fourth read, the wordifhits me in a new, more hopeful way:ifwe don’t see each other again.

Ifmeans there’s a chance, however small, that this isn’t the end for us. Every instinct in him might be telling him to run, to hide, to start over again—but maybe he’s trying to fight it this time. Maybe there’s a part of him, deep down, that wants to resurface.

Wishful thinking, I know. I’m not biased atall.

I have to find him—he can’t have gotten far in this snowstorm.

But if he’s not here, where is he? And how did he get out without being spotted by the paparazzi drone from earlier? If it’s not circling like a vulture already, on high alert for any sign of him, it will be soon.

I have to get to him first.

WJKS News Update: The Yeti, Jett Beckett, and More!

Trevor Jones, News Anchor, on location at Black Maple Lodge

TJ:Good afternoon, everyone—we hope you’re holding up well under the Yeti, which has already dumped as much as twenty-eight inches of snow over the last ten hours in some of the hardest-hit parts of Vermont! I’m Trevor Jones, and I’m coming to you live from Black Maple Lodge, not only to bring you a glimpse of the snow but also to catch you up on some breaking news that’s unfolding here at this very ski resort.

When we brought the team out here yesterday ahead of the storm, we never anticipated we’d be talking about anything other than the weather—but we’re hearing rumors that a certain missing pop star might have resurfaced right here at Black Maple Lodge! While we have yet to spot him with our own eyes, we thought it might be fun to chat with some locals here at the mountain to see what they have to say.

Behind me is the Village Café, where guests and staff alike go for coffee and other sweet treats here at the resort. Their lead barista, Makenna Monroe, has agreed to give us a peek inside. Let’s go take a look!

Hi, Makenna. Thanks for having us!

MM:Hi, Trevor. Happy to show you the café.

TJ:Black Maple Lodge has gotten someserioussnow today. Have you been slammed, or has the weather kept the guests away?

MM:It was pretty quiet this morning, honestly. Now that the blizzard is finally letting up a bit, though, we’re getting busier. I wanted to mention, for anyone watching who might be snowed in here at Black Maple Lodge, we have all the usual coffee shop beverages along with some Yeti specials, and—

TJ:Actually, I was wondering if you might be able to talk a little more about your experience with the guests!

MM:The… guests?

TJ:Sure! Like you said, you have all the usual coffee shop beverages, so I thought we could talk about what sets Black Maple Lodge apart.

MM:I mean, if you want to know about that, I’d probably talk about the maple candies we put out every day, or the view of the mountain. Or the Yeti specials I just mentioned. The guests are pretty great, too, though.

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