Page 45 of Wild Nights

My imagination was running overtime. We'd trusted each other enough to forego protection but not to tell me all the details of his life? I was conflicted because I didn't have a right to know. But the mystery was driving me crazy. Why couldn't he always stay the night? Where did he go at dinnertime?

Maybe it was because his brother was on vacation, and he was weighed down by the stress of managing the resort on his own. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt until he gave me a reason to distrust him.

Then I snuggled deeper into the sheets, breathing in his masculine scent. How would I go back to Maine and wait months to see him again? The pain in my chest spread throughout my body. As much as I tried to keep my mind on these few days with him, it was hard not to think about what came next.

Whenever I thought about going home, I felt the crush of loneliness. My family didn't need me anymore. My sister was growing up, building her own family. Mom was too. Where did that leave me?

Chapter Fourteen

OLIVER

It was getting harder to sneak out while Carolina was sleeping, but I had to get home to Joey. Maeve had school the next morning, so I couldn't stay overnight at the hotel. I'd told Maeve I was working longer hours because Eli was out of town with Scarlett. But I didn't want Joey to think he was being neglected. Last night, I'd gone home for dinner, then had Maeve come over after he went to bed so I could see Carolina again.

I'd lain awake last night, reliving every second of our night together. I didn’t want to keep Joey a secret. I wanted to tell her what was going on, that my time wasn't my own because I had Joey waiting at home for me.

But I wasn't sure how she'd react, and I wasn't ready for this thing between us to be over. She was here for two more days. Then it wouldn't matter. She'd go home, and I'd be a single dad again. There was no need for her to know.

This morning, Joey was practically bouncing off the walls because Maeve told him about a snow storm that was expected to come through tonight.

I turned on the local news for the weather report. The forecasters predicted a large storm that could close schoolsahead of the holiday break. Storms like this one stressed me out because it meant guests had trouble getting in and out. With schools closed, I had to watch him while I worked, which wasn't easy.

I wouldn't be able to spend time with Carolina because Joey would be with me, and I hadn't even told her about him. There was a possibility that it was just a regular storm and there was no reason to worry, so I told Joey to settle down and get ready for school. It wasn't supposed to arrive until tonight, so I had time. He'd at least make it to school today. I'd get everything in order at work and plan to stay the night at the lodge in case it was a big storm.

Once I got Joey to school, I packed us a bag, locked up, and headed into work. As soon as I walked into the office, my phone rang. It was Eli, probably checking on the storm.

"You heard about the storm?" I asked him instead of saying hello.

"You want me to come home?" Eli asked, his voice tight.

I rubbed my temple, which was starting to ache. "Of course not. You're on vacation. I can handle everything here."

"Are you sure? I looked at flights, and we can probably get on one this afternoon and be there before it hits."

I heard the soft murmur of Scarlett's voice in the background. No doubt she was trying to soothe him.

"You haven't been on a real vacation in years." He'd taken over the business since he was the oldest and most interested in managing the place. He deserved this break.

"If you need me, I can be there."

"Let me handle this. You've been talking about trusting the rest of us with more responsibility for years."

"Do you have help? Is Xander there?"

"He's already in the office," I lied, even though I hadn't seen him at all this morning. He usually came in late, right before his lessons started. But there weren't many this week.

"Good. That's good."

"There's nothing to worry about. We have very few guests booked this week. And none are scheduled to arrive until after Christmas."

"What about that conference? Isn't it today and tomorrow?"

I frowned, clicking through the screens to get to the resort calendar. "It is."

"You might want to send everyone home today so they have time to travel."

Carolina wasn't going to like that. It might mean less money for her and the vendors, and disappointed clients. "If that's what you think we should do."

"If it's going to be as big as they say, then I don't want the guests stuck at the lodge in a storm."

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