Page 10 of Faking It with the Ice Queen

“Grace.” Elara’s tone was soft but firm. “It’s fine. Get back in bed.”

Cheeks burning, Grace climbed back onto the mattress, careful not to disturb Elara’s side. This time, she stayed away from the edge, though she still kept a safe distance, doing her best not to touch her.

As she lay there, she folded her arms around herself again, breathing slowly to calm her racing thoughts. She stared up at the ceiling, listening to Elara’s soft breathing beside her.

The bed felt too big, too small, too intimate, and too cold all at once. And though she tried to shrink into herself, she couldn’t help but be hyperaware of every tiny movement on the other side of the bed.

After a while, Elara shifted but didn’t say anything. Grace’s heart thudded in the silence, the distance between them somehow heavier than words.

5

Elara woke up slowly to the soft warmth of the sunrise peeking through the open curtains. She had never been one to sleep in, having risen with the sun for most of her life. She slowly blinked into consciousness, feeling warm and cozy. In fact, she wastoowarm and cozy. That’s when the events of last night came rushing back.Grace.

That warm, cozy feeling? That was Grace’s body heat seeping through the blankets and the pressure of her hand draped across Elara’s arm. She could hear Grace’s soft breathing, slow and steady as if in the deepest of sleep. Elara knew she should try to get out of bed before Grace woke up, but she hesitated for just a moment. She couldn’t explain it, but she just did not want to disturb Grace’s sleep.

Sighing, Elara decided to first slowly roll onto her back, providing her first glance at Grace asleep. Her usually wild light brown hair was now twisted around Grace’s face, with pieces sticking in her gaping mouth, drool dripping onto the pillow. At some point in the night, Grace turned onto her stomach and splayed her limbs out wide, explaining how Elara was now beneath her left hand.

That ridiculous, fuzzy sweater had ridden up high, displaying nearly all of Grace’s spine. Everything about Grace screamed chaos, and yet she couldn’t help the tiny laugh that escaped her lips at Grace’s display. She should find the drooling mess appalling, but something about it was endearing. Realizing she was staring, Elara quickly tried to sneak out of bed before Grace could wake up.

Unfortunately, at Elara’s sudden movement, Grace’s eyes flew open. Elara felt frozen beneath Grace’s confused stare, locked beneath her hazel gaze. Grace snatched her hand back and scrambled to sit up.

“I’msosorry, Elara. I didn’t mean to… I wasn’t aware… I…”

Seeing Grace stammer through an attempted apology broke something in Elara. She suddenly didn’t like the idea of Grace being so uncomfortable around her.

“Grace, stop. It’s fine. People move in their sleep.”

As Grace nodded, Elara caught sight of the mess behind her—the lamp.The poor thing was shattered beyond repair.

Noticing Elara’s gaze shift, Grace turned to the broken lamp. Remembering the destruction from last night, Grace’s face fell. Groaning she pulled her knees to her chest, drawing her head down to become as small as possible. That little something that broke in Elara began to ache.

Before Grace could continue to agonize, Elara stood. “It’s just a lamp. I own the entire resort. One lamp is not the end of the world.”

Grace looked up with watery eyes, clearly on the verge of tears. “Really?”

Attempting to break the tension, Elara scoffed and replied, “Yes, really. I probably own thousands of identical lamps. I will call housekeeping right now to have them come sweep up this mess. Just…for the love of god, do not step on the glass. That’s the last thing we need today.”

The tears no longer welled up in Grace’s eyes as she crawled across the bed to stand on Elara’s side.

Taking a deep breath, Grace replied, “Right. It’s time to get this party started. What’s the plan?”

Relieved to no longer be on the edge of some disaster, Elara detailed what came next.

“Guests will begin to arrive by 10 a.m. We will be greeting everyone at the welcome luncheon, which is at 11:30. It’s still early, so you have plenty of time to get ready.

“Remember our discussion yesterday. Optics, image—these are everything to my family. If you want to leave a good first impression with any of the Silvers, you will need to look the part.

“I advise that for today you wear one of the neutral suits to the luncheon. Your hair should be neat and makeup minimal.”

As Elara laid out instructions for the day, the light in Grace’s eyes dimmed. Although she did not argue with Elara, Grace’s body language screamed discomfort and irritation. Elara almost began to feel bad for the intense instructions.Almost. Mostly, she was panicking about whether or not they would be able to pull this off. Stifling her guilt, Elara straightened and continued, “My family members are not the only guests expected this week. My father has invited some key investors and executives along as a chance to foster possible new deals. If you hear any business discussed, youcannotrepeat that information.

“When speaking with any of these guests, I advise you to avoid the topics of politics or the economy. Enough of these guests are…passionateabout debating the state of the economy and political climate. Your personal views on these matters need to appear vague and neutral if they do insist on bringing it up.

“My family also expects a certain level of respect to be shown toward them, especially my parents.”

At the mention of her parents, Grace perked up.

“Your parents, what are their names? What are they like? Are you close with them?”

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