Page 112 of Wilder

As the day neared its end, Hudson wrapped up the silent auction. From the sounds of things, people had been generous with their bids. Lexi had never heard of a silent auction, and from the bids Hudson read out, it seemed that people were actually willing to pay more than what the item was worth. Significantly more.

It would have driven her dad mad. He always harped on about value for money. The last thing he’d have done would have been to bid more for something than it was worth. Although, if it would have made him look good, he might have considered it. Plus, he would have liked to look like he had money to spare.

Lexi hated when thoughts of her father crept into her mind. She wanted to get to the point where she didn’t think about him at all, but something told her that wasn’t ever going to happen.

Once it was only the volunteers left—which was made up significantly of the Halverson family—Alexander announced that he’d arranged for a meal to be served in one of the small convention halls at the hotel. With so many people helping out, it didn’t take long before the rink was back to how it normally was, and people began to make their way to the hotel.

Charli and Blake had left earlier, but the girls were still there, apparently riding with Wilder. They’d wanted to keep their elf costumes on, but Wilder and Lexi had both changed out of their outfits.

“Want to ride with us to the hotel?” Wilder asked as he and the girls pulled on their jackets.

“I have my car,” she reminded him.

“I can drop you back by here after we’re done.”

It seemed senseless for him to have to come back by the rink later when she could just take her car right then. However, it didn’t stop her from accepting his offer.

After the rink was locked up, they piled into Wilder’s car, with the girls getting into the back seat. It only took a few minutes to get to the hotel, where Wilder pulled around to the front door to let her and the girls out before going to find a parking spot.

“Are we waiting for him?” Layla asked.

“I want to look at the decorations,” Amelia said.

“Why don’t we do that while we wait for him to come back?” Lexi suggested.

The hotel lobby had been decked out with huge Christmas trees, and festive greenery covered every surface and hung in swags above the windows. Warm white lights twinkled from amongst the branches. The large stone fireplace was blazing, spilling warmth and the scent of burning wood out into the space.

The girls were exploring the trees, each of which had a different theme, though the color schemes were all the same. It was a very beautiful space. The people who’d been hired to decorate the resort had done a great job.

She’d already seen that in the decorating at the rink, but they had gone over and above in the hotel. It was beautiful.

Wilder appeared as she and the girls were looking at a tree with lots of red bows and pinecones on it. He smiled at her. “They did a great job in here, didn’t they?”

“They really did.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Wilder said. “Let’s go eat.”

As they walked to the room where they were to eat, Lexi realized she should have just gone home. After a day of not training, she really shouldn’t be eating anything but her meal prep.

However, it was too late to back out now. If she did, it would mean Wilder would have to take her back to her car, and she wasn’t about to ask that of him.

Hopefully, there was some food there she could eat. If worse came to worst, she’d eat just a little, and then have her meal prep when she got home.

When they reached the room, Lexi saw a couple of long tables set up, along with a buffet. Wilder guided her to one of the tables where Kayleigh, Hudson, and Alexander stood.

“That was truly wonderful,” Alexander said when he spotted them. “You two were the perfect Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Did you have fun?”

“I always have fun,” Wilder said with a grin. “How about you, Lexi?”

“I had fun too. It was one of the least stressful programs I’ve ever skated.”

“I’d like to talk to you more about your programs,” Alexander said, then tipped his head toward the buffet. “Let’s get some food first.”

As they made their way through the buffet, most of the guys piled food on their plates, while the women took a little less. Lexi focused on protein and complex carbs, which, of the food there, included a grilled chicken breast, mixed vegetables, and a salad. She skipped the desserts altogether.

Back at the table, she set her plate on the table, then sat down, glad to be off her feet. When Alexander settled into thechair across from her, she was grateful that Wilder took the seat beside her. She’d already come to appreciate how comfortable he made situations and conversations that she found a little stressful.

And when a man of Alexander’s stature wanted to talk to her, she was glad to have Wilder nearby. Thankfully, Kayleigh and Hudson joined them as well.

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