Page 83 of Married With Malice

We’re passing through the small town of Sleepy Rock now. There are no stunning feats of architecture and nothing about it looks trendy. The cozy downtown strip is ornamented with pretty holiday decorations. From where I sit, the town looks like a gentle, quiet place and I bet the people who live here feel proud to call it home.

Luca makes no comment as he keeps robotically driving without any hint he even notices what’s around him. A sign points the way to the shallow, snow-capped mountains where Consequences Hot Springs awaits. Sadie was full of praise about the resort. She and Cale have stayed there multiple times.

Luca’s hands grip the steering wheel and my eyes land on his pinky ring, a gold and diamond relic of yesteryear mafia days when it was a symbol of authority in the ranks. Luca wears it every day, dutifully sliding it on just as he slides on his wedding ring.

My fingers twist nervously into the puffy nylon fabric of my jacket. A local radio station plays at low volume and the announcer invites calls for a chance to win a free gift certificate for a New Year’s Eve dinner at a steakhouse.

The town is now in the rearview mirror and Luca slows down to navigate the curves in the ascending road. Though the road is clear, the surrounding wilderness is coated with more snow. The signs pointing to divergent paths with various nature trails have all been slapped with red hazard signs to indicate they are closed. It seems the resort is the only thing still open up here during the season.

“I’m sorry,” I say, startling even myself with the sudden sound of my voice. “I’m really sorry for accidentally throwing out your pen. And for calling you an asshole when it turns out I added the pepper to the cake myself. And for causing the fire that ruined Christmas. And I’m sure there’s much more but those are the first transgressions that spring to mind.”

Because he’s Luca, I expect him to fire back with some peppy banter.

He doesn’t. He stares at the road with a slight frown and speaks slowly.

“Anni, I truly regret what I told you about Matthew,” he says. “I’m very sorry for that. And for a lot of other things.”

“Was it true?”

He hesitates for a few seconds. “Yes.”

“Just so you know, I don’t care about Matthew Pentone.”

You’re the one I want. Please want me back.

The words get stuck. Blame pride or fear or the fact that we’re navigating a mountain road and the moment doesn’t feel right.

“Okay,” Luca finally says with his eyes still focused on the windshield.

I’d like to touch his arm or his knee, or just haveanythinghappen between us that can be a token of affection like I see other couples exchange without a second thought.

Instead, we both keep our hands to ourselves and sit stoically in our opposite corners as the shadowy shape of the Consequences Hot Springs Resort sharpens up ahead.

At a glance, it’s a beautiful place to ring in the new year. The atmosphere is upscale rustic and is especially picturesque with all the festive red holiday accents.

Luca waves off the porter and assumes control of all the bags with no effort. Since we did not receive a timeline attached to our exile I wasn’t sure how much to pack and brought half my closet.

Judging by the cars, the current guest presence appears to be light. We do, however, run into a trio of men dawdling by the main entrance.

Though they are all bundled up in winter gear, their heads are bare and it’s an easy conclusion that they are brothers. All three are tall, as tall as Luca, and clearly strong. The laugh lines around their eyes indicate they are comfortably in middle age and they wear the years well.

The man on the right, just a little taller and more bullish than the other two, flings a grumpy gesture at the man standing closest to the door. “You’re complaining about the cold? You’re the one who planned our trip to the tundra.”

His brother squares up with indignation. “I had a coupon!”

“You had a WHAT?”

“A coupon. For every two nights we get one free. You’re welcome.”

The man in the middle steps up. Complex tattoos peek out from the collar of his jacket and crawl up his neck. He acknowledges our approach with a friendly nod. “Boys, dial back the bickering. You’ll scare the other guests away.”

The other two men swivel their heads in our direction. The one with the coupon waves.

“Howdy there, folks. Welcome to Consequences Hot Springs. We’re mighty glad to see you.”

The big guy snorts. “Why do you sound like a freaking cowboy?”

“Manners. No wonder you don’t recognize them.” He grins at us. “Please let me know if Creed the Ogre bothers you and I’ll deal with it. We have to let him out of his cage now and then in the hopes he’ll become socialized. No luck yet.”

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