Page 1 of The Proximity Effect

Chapter 1

X-Rated Kite

Tessa

This was not how I’d imagined starting my honeymoon.

Then again, I also hadn’t imagined starting it alone, so clearly the universe and I weren’t on speaking terms anymore.

I glared at my rental car, now sitting uselessly at the entrance to Sterling Pines Resort’s driveway, its wheels pathetically stuck in the snow. The entrance had been hard to see, and when I turned, I hadn’t realized the thin layer of snow on the shoulder was enough to trap me.

The same snow that was currently seeping into my completely impractical ballet flats as I stood there contemplating my life choices.

“It’s fine,” I muttered to myself, watching my breath puff out in the frigid air. “This is fine. Everything is fine.”

It was not, in fact, fine.

I checked my phone again—still no service. Because of course not. Why would there be cell service when I was stranded inthe mountains at dusk? That would be far too convenient, and convenience had apparently filed for divorce from my life right around the same time my ex-fiancé Declan had decided that spending forever with me wasn’t quite what he had in mind.

On Christmas Day.

While I was literally glazing the ham.

A snowflake landed on my nose, and I fought the urge to scream. Instead, I grabbed the handle of my rose-gold luggage and started the half-mile trek up the resort driveway.

In ballet flats.

In the snow.

While wearing a cute traveling outfit that consisted of skinny jeans, a silk blouse, and a light cardigan because I’d planned on being shuttled directly from the airport to the resort in their luxury transportation service that, surprise, surprise, was “temporarily suspended due to budget constraints.”

The wheels of my suitcases caught on every single pebble, making sounds like a dying whale having an asthma attack. My larger suitcase, which I was dragging behind me with my other hand, wasn’t doing much better.

“I am a strong, independent woman,” I chanted, hiking up the increasingly steep road. “I don’t need a man. I don’t need a shuttle. I don’t need feeling in my toes.”

The snow started falling harder because timing is everything when the universe decides to kick you while you’re down. A gust of wind whipped my cardigan around, and I seriously contemplated whether hypothermia was preferable to this walk of shame.

When I’d booked the honeymoon package, the website failed to mention that Sterling Pines Resort was actually Sterling Pines Resort: The Everest Experience.

My silk blouse was now completely soaked through, and I was pretty sure my mascara was running down my face in whatI hoped was a sexy-vampire way but probably looked more like a raccoon caught in a rainstorm situation.

Another gust of wind nearly knocked me over, and my carry-on chose that exact moment to hit a rock and flip onto its side, sending my carefully packed personal item that had been on top and the belongings inside it onto the ground.

“Oh, come on!” I shouted at the sky, watching in horror as my favorite lacy thong got caught by the wind and flew majestically through the air like an X-rated kite. It landed gracefully on a pine branch out of reach.

Standing there, surrounded by my scattered belongings, with my underwear decorating the local flora like a deranged Christmas ornament, I had to laugh. Because if I didn’t, I’d cry, and I’d already done enough crying over the past month to fill the lake I could see glinting through the trees.

“You wanted a less adventurous woman, right, Declan?” I called out to no one, shoving my stuff back into my bag. “Well, look at me now! Joke’s on you! I’m practically Bear Grylls! Where’s my Emmy Award?”

As if in response, my foot slid on a slick part of the road, and I grabbed onto my suitcase to keep from falling, which only resulted in both of us sliding a few feet back down the hill.

Perfect. Just perfect.

Getting to my feet, I squared my shoulders and looked up at the sky, silently daring it to throw something worse at me. What else could possibly go wrong? My ex-fiancé had already dumped me, my underwear was now a tree ornament, and I was pretty sure my favorite ballet flats were completely ruined.

The universe had already taken its best shot, right? At least that’s what I told myself as I tried to channel the confidence of a woman who hadn’t face-planted in front of absolutely no one.

The crunch of tires on snow made me whirl around, nearly losing my balance again as a sleek black SUV rounded the bend.I scrambled to the side of the driveway, dragging my luggage with all the grace of a drunk penguin.

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