Page 46 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty

Groaning, I tip my head back against the cold window, closing my eyes. This is why I don’t do relationships. I should have told her how I felt before this all blew up in my face.

At least then there was something good between us. Something that might make it harder for her to let go.

I sit up straighter again, shifting on the cot and leaning back against the other wall. The cold seeps through the wood, but the space heater in the corner is working overtime. It’s not the best setup in the world, but it’s the one that works for tonight. It’s better than being back home in the cabin and having to look at Mia, knowing I disappointed her.

I glance out the window and see a shadowy figure stomping through the snow.

The form is small and slightly hidden in shadow. It’s only once the figure steps into the light shining outside the station that I can see Mia. There’s a determination on her face and a look in her eyes that I don’t dare mess with. It looks like she’s gonna set the world on fire if she doesn’t get what she wants.

It’s probably wrong to be turned on by that, but even if we are at odds right now, I’m still insanely attracted to her.

Maybe if I pretend that I don’t know she’s here, she’ll go away.

It’s childish. Ridiculous, really. I should go down there and talk to her. I should tell her that I saw the letter, tell her that I don’t want to hold her back. I could tell her that I’m afraid of her leaving. Or that I’m afraid of being alone. Hell, I could eventell her that the thing that terrifies me most in this moment is leaving this resort knowing what I had with her and worrying that I’ll never find it with anybody else again.

And I know I wouldn’t. It would be impossible. Someone like her comes around once in a lifetime.

But just because someone like her only comes around during that one moment in your life when you need them the most — just for a fleeting passage of time — doesn’t mean that they’re there to stay. Maybe Mia was never meant to stay with me.

Her boots pound against the steps as she climbs up to the station. There isn’t even a knock at the door before it flies open, and she steps inside. Honey springs up from her nap and dashes across the small space, burying her big head against Mia’s thighs. Mia smiles and runs her fingers through Honey’s fur.

“Hi, girl,” Mia says, crouching down and scratching Honey behind the ears, laughing as Honey slobbers all over her. “I’ve missed you too.”

Guilt hits me like a punch to the gut. I’m wondering how I deprived them of each other for the day. Or what will happen when we’ve gone our separate ways and they don’t see each other again. Even though she’s always been a friendly dog, I don’t think I’ve seen Honey take to anyone the way she’s taken to Mia.

I run a hand through my hair. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I thought about what you said back at the cabin.” Mia stands up and looks at me, hurt in her eyes, but there’s a hard set to her jaw. “Thought about it, and I decided that it’s bullshit.”

My shoulders slump. “I don’t know if I have the energy to continue with this argument.” To continue pretending that I don’t love her. That I haven’t fallen for her or that we can make it to the end of the season and beyond.

Mia arches an eyebrow, her arms crossing under her chest. She stands taller, her chin tilting up. “That’s it? You’ve got nothing to say about any of this?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say about it.”

“I want you to tell me what the hell is going on in your head, Aiden.” Her voice wavers, a slight quiver to her bottom lip. “I want to know why you keep pushing me away.”

“What’s going on in my head right now is that there are two weeks left of the season, and then I move on with my life and you move on with yours.” My tongue darts out to wet my bottom lip as I try to force the appropriate tone in my voice.

All I want to do is crawl back onto that cot and shut down for the night. I could pretend that this isn’t happening right now — that I can hide away from my life. It’s what I used to do when I was in foster care. It doesn’t work as an adult, but the idea is appealing nonetheless. She’s looking at me like she doesn’t know who I am, what she wants, or what I should be doing right now.

“Why don’t you just leave?” I ask her, forcing words out through gritted teeth. It feels like I’m ripping out a piece of myself when I say that to her.

Mia looks at me like I just told her I hate her. Her lips press into a thin line, and she gives a single nod before spinning on her heel. She pauses and turns around long enough to say goodbye to Honey before stepping out the door and shutting it behind her.

I go to the window and watch her leave, my heart hammering in my chest, crushing against my ribs. There is a deep pit in the bottom of my stomach.

What the hell did I just do?

Ryder hums to himself as he carries two omelets to our table, setting one down in front of me. “Made this just for you. Made sure to put an extra bad attitude in it.”

“How do you put an attitude in eggs?” I grab the bottle of hot sauce in the middle of the table, pouring out a healthy amount. “Thanks for this, though.”

“Well, I think about the way that you and Mia have been storming around and avoiding each other for the last week. Putting it into the omelet involves violently breaking eggs against the counter. You might find some shell in yours.”

The corner of my mouth twitches as I stab my eggs, scooping up a forkful. “I heard a little crunch is probably a good thing.”

Ryder smirks and cuts off a bite of his own omelet, sticking it in his mouth. The silence stretches between us for a moment before he swallows hard and reaches for his coffee, mixing in some cream and sugar. “I’m going to tell you all that I know about women. It’s not a whole lot, but I think that you would like to know something — well, at least if you want to fix this with Mia. And based on the fact that you’re still here and aren’t running for the hills to your next rescue gig, I’m thinking that you do want to fix it with her.”

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