Page 12 of Thankful for My CEO

I bolted up in bed at the overhead light buzzing on, hardly even realizing I’d fallen asleep after Kit left the evening before. I looked at my phone. Barely 6am. That made sense if I’d fallen asleep that early.

Shivering, I got up, keeping my blanket wrapped around me for warmth. I pulled the curtains to look out the window. The sky was barely lightening at the tops of the trees, but it was already bright enough to see the aftermath of the storm the day before.

Branches littered the path to the couple of cabins I could see and stuck out from the gutters. Sprinkles of hail still glittered where it had collected, just beginning to melt.

I let out a sigh of relief. The storm was over. The power was back on. I’d be back in the city in time for dinner.

Everything was as it should be, except…

The taste of wine still lingered in my mouth. My lips tingled at the memory of those tantalizing minutes with Kit, before reality had sunk in.

Speaking of reality…

I had to get out of these damp pajamas. A shower -a hot shower -sounded amazing.

I relaxed in the steam for as long as I could, relishing in the warmth after such a freezing night. Begrudgingly, I pulled on my jeans and t-shirt from the day I had driven up. Apparently, I should have planned for the worst and packed an extra outfit or two. At least I had one dry option.

After thoroughly blow drying my hair and taking my time on my makeup, it was 7am. I heard a family with kids walking by toward the main building; the grownups sounding much more subdued than the chattering kids. They were probably heading to the continental breakfast.

Thinking of breakfast made my stomach ache. The last I’d eaten was the sandwich Kit had made me the day before.

I quickly threw all of my things back into my bags and headed toward the main building. I would check out, have a coffee, grab something for the road, and be at my mom’s by noon. Finally, the events of the last twenty-four hours would be behind me.

Like Kit and I had agreed.This had never happened.

No one was at the front desk.

I left through the main entrance and into the parking lot. My car sat there with the few others in the lot, adorned with now melting hail and plenty of pine needles. I opened the trunk and put away my bags before going back inside to the breakfast spread in the dining room. I noticed new additions today - rolls, cranberry jelly, and an array of mouth-watering pies.

A welcome reminder that today was Thanksgiving.

The family from the day before was deep into their Thanksgiving breakfast and chatting loudly. I looked past them, trying to see if there was a quiet table free near the other side of the room, when I saw Mrs. Taylor was at a table in the corner with a mug of coffee, reading another book.

When she saw me, she waved me over. I carried over a plate with a roll and some eggs, along with my own mug of coffee, and joined her.

“Good morning,” she said. She looked tired, but still had such a positive energy that I couldn’t help but match it. “Checking out?” she added, seeing my suitcase next to me. “I’ll take your key and you’re ready to go.”

“Good morning,” I replied, handing her the card. “I hope your night wasn’t too horrible.”

She shook her head. “Our handyman offered to take food and firewood to everyone. He’s such a sweetheart, from a respectable family in Larkwood. You passed through the town on your way up here. It’s the last town. I don’t know what we would have done without him. I ended up not having too much to do but stay by the fire in the staff lounge. We’re a small staff, so it was just me and Delia for most of the night. She’s the woman who helps me with cooking and cleaning.”

Again, she was giving me more details than I needed, but it made me feel like she really wanted to talk to me and wasn’t just being polite as a host.

“You stayed with Mr. Hayes, didn’t you?” she asked, and I could see a glint of curiosity in her eyes. If only she knew.

“Just for a few hours. I ate over there, but I ended up sleeping in my room,” I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Oh no! Darling, you must have been freezing.”

“It was fine,” I assured her, even though she was absolutely right. “I’m a pretty good sleeper. I had a hot shower and some dry clothes this morning, so I feel much better.”

“We really must get a backup generator or something,” she said. “I’m sure Mr. Hayes will have some ideas to make sure this doesn’t keep happening. It’s an old building, but with business picking up and the weather getting worse, it would be nice to have the peace of mind.”

I nodded while chewing on the eggs. They were delicious -the perfect balance of salty, cheesy, and savory.

“He’s such a sweetheart, buying the place from Mr. Harrison when his wife passed away and he retired. It sat on the market for so long before he came in with an offer. Mr. Hayes could see the potential in the place. He even offered above asking.”

I laughed inwardly at the idea of Kit being a “sweetheart.” It wasn’t the first descriptor I would have thought for him. But I’d had no idea that’s why he had purchased the lodge. Had he really had the best interests of this small town widower in mind?

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