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He shrugged. “Nevermind. I have four guest bedrooms; take your pick.”

“Thank you,” I said as I dried off the dishes.

“You can just let them dry in the rack; that’s what it’s for.”

I shook my head, avoiding his gaze as I put a dry plate away. “Creates spots. This is the best way.”

“Alright, then.”

He reached around me to grab a towel, his body brushing against my back. I cleared my throat and glanced down at my chest, thankful I was in a sweater that didn’t show my hardened nipples. Mentally, I was doing a good job at accepting the fact that I was now alone, but my body wasn’t handling it so well.

My sex life with Reggie was lackluster at best, but it was still good enough. Maybe I didn’t want Derek to just be a Good Samaritan, after all. I thought of myself as a morally upright person, but my body still had…
needs
. How I was going to handle single life, I didn’t know.

Reggie and I had become less and less intimate in the months leading up to what was supposed to be our big day. As my pounds stayed on, I could tell he was less attracted to me, and I started to get used to the lack of intimacy. But it didn’t bother me too much, because if I were ever feeling randy, he was there for me.

Being single, my body was in a panic, nerves on end because I had no idea when I was going to get in a relationship again and be able to satisfy my needs. With my social skills and high demands, probably never.

I wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman, but being trapped in a cabin with a stranger was a little sexy. Of course, I’d never stoop so low, but the fantasy was enough to stir my loins.

But I had to maintain my composure. Just because I was away from home didn’t mean I could act out of character even more than I already was. Derek’s presence was the reason for my unusually impure thoughts; it was time to get away from him.

With the dishes done, I turned to him as he wiped the counters. “Looks like you have this taken care of. Goodnight.”

“You sure you don’t need something to sleep in?”

“No thanks, I’ll be fine.”

“Sleeping in a turtleneck doesn’t sound too comfortable.”

“I’ll be fine,” I repeated before heading upstairs, ignoring the rumbling in my core.

I went into the first bedroom I found and set my alarm for early morning. I frowned when I unlocked my phone. Along my list of missed calls from the usuals- my mom, my best friend, and a few worried family members- I saw I had a missed call from Reggie. With a trembling hand, I deleted the notification and curled up in bed.

Maybe I needed to call him back. If he was calling to apologize, could I forgive him? If he was calling to check on me, should I talk to him? Or what if he finally realized his mistake and wanted me back?

I was so anxious, my skin itched. I didn’t need to ease his guilty conscience by forgiving him. I didn’t need to politely listen to his excuses. And I certainly didn’t need to go back to him- although I’d still give it consideration. We’d built a life after all- a little pre-wedding cold feet wasn’t a good enough reason to throw it all away.

I sighed, my turtleneck choking me as I rolled on my side.

No. No more excuses for Reggie. How
dare
he call me, especially so close to the wedding day? He was on the beach with his mistress turned girlfriend, and I was alone in a stranger’s house. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

I heard Derek upstairs about an hour later, shuffling around in the master bedroom next to mine. Eventually, the noise faded, and then stopped. He was asleep, and I was still wide-awake, wondering if I needed to call Reggie back or not.

When I woke the next morning, he was still asleep. I looked out of the bedroom window, sighing in relief as a plow had already been down the driveway and trails. I put on my boots and coat and slipped out of the house, following the cleared path to the main road, taking it back up to my cabin.

I opened my laptop when I got back to my cabin, checking my work email account. There was a message from Reggie. I was sure there was one in my personal email as well. The subject line said, “Call Me.” I don’t know what was in the body; I deleted it before reading.

My boss didn’t know my wedding was canceled; everyone at work assumed I was off on my dream honeymoon. As expected, my boss didn’t care. I had almost ten emails from him in my inbox, asking for updates on some of my high-profile clients.

I frowned. I’d brought my work computer with me out of habit. I had no intention of ever working again. One of the perks of jumping in that lake would have been a good riddance to J. Cohen & Company.

As much as I hated my job, I was still an above average employee. I didn’t believe in doing things halfway. My goal was to excel at everything I did, and while accounting wasn’t my career of choice, I was good at it.

I wasn’t offended at my boss’s disregard for my time off because he knew me. As expected, I pulled out my files from the briefcase I carried and responded to all of his questions. By the time I finished going through my work, it was almost noon.

My job was safe. Comfortable. Among all the ruckus my life experienced over the last few days, spending my morning doing something that was a part of my normal routine was soothing.

Once done, I decided it was time to have a more Telluride-themed distraction. Time to go skiing. With the heavy snowfall, I was sure the slopes were perfect.

I took my snowsuit out of the closet, removing the price tag. It was brand new; I’d bought it just for the honeymoon. I bought Reggie a matching one; I wondered what he did with his.

I shook him out of my head, changing into the outfit. Following the signs on the trails, my skis and I made the ten-minute journey to the slopes.

I headed to the singles lift, smiling at the woman I was to head up the mountain with. A hand grabbed me just before I got on. I turned and glared at Derek.

My foot stomped involuntarily, like a frustrated child. “Stop touching me.”

He dropped away from my waist. “Come on up with me.”

“No, thank you.”

“Come on, keep me company.”

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was going to argue me into consent. “Why are you always where I am?”

He shrugged. “It’s a small town. I’m trying to enjoy my last few days here. Come on.”

Not wanting to make a scene in public, I sighed. “Fine, but let’s go on this slope.”

He smiled, his teeth brighter than the fresh snow. “Alright. So, how’s your day going?”

“Okay. I spent the first half of the day catching up on work.”

He snorted as we got on the lift. “You snuck out of my house at the crack of dawn to work on your vacation?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I just left without goodbye.”

“No, you’re not.” He rested his arm across the back of the chair; I tensed under his intimate disposition.

“I am. It felt rude, but it seemed even more impolite to wake you up. Besides, you knew I was leaving in the morning.”

He nodded. “What do you do, anyway?”

“I’m an accountant.”

He laughed loudly, but I didn’t know what was funny. “That’s such a perfect job for you; it’s almost cliché.”

My eyebrows shot up. “And why’s that?”

“A stuffy job for an uptight woman.”

I gasped, scooting away from him. “That comment was unnecessary and insulting. And I’m not uptight.”

He leaned in. “Your hair is always pulled up so tightly, I’m sure you get tension headaches. You dress like a forty-year-old soccer mom despite your body, and you wouldn’t know how to relax even if your life depended on it.”

“I know how to relax! In fact, I was planning on doing that by skiing, but
you
interrupted me.”

Thank goodness we were alone on the lift; I must’ve looked deranged with my wide eyes and loud voice.

“Yes, because you are
so
composed right now.”

I jumped off as soon as we reached the top of the mountain, almost tripping over my ski. I turned to Derek when he plopped down beside me.

“I’m going down the Black Diamond, you can go down the Blue. I don’t have any interest in continuing being in your company.”

Stuffy. Stubborn.
Uptight
. Why was I continuing to be in the presence of a man who constantly berated me? I zipped down the mountain, hoping to get onto another lift before Derek made it down; I didn’t want to see him any longer.

I was right; the snow storm created a fluffy coat of powder, and it was the ideal ski day. Zooming down a mountain of fresh powder for a few hours sounded like a perfect day- if I could get away from Derek.

As I got in the shortest line to head back up, thinking I’d successfully avoided him for a bit longer, something cracked me in the back.

I spun around, eyes narrowed as Derek stood behind me with a huge snowball in his gloved hand.

I wiped the snow off me. “What are you doing? Stop that!”

He smiled like a rebellious child and hit my front. “Told you; you’re too uptight.”

I kicked snow in his direction, groaning to the sky. “I’m sorry getting pummeled with snow isn’t my idea of fun.”

I got out of line and stormed into the cafeteria to warm up. I rolled my eyes as I looked at my phone to check the time. I had another missed call from Reggie.

My attempt at a relaxing day may have been interrupted by Derek’s intrusion, but it was ruined by Reggie’s call. I grabbed my belongings and decided to give up.

God was obviously testing me, throwing as many challenges as possible my way to make sure I was truthful about my decision to not kill myself. Forcing me to deal with nuisances to strengthen me just in case I ever got weak and allowed the morbid thoughts to flood my mind again.

Derek walked up behind me and grabbed my skis. “Leaving already? I’ll walk you back.”

I sighed, turning to face him. “Look, I think it’s time for you to leave me alone. I came on this vacation to be alone, and I’d appreciate it if you left me be.”

“No, you came on this vacation to kill yourself.”

My mouth dropped open as a passing man overheard us and turned to stare at me.

“You’re a stranger; you don’t know me, and I don’t know you. Let’s keep it that way. Like I said before, thank you… for what you’ve done for me, but I see no reason to continue our social gatherings.”

I marched away, heading to the trails that led to my cabin. I didn’t have to turn around to know he was following me. God, what was his problem?

I entered the cabin just as my phone rang again. My day was already at rock bottom, I couldn’t make it any worse by answering.

“What can I do for you, Reggie?”

5

“Shae… how have you been?”

I locked eyes with Derek, who placed our skis by the front door.

“Thinking about how I’m going to pay off my non-refundable wedding costs by myself, trying to enjoy my non-honeymoon time off, and thinking about all of the years I wasted on a man like you. Now, why do you keep calling me?”

It was harsh, but my temper was still short. In fact, it was getting shorter by the day. I just needed to be left alone- by everyone- so I could heal and get my mind back to neutral ground. Until that happened, I was going to continue to be a loose cannon.

He chuckled lightly, and I heard a female’s voice in the background.
Her
.

“What do you want, Reggie?” I yelled into the phone, my blood boiling at the sound of her voice. I cleared my throat, regaining my composure. “What is it?” I said in a calmer tone.

“Look, I’m sorry about how everything went down. I’ve been thinking long and hard over the last few days, and I realize that I went about ending things in the wrong way. And I apologize.”

“I don’t care about your apologies; is that why you called?”

“Actually, no. I um, tried to get in the house to get the rest of my things, but the locks were already changed. What time will you be home today?”

“I’m not going to be.”

“Well… when can I come by to-”

“You called so you can get your things from my house?” I asked through gritted teeth.

Derek’s brows shot up as he watched me from his position by the front door.

“Yeah. I know the timing is bad, but I actually need my passport. Danni and I are heading to Mexico on Monday.”

My heart thumped so hard, I felt like I was going to pass out.

“Well, your clothes are at the Goodwill on 41st, your electronics have been given to the neighbors, and all your important papers are in the grill in the backyard. The ashes should be cool enough for you to collect by now. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me again. Enjoy your trip.”

I hung up the phone and looked at Derek, my vision all red. “You can see yourself out.”

I grabbed my skis and took them upstairs, putting them back in the walk-in closet. I took off my ski outfit and put on a pair of black slacks, a red Ann Taylor sweater, and my favorite pearl necklace.

I inspected myself in the mirror and shook my head. I didn’t know what Derek was talking about; I didn’t look like a soccer mom. He implied my dress was ill-suited for my body. I wondered what he meant by that. I shrugged, my mind fighting to come up with something to do as I headed to the stairs.

I jumped when I went back downstairs, clutching my chest.

“You scared me! Why are you still here?”

He looked up at me from his position at the breakfast bar. “To make sure you’re okay.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t worry; I have no plans of going to the lake tonight. You can leave now. Thanks.”

He smiled, licking his lips. I was really starting to hate that. “You see, that’s
your problem.”

“I don’t have a problem.”

He stood and walked to me, approaching until his body was inches from mine. I tried to back away, but bumped into a wall. His eyes bore into mine, and I looked away.

“You can back away now.”

He laughed, and my eyes widened at his gorgeous smile. “Again,
that’s
your problem. You’re too controlling. You have to be in charge of every situation; you have to be the one to set the rules. You’ve been bossing me around since I met you.”

I folded my arms, mainly to put some space between our bodies, but I knew he could sense my skin heating up.