He parked next to the huge, gorgeous lodge and lifted their clasped hands to his lips, brushing his mouth over her knuckles. She instantly heated up. “Nope. I’m going to feed you before you put your swimsuit on, but you can keep guessing.”
The lodge was even prettier on the inside, with two story-windows and views of the valley below. The restaurant was on the back side and had views of the green mountain and ski resort. There were a few mountain bikers riding down the trails and a family and another couple in the restaurant, but it was pretty quiet.
A hostess greeted them and when she heard Reed’s name on the reservation, her smile grew. “It’s a pleasure to have you here,” she said to both of them. She led them to a quiet table next to a large window and sat them down, bringing them waters and menus.
Their waitress hustled over quickly and introduced herself as Mary. She got their drink orders and made recommendations. As she rushed away to get their drinks, she almost ran into a tall, beautiful blonde lady. They exchanged greetings and a quick hug.
The blonde walked to their table, beamed at them, and clasped her hands together, bouncing on her heels. “I’m Kari Strong. It’s wonderful to meet you, Reed and Esther.”
Reed quickly stood and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kari. Thank you so much for setting all of this up.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure, believe me.” She winked at Esther. “I just had to meet you both; get some inspiration, you see.”
Esther wasn’t sure what that meant. Inspiration for what?
Kari leaned in. “I’m a romance novelist,” she said conspiratorially.
Esther smiled, still at a loss. Did that mean she was going to write about them? What did she think she knew about them?
Kari turned back to Reed. “Everything is ready for you. Enjoy your dinner, then I’ll meet you at the spa and show you around.”
Esther grinned. A spa. Cool.
“Thank you.” Reed waved.
Kari waved both hands happily and then turned and walked away.
Reed sat back down.
“A spa?” Esther asked.
He smiled. “The opportunity to cross examine the witness has passed. Sorry.”
She laughed.
They ordered and chatted easily throughout dinner. As they finished, he left a tip, but they never brought a bill. He escorted her back outside and got their bags out of the truck. They walked a short distance to a building labeled “The Spa.”
Reed held the door for her, and they walked in. Kari sat at a desk, tapping away on a laptop. She glanced up, removed her glasses, and jumped to her feet. “Yay, you’re here! I’m so excited about this. Can I just ask one favor?”
“Sure.” Reed nodded.
“If you get married, can I come to the wedding to complete the story arc?”
Esther froze and wondered if this beautiful lady was a bit on the crazy side. But who was she to judge? Esther personally chose to hide her crazy. This lady was clearly more in touch with her crazy—she owned it.
Reed held up a hand. “Slow down a bit so we don’t scare her away.” His voice was good-natured, but also tight. He was legitimately worried about scaring Esther away. She’d been relaxed and enjoyed the evening so far.Stay in the moment and don’t stress, she begged herself. Inside, she was stressing triple time and she also could see in a beautiful script:Esther Delta-Peterson. Ah, no. Push it away.
“Oh, gotcha. Sorry.” Kari looked them over. “But I do have to say you two are both gorgeous and I can see a lot of depth and character as well. Great light in each of your eyes.” She nodded, her own blue eyes glinting mischievously. “You’re a fabulous match, for sure. You both understand it’s not about finding the perfect person. It’s about finding therightperson that you can love, grow, and sacrifice with and for.” She smiled as if she’d just given them the Holy Grail.
They both shifted uneasily. Esther liked what she’d said. Nobody was perfect, but each person could find the right fit for them and grow together with their partner. Interesting.
“I’d better stop. Let me show you the facility, then I’ll lock the front doors and you can stay as long as you want. You’ll have the facility all to yourselves. Just make sure the door shuts behind you when you leave. Liability and all that.” She waved a hand as if liability was the furthest thing from her mind. She and Esther definitely lived in different worlds. “Oh, and if you remember, shut the lights off.” She shrugged. “My husband worries about stuff like that.”
Esther wondered if this beautiful blonde had any worries. How would that be to let your husband take the worries for you? She snuck a glance at Reed as Kari walked away from them. He was straight, strong, true, and loyal. He’d be an incredible husband for some lucky girl and try to ease or take away any worries he could, shoulder the burdens of life together. He glanced at her and smiled softly, his dark eyes lit up. Esther was entranced by his dark gaze and let herself fantasize for just a moment that she was the woman Reed would love, cherish, and bear the burdens of life with. Getting lost in that fantasy almost felt like therapy, and for a brief second that stretched and stretched, she wondered if it could actually work.Esther Delta-Peterson. It wasn’t scary, but beautiful.
A door banged open.
“This is the women’s entrance … Oh!”