Unexpected Gifts (4 page)

After Andi had disappeared to his room, Colin, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do next, decided to go over to the main building to explore a bit. He'd only been gone an hour when he went back to see if she'd like to have dinner with him. But she was gone, so he went back to the Lodge hoping to find her. It was probably a bit on the desperate side, and completely out of character for him to chase after a woman, but there was something about her. 

Trying not to look like he was waiting for someone, Colin chose a large wingback chair close to the fire, that had a perfect view of the main doors. He flicked through a magazine, but didn't bother glancing at it. The Lodge was busy with people coming and going in different directions, no doubt to one of the many events or activities offered. Colin had picked up a schedule and chatted with Carmen earlier, who, as it turned out, was also the social director. Rose had been right, from a quick look at everything they had planned for the week, Castle Mountain Lodge was the perfect place to enjoy Christmas. There was everything from gingerbread house building to sleigh rides. Colin looked closely at the itinerary for that one. He could imagine that snuggling up to Andi, under a warm blanket, while riding through the pines, would be the perfect way to spend an evening. 

One step at a time, he reminded himself. First he'd have to find her. He sighed, tossed the magazine aside and stood. Stretching his arms over his head, he turned and looked out the window. Before he could berate himself yet again for his poor decision to leave Andi alone, he caught a glimpse through the window of a woman who looked a lot like her. She was bundled up against the weather, but he knew. It was her.

Colin moved across the main room quickly and reached the side door at the exact moment Andi opened it. A blast of winter air preceded her. 

"Andi," he said. "I was wondering where you went."

Did he really just say that? Colin inwardly cringed at his eagerness.

"Oh, hi." She looked up at him. Her face was flushed from the cold, crystals of ice formed on her eyelashes and the very tip of her nose was red. He surprised himself by wanting to bend and kiss it, to feel the coolness on his lips. 

But something was wrong. She looked distracted or upset. He couldn't tell which. Female emotions had never been his strong suit. "Are you okay?" By instinct he took her arm and led her towards a group of chairs. She went willingly, but shook her head in protest. 

"No," she said. "I mean, yes. I'm fine. Nothing happened. I went for a walk to get some fresh air, and I probably just stayed outside a little too long." She pulled the knit cap off her head and fluffed out her hair. "It's beautiful out there," she said. When Andi looked up again, any trace of sadness there might have been, was gone.

"I don't know about beautiful," he said. "But definitely cold. Can I buy you a hot drink to warm up?"

She smiled and unzipped her thick coat. "I think I'd like that, thank you." 

Together they walked down the long, open hallway that led away from the main room. There was a variety of gift shops lining one side of the corridor. Each shop held the usual t-shirts and coffee mugs emblazoned with pictures of the Canadian Rockies or wild animals. Things Colin used to find cheesy and tacky, but after being gone for so long, he could appreciate why visitors wanted to take a bit of Canada home with them.

They walked until they reached a lounge. "I know there are a few more choices in the village, but this looks nice," Colin said.

"I don't want to go outside again, if it's all the same to you." 

"Here it is, then." Colin led them into the dim room and to a table near the fireplace.  

After the waitress took their orders - a hot chocolate with Baileys for her, a beer for him, they settled into their chairs and looked at each other. 

"Why does this feel like a first date?" Andi asked after a moment. She laughed, but Colin couldn't help wishing it was a first date. Or any date at all. 

"You think so?" 

"Well," she said with a smile. "I guess we've moved past the whole first date stage. Since we're staying together and all." 

She tried to look confident, but Colin noticed her look away and she wouldn't meet his gaze. Could she be nervous about their arrangement? 

Lord knows he was, but only because of the intense attraction he had for her from the moment he met her. And something told him she wasn't like the women he usually hooked up with.

"Well," he said. "Then we should probably ask each other those awkward first date type questions. Don't you think?"

She looked up at him and Colin was rewarded with another smile. She relaxed into her chair and said, "Why not? Let me start."

"Absolutely, ladies first."

"I think the obvious question is, why are you here by yourself?" 

So, she wasn't going to pull any punches, Colin thought. 

"I mean, it's Christmas," Andi continued. "Why would you come to the mountains alone? Don't you have family?"

"Don't you?"

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. The smile faded. "It's your turn," she said. "Besides we already talked about my family."

"Okay," he said. "I came to Castle Mountain because I was told it the best place around to experience everything the holidays has to offer. I wanted it all. The whole Christmas experience."

"You haven't had it?" 

"Not since I was a kid," Colin said truthfully. "I've missed it."

"Well, I think the whole holiday thing is for kids anyway." Andi said, her voice laced with bitterness. "I didn't realize there would be so many families up here. Shouldn't they all be at home wrapping gifts and decorating trees and all that?" 

Before Colin could ask her what she had against Christmas, or families for that matter, the waitress arrived with their drinks. She placed a large mug of hot chocolate topped with a mountain of whip cream and a cherry in front of Andi. A bottle of beer in front of him. When she left, the tension in the air had dissipated a little. 

"You know I'm going to ask why you're here," he said.

"I told you earlier, my party planning company was offered a promo invitation. We've been wanting to check out the Lodge for awhile. It's a great spot for weddings and large company functions and -"

"You thought Christmas would be the best time to conduct your research?"

"I did." She pulled her mug toward her and plucked the cherry from the top of her drink. 

"You didn't want to spend it with your family? Those step brothers you mentioned earlier?"

She sucked the cherry into her mouth, licking it clean while she considered the question. Colin had to look away. 

"More like they didn't want to spend it with me," she said. Her voice was so soft and vulnerable, Colin looked back. The air of confidence she'd worn earlier was gone, but she didn't look sad either. "Eva, my business partner, didn't need me at work, so here I am."

Her quiet acceptance of her situation drew him, but he knew there was more to it. Colin couldn't remember the last time he'd met a woman as interesting as Andi. She was a mystery, one that he was looking forward to unravelling. He watched her for a minute while she sipped at her drink. When she looked up again, there was a thin line of whip cream over her mouth.

"Well, Andi. So far, I know that you don't think much of Christmas," he said and leaned forward in his chair. "I also know that I plan to change that this week, because now that you've met me, you're no longer going to be alone for the holidays." He reached out with his finger and with a gentle touch, wiped the cream off her lip. 

It was a bold move, something he wouldn't normally do. But he also wasn't normally faced with such an unusual circumstance. Instinct told him bold was necessary, the intensity and heat behind Andi's gaze, told him he was right. 

Chapter Five

December 23

The morning dawned bright and clear. Andi stretched in her bed, rolled over and looked out the large picture window. The view was magnificent. The snow from the night before blanketed the trees, sparkling like gemstones in the morning sun.

Andi could have laid there, wrapped in her down comforter all morning, and was contemplating how to get a cup of coffee without actually moving, when there was a knock at the door. 

"Good morning," Colin said. "Are you awake?"

"I am. You can come in."

The door opened a crack. "I don't want to bug you." 

"You kind of already did," Andi said and laughed. She hauled herself up to a sitting position and let her blankets fall. A moment too late, she realized she was wearing her faded Bugs Bunny t-shirt, her sleepwear of choice since Blaine had left. 

Colin moved slowly, like he was unsure if he should even be in her bedroom. His sandy hair was still damp, and he smelled fresh, yet musky in that way men did when they had just stepped out of the shower. He held a mug of coffee in his hand. 

"I wasn't sure how you took it, so I guessed," he said and handed it to her. 

Andi wrapped her hands around the mug and inhaled the rich aroma deeply. "Am I still dreaming?" 

"Why do you say that?" 

"I think you read my mind." She took a tentative sip. "Sugar," she said. "No cream." She looked at Colin who was grinning like he'd just won the lottery. 

"Like I said, I guessed. Did I get it right?"

Andi took another sip and said, "Close. I like it a little sweeter. But really close, thank you."

What were the odds he knew how she liked her coffee? Andi didn't even think Blaine had known how she took it, and they'd shared more than one cup together in the past. 

Banishing thoughts of her ex, she said to Colin, "I was just laying here thinking how much I'd love a coffee while I enjoyed the view and then you showed up. Are you a mind reader?"

Colin laughed and gestured to the corner of the bed. "May I?" he asked. 

When she nodded, he sat down opposite from where she lay. It was a king sized bed, and he was quite far away, but his proximity sent shivers through her body. 

"This is weird, isn't it?" Colin said. 

"Being here in the villa with you? Or the fact that you're sitting on my bed while I'm wearing the lamest pajamas ever?" 

"Both, I guess." He laughed. "And I like your pajamas, but I must admit, I'm a closet Bugs Bunny fan."

Andi smiled. "It's not weird. At least not anymore," she said and meant it. 

Of course she did still think the circumstances of their accommodations were less than normal. And the fact that she was going to spend the holiday season with a guy she just met, was also not typical. But after talking over drinks and dinner well into the wee hours the night before, she felt okay with it all. Better than okay. She liked the idea. And she liked Colin. He was genuinely funny and kind. He made her laugh over stories of his childhood growing up in Sparwood, a small town in the mountains, and told her all about how he'd spent the last few years working and traveling in the Caribbean installing alarm systems for his own company, which explained the amazing tan in the middle of winter. It also explained how he could afford an entire villa to himself.

"Well, I'm glad," he said, bringing her back to the conversation. "Because I have plans for today. That is, assuming you don't have anything else to do."

"Turns out my calendar is totally open."

"Good," Colin said. "Because I've been thinking about what you said last night. About not liking Christmas." 

The smile faded from her face. 

"It's not that I don't like Christmas," she said warily. 

"You said it was for kids. But after the next few days, I plan to show you that Christmas can be just as much fun, if not more so, for adults too."

"I don't know, Colin."

"You said yourself you had nothing to do today," Colin said with a grin. "So get ready, we need to leave in an hour."

Before she could think of a valid argument, her cell phone rang. Taking the opportunity she grabbed it off the nightstand and glanced at the caller ID. "It's my mom," she said to Colin. "I should take it."

"I'll wait outside," he said and stood. "Remember, one hour."

"Don't count on it," she said, but he was already gone.

Andi sighed and clicked on her phone.

"Hi, mom."

"Andi." Her mother's voice came on the line. The connection crackled and there was an echo. She must have found a pay phone somewhere. "Merry Christmas, sweetie."

"Thanks. Where are you?" 

"We're in the cutest little town on the coast of Costa Rica. Just here for the day though, the ship sails at five."

"It sounds lovely," Andi said. "And hot." 

"I just wanted to see how you're holding up today. It's Blaine's party tonight, isn't it?" 

Leave it to her mom to remember the details. Of course last year, she'd attended the party as well. After all, they were all practically family. 

"I guess it is today," Andi said. She'd managed to put it out of her head. 

"It'll be okay, sweetie. I promise. At least you'll be with your father and his new family for Christmas." Andi couldn't bring herself to tell her mother the truth. There was no point in having her worry about her during the holidays. "Make sure you give those adorable boys a hug for me. Whatever I have to say about their dad, they are sweet kids."

"Yes they are," Andi agreed. 

For the next few minutes, she half listened while her mom described the villages they'd visited and the snorkeling trip Val had talked her into. Andi looked around her room, at the snowy scenery outside. Her thoughts drifted to Colin.

What was the harm? She thought. Why not spend the day with him? It's not like she had anything else to do. Besides, it would beat sitting in her room with the overwhelming sensation of loneliness pressing down on her. 

"Mom," Andi interrupted her mother's description of the beach. "I'm sorry but I have to run."