“I think that should do it,” James said, stepping back with pride. “We did a good job everyone. Thank you for your help.”
“Now that this is all done, I think I will head back to bed, too.” Matt took off down the hall to his own guest room and disappeared out of sight.
“And I think I will go lay back down on the couch,” José turned towards the living room. “All that sawing has worn me out.”
“Let me walk you back to your room so you can try to go to sleep,” James offered to Nicole. “Sorry your warm milk got ruined by a tree falling on it.”
“Speaking of that, why don’t I help you clean up the remaining mess before I go to sleep. You shouldn’t have to do it by yourself.”
The two of them picked up the shattered mugs, the tree branches, and the carton of cookies. They threw away the broken items, then swept up the debris and put it in a garbage bag. James looked around the area and was fairly certain they cleaned everything up. “I think that about does it.”
“You can walk me to my room now,” Nicole said with a smile. “I feel like I can finally sleep.”
James walked her down the hall, stopping just outside the door. He leaned against it, giving her a wide grin. “You did a good job of remaining calm when your friend got hurt. You’re tougher than I first thought.”
“I’m glad to hear I surprised you,” she said as she returned his smile.
“More than you know.” James tilted his head to the side, wondering what it would be like to kiss her. They were so close right now, if he just moved a fraction closer, he could place his lips on hers and find out.
“It goes both ways, you know. I thought you were just a mean, gruff mountain man who didn’t care about anyone but himself.”
“And now?” he said, putting his hand on the side of her face.
“You’re still a gruff mountain man,” she jested with a wink, “but I realize now, there’s far more to you than just that.”
James couldn’t help himself—her lips were far too tempting. A desire to kiss her consumed him. He had to find out just how incredible they would feel against his own. He moved towards her, his body brushing against hers as his mouth drifted down.
Before their lips could touch though, Britney asked through the door. “Nicole, is that you out there making all that noise?” Then the door swung open, and James stumbled forward, nearly toppling over in the process before he righted himself.
When Britney realized what she just interrupted, her eyes rounded with embarrassment as she stammered out, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you weren’t alone.”
“It’s okay. I was just about to come to bed anyway,” Nicole said as she moved past him into the room. “Goodnight, James; I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Looking forward to it,” he said in return, as he stepped back and watched the door shut down his chances to kiss Nicole, at least for tonight. Of course, when they woke up, that would be a different story. He knew now, he was determined to get another chance.
8
Everyone slept in the following morning, so by the time they woke up, the blizzard had calmed. It hadn’t dissipated all the way yet. James told them that by the following day, it might be safe enough to travel to the resort; however, that meant that Nicole would be leaving. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
James had nearly kissed her last night, and if he had, she would have let him. The question was, what would that have meant for her? Sure, she was attracted to him, but was there any possible way it could be more than a random kiss? They came from completely different worlds, but weirder things had happened. Julia Roberts married her cameraman, and Ellen Pompeo met her husband at the grocery store. Why couldn’t she meet someone while trapped in a cabin by a blizzard?
“Are you awake?” Britney inquired from the other twin bed beside her.
“Yes, I just haven’t gotten the motivation to climb out of bed. I feel so sore from yesterday; I can’t even imagine how I’m going to feel once I get up.” Nicole rolled over and looked at her friend. “How is your arm doing?”
Britney gingerly lifted it up and moved it around. “James must have really given me some great pain relievers, because it’s only a dull throb.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Nicole stated optimistically. “I was really worried about you.”
“That’s because you’re a good friend.” Britney stood up and slipped her socks and shoes back on. “If you’re ready, I think we should head into the kitchen. I’m starving.”
“Me too, just give me a minute.” Nicole stood up and put her own shoes on, then looked in the mirror to fix her hair and makeup with the items she had in her purse.
Britney came up behind her with a knowing smile. “Getting ready for a handsome rescue officer who happens to be in the other room?”
“I’ll only admit that if you admit you’re doing the same for a certain ski patroller.”
Britney froze with her hands in her curls, realizing she was just as caught as her friend. “I guess we can agree to not mention this again until we’re both ready.”
The friends exited the room and headed down the hallway. Nicole was ready to cook breakfast, but to her surprise, James was already bringing out plates of food to the table.
“What’s all of this?” Nicole inquired with surprise.
“I was just about to come get you both. I woke up before everyone, so I decided to make biscuits and gravy. There’s also fresh fruit and scrambled eggs.”
“You sure know how to spoil a girl. I could get used to this.” As soon as she said the words, she realized it was a rather revealing comment. Her eyes met his for a split second before she let them fall to the table. She didn’t want him to think she was expecting anything to develop between them beyond her stay at the cabin.
Britney must have not noticed the awkward tension, because she leaned over the table and picked up a strawberry and popped it into her mouth. “Delicious; I can’t wait to eat.”
Matt and José joined the rest of the group around the table and they served themselves. The conversation was easy, talking about the happenings on the movie set and José’s work with the ski patrol.
“You know, your ski patrol team sounds like it could be an interesting premise for a great rom-com,” Matt noted. “I know some producers who are always looking for new ideas. I could pitch it to them. What do you think about that, Nicole? You’ve never done a rom-com in the snow before. I think your fans would love it. You’ve managed to handle yourself pretty well up here for your passion project; it’d be smart to use that experience to make some actual money.”
Nicole stiffened, hating that Matt was talking about her current movie as if it were little more than giving into a spoiled child’s whim. She wasn’t sure how to respond, but before she made a decision, she heard James jump to her defense.
“I think Nicole should do ten more crime dramas if that’s what she feels like doing,” James asserted, setting his mug down on the table. “It’s her career, after all.”