“If you’re not out here in three minutes, I’m breaking the door down and carrying you over my shoulder, whether you’re dressed or not. And I would enjoy every second of that. Don’t think I won’t do it.”
And that was how I came to be sitting behind Miles on a snowmobile, my fingers white-knuckling the rails behind me as we flew across an open field. Apparently, I had dressed quickly enough for a detour on the way to the lodge. My body ached from being bumped and jostled, but I refused to cuddle up against Miles’s back. There had been more than enough unnecessary touching between us already. The last thing I would give him today was cuddles. I could hold onto the machine just fine, thank you very much, COWORKER.
My stomach dropped as I peered over his shoulder. We were flying toward a steep hill, bare of trees.
“Hey.” I pointed toward the right side of the hill, where the trail upward sloped more gradually. “That way is less steep.”
“What?” he called out, pressing on the gas.
“That way is less—" I yelped as we began our climb, the incline forcing me to cling desperately to the side before flinging forward to wrap my arms around Miles. His hand pressed against my hands grasping his waist. Instantly, he slowed and turned our machine around, driving around the base of the hill toward the gentler incline.
“Good thing you caved. That was close.”
I tried pulling my arms from his waist, but he held them firm against his body, my heart thumping wildly. “No way. I earned this.”
In retaliation, I squeezed him so tight he gasped before reaching behind to tickle me. I squealed and let out a giggle.
A giggle.
The sound stopped as quickly as it came. The grown adult woman inside of me blanched to even think about that word. I wasn’t a character in a middle-school Baby-Sitters Club book. Grown women didn’t giggle. But I could think of no other word to describe the high-pitched yapping that exited my mouth. In a panic, my brain rushed to think of something else to describe it, tapping into the well-used thesaurus in my head. Chortle? Snigger? No. There had been no sarcasm in the sound. My body tensed as I felt Miles still, and the machine slowed to a halt. I knew I would have my reckoning if I didn’t think of some excuse. Desperately, I searched for another word that fit. Chuckle? No. It wasn’t breathy or sexy. It was pure, unadulterated, girlish delight that came barreling off my lips. I knew it. And judging by the satisfied look in his eyes when he turned to face me…Miles knew it, too.
“You’d better watch yourself,” he said, his low voice sending tingles scattering down my spine. “That kind of stuff isn’t helping my case against you.”
There was something soft in his gaze, something like velvet that made my skin turn hot despite the cold temperature. Just when I thought I would burn to the ground, he leaned in close and whispered, “You could bottle that laugh and make millions.”
And then he kissed me. Just once, quick and sweet on the lips. It was over before I could blink. The sudden warmth his lips brought to mine was gone before I could appreciate the heat. My heart landed in a puddle in my chest. It all felt too casual, too familiar. I had felt the devastating power of his kisses. And now he was making me feel unsatisfied at the quickness of this last one. But this kiss also felt different. He kissed me as though he had the right, as though he was marking his territory in my heart somehow. He turned back around and had us moving once again. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it all. I couldn’t begin to articulate my feelings. But when I had the chance to remove my arms from around his waist, I didn’t. In fact, some might say I snuggled even closer.
When we pulled into the lodge, a red tractor with tracks for wheels was sitting outside, rumbling. Behind it was a black trailer. The long trailer had make-shift benches inside with a railing surrounding the perimeter. I wasn’t sure what I expected when Miles said we were going sledding, but this wasn’t it. It seemed like everybody staying at the lodge had shown up for this—except Glenn, thankfully. Chloe and Ben and their girls stood next to my mom and Russ. I beamed and hopped off the snowmobile to greet the two three-year-old marshmallows decked out in pinks and purples racing toward me.
“Aunt Owive!” Ivy exclaimed, putting her chubby hands on my cheeks to force me to look at her.
“Yeah?” I said brightly, stealing a quick, wet kiss from her heart-shaped lips.
“We’re going swedding!” Her bright eyes were shining, and I couldn’t help but grin at her.
“I know! And I love your pink coat.” I turned toward Holly and picked her up in a hug. “Are you excited too?”
Holly was busy staring at something behind me. When I turned to look, I spotted Miles making a crazy face at the girls, but when he saw me looking at him, he stopped immediately, making his face passive again. The girls snickered. Miles and I made a game of it for a bit, me pretending to be confused and looking back at Miles while he made faces at them behind my back.
“Who’s that?” Ivy asked, pointing at Miles with stars in her eyes. Looked like Miles had added another girl to his fan club.
“That’s…” My voice trailed off, suddenly feeling shy and confused. How bad was it on the sin scale for an aunt to lie to her completely trusting three-year-old niece?
“He’s my…friend, Miles.”
Miles got off the snowmobile and knelt down beside me in the snow, leaning forward toward the girls so he could whisper something in their ears. Their faces lit up with delight as they looked back and forth between us both.
I gave him a wary look. “What did you tell them?”
He wore an impish smile. “The truth.” He stood up, brushing the snow off his knees. “I’ve got to go help my dad load up the trailer. I’ll be right back.”
I squinted playfully at the two girls at my feet when he walked away. “What did he say?”
An eruption of giggles was my only answer before Ben and Chloe came walking over.
“Hey,” Chloe said. She looked perkier than she’d seemed the past few days. When I commented on her bright eyes and relaxed countenance, she said, “I might be turning a corner. I don’t know for sure. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I ate breakfast this morning and didn’t feel like I was going to throw it all up afterward.”
Immediately, I felt guilty for moving into the other cabin. I should have been there helping her and Ben with the girls while she was still so sick.
She leveled me with a stare. “We’re just fine, I promise. Ben can handle the girls while I’m not feeling well.” She flashed him a smile. “Actually, it’s been good for him.”
“If she was half this bossy with you growing up, Olive, I feel sorry for you,” Ben teased before pulling his wife in to give her a kiss on her cheek.
She laughed and swatted him on the rear, giving me yet another reminder of the man who my eyes kept searching out.
“Is it alright if I go help the men, boss?” Ben asked, giving his wife a salute.
“Dismissed. But only if you promise to bring me a warm chocolate chip cookie at some point today.”
“Another craving?” I asked her once Ben left.
She looked at me surprised. “Not really, just a basic daily necessity.”