Uncorked (44 page)

Sadness overcame her, and she
tried her hardest not to think of him or all the drama of the last year. She
stuffed the shirt under a throw cushion and switched on the television to
preoccupy her mind. While watching the movie
Home Alone
—so
appropriate—she set up the Christmas tree and added lights. By the time she was
finished, the snowfall was significantly heavier, and the wind had picked up.
She went into the kitchen to get another cup of cocoa. As she walked past the
entry, there was a knock on the door.

Chella froze.

No one, apart from the real
estate agent, knew she was there. Her heart skipped a beat. She slowly put down
the cup of cocoa, and tip-toed toward the door.

Then she heard a voice, shouting
over the howling winds.

“Chella? It’s Mitch. Open the
door.”

Chella looked through the
peephole.

Mitch.

While she was excited to see him,
she definitely didn’t want him knowing that.

She opened the door. He stood
before her covered with snow. Blood ran down his temple.

“What are you doing here?”

“I had to see you…”

“You’re bleeding. What happened?”

“The branch of a tree fell and
hit me. No big deal.”

Snowflakes spiraled around him in
the alcove. He shifted from one boot to the other.

“Are you going to invite me in,
or do I have to freeze out here?”

“I’m sorry.” Chella grabbed the
leather duffle bag from his gloved hand and helped him inside. “I’m just in a
bit of shock that you’re here. Come in.”

He stomped a mini-blizzard of
snow to the floor.

“Let me get something to take
care of that cut. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” She went to
the medicine cabinet, shouting after her, “There’s hot cocoa on the stove if
you want some.” She returned with a first aid kit. Mitch sat in the living
room, drinking from a mug.

“I see you were putting up a
tree.”

“I was.”

“I like your hair. You look
beautiful—not that you didn’t before.”

“Thanks. You have a lot of
explaining to do, Mitch Mariani,” she said, standing in front of him as she
unwrapped an antiseptic wipe.

“I do, don’t I?”

“Start talking,” she said as she
cleaned the cut on his temple. “How did you find me?”

“Ummm…”

“Ummm is not an answer. I’ve been
very cautious. How did you find me?”

“I got your IP address from the
email you sent me and found out you were in Aspen.”

He winced as she pressed the
bandage against his head. Hard.

“Go on.”

“Then I hired a private
investigator to find you.”

“You did what?” She stepped away
from him. “Are you insane?”

“Without a doubt. Chella, the
last few weeks… I had to see you. We have to talk.”

“Shouldn’t you be with Emily on
Christmas?”

“Charlotte and her family went to
Vancouver for the holidays.”

“I can’t believe you hired an
investigator to find me,” she said, nearly shouting.

“Please don’t be upset with me.
I’ve been so worried about you. I needed to see you.”

He walked toward her.

Stay where you are before I fall
under your spell…

“You know, Mitch, I’m a big girl.
As you can see, I’m fine.”

“I see that.”

Flushed, she replied, “You
shouldn’t be here.”

“Why?” he said, a grin teasing
his lips. He edged closer. “Because you’re having a hard time being in the same
room with me?”

“Oh, get over yourself. Because
one, you weren’t invited, and two, whatever we might have shared is over.” She
edged backward, making sure to keep a safe distance between them.

“You and I both know that’s not
true.”

“You don’t get to make up and
break up anytime you feel like it. That’s not how it works.”

“Chella, I’m sorry about that. I
was angry, and I was worried about Emily.”

“Irrelevant. The truth of the
matter is I have no business being in a relationship until this is all over.
It’s too risky. Too many people are getting hurt.”

“Chella…” He stepped toward her.

“Don’t. Don’t try to convince me
otherwise. You have no idea how it feels to watch an innocent child hurt
because of bad judgment.”

“There must be a way we can work
around this.”

“The only way to work around this
is to do exactly what I’ve been doing for the last few weeks. Stay away from
all of you.”

“Why don’t I help you finish
putting up that tree?”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“I am.” He smiled. “I’m happy to
be in your presence, and I’d rather be doing something non-confrontational with
you.”

“Where are you staying?”

“I hadn’t gotten around to that
yet. Here, perhaps?”

“That’s rather presumptuous of
you.”

“You mean you’d send me out in
the middle of a blizzard, days before Christmas in Aspen to find somewhere to
stay?” he asked with a smirk on his face.

She took a deep breath, and
glared at him, trying hard not to smile. “You’re stressing me out. My night was
perfect before you came by and so rudely interrupted me.”

“Does that mean I can stay?”

“Fine. Pick any room you like
except for the one on the end. That one’s mine.”

“Thank you. Is it okay if I
shower? I’ve been travelling all day.”

“Do whatever you want. I’ll get
you some towels,” she replied, climbing the stairs to the bedroom area. He
followed her closely. One false move, and she’d slip right back into his arms.

“Why’d you get such a big house?”

“It was one of three that was
left. Everything else was booked.”

“Why did you choose Aspen?”

“I went to the airport ticket
counter and asked for a seat on the next flight to somewhere beautiful. The
agent picked here.”

“I would have never guessed.”

She opened the linen closet and
handed him a set of towels. His hands brushed hers.

A surge of electricity ran up her
arm. She pulled away.

“I’m going to finish putting up
my tree,” she said, quickly walking away. “Enjoy your shower.”

“Want to join me?”

She walked away, hiding a smile.
Twenty minutes later, he returned to the living room wearing his favorite
outfit. Chella did a double-take. She was sure he looked ten times better than
the last time she saw him.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“No. You’ve generated enough heat
in this house to melt all the snow outside.”

“Ha-ha.”

“So what can I help you with?”

“You can put these up near the
top since you’re taller than me.” She handed him a box of ornaments while she
stood on a ladder working on the other half of the tree. A while later she
inspected his handy work.

“You’re doing a pretty good job
of decorating the tree over there.”

“You like the way I’ve hung my
balls?”

She lost her balance, and fell
right into his opened arms.

“That didn’t come out quite right
did it?” he said, looking down at her and laughing.

She flushed, unsure how to
respond.

“Do you always blush that much
when decorating a tree?” he asked, helping her to her feet.

“I see you put on your funny
pants tonight.”

“If you like, I’d be more than
happy to take them off.”

“Of course you would. Dream on.”

“I can give you details of
everything I do while I dream about you. I can even show you.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I have
things to do,” she replied, quickly exiting the living room before he could see
her smile. They spent the rest of the evening decorating the tree. The storm
worsened. At midnight, Chella was ready for sleep.

“I’m turning in. I’m tired,”
Chella said as she finished tidying up the ornament and light boxes.

“Sleep well. Thanks for letting
me a stay here.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied,
smiling. “You got me on a good, sentimental night. If it happens again, I’ll
let you sleep out in the cold.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Don’t push me, Mr. Mariani.”

“I think I might follow you in.
It’s been a long day,” he said, switching off the lamp and walking behind her.

“Sleep tight.” She led the way up
the stairs to the bedrooms, painfully aware of how close he walked behind her.
She prayed that he wouldn’t make a move on her. If he did, her defenses might
crumble. “The fireplace in your room is either gas or wood burning, so you’re
set for heat.”

“If you join me, I won’t need the
fireplace.”

“Back off, Funny Pants. Go to
bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, opening her bedroom door and
quickly shutting it behind her.

A couple hours later, the sound
of a breaking branch outside her bedroom window woke her. She looked through
the window. All was well except that it was snowing heavily, and it looked like
there was close to three feet of snow on the ground. She was thirsty, so she
got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. On the patio,
the snow had accumulated to the height of the table.

She turned around to head back to
the room, but was startled when she saw Mitch standing behind her.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he
said. “I heard a noise and came to see what it was.”

“It was a tree… a branch broke
off. I came to get a glass of water. You don’t need to worry. This house has an
alarm. I’ve activated it.”

“Good. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am,” she replied, heading past
him in the direction of her room. He again followed, but when he reached his
bedroom door, he reached for her hand and tugged her close. He kissed her
gently on her lips then stepped into his room, closing the door behind him.

The kiss sent shivers through her
body. Her nipples hardened under the oversized sweatshirt she wore. She
returned to bed, but was not able to sleep soundly for the rest of the night.
She couldn’t stop thinking of the man in the room a few doors down the hall
from hers. After a total of three hours of sleep, she gave up and searched the
internet for ideas on how to prepare the small turkey she bought the day
before.

By sunrise, she was showered,
dressed, and ready to start the day, even if she felt like a walking zombie.
The winds had now eased, but the snow still fell lightly across the
white-covered terrain. She prepared a fresh pot of coffee, and after fixing
herself a cup, she secured her usual seat by the window to take in the view.
She thought about Mitch. She wondered if he slept well the previous night, or
if it was as difficult for him as it had been for her. The way it looked
outside, they’d be inside for days. She realized there wasn’t a vehicle parked
outside. How had he gotten there? In the distance, she saw a large, downed tree
across the road. Was that the one responsible for the cut on his face? He said
it wasn’t a big deal, but the tree was so big, it had the potential to kill him
had it fallen directly on him.

Her thoughts were interrupted
when she heard movement behind her.

“Good morning. You’re up early,”
Mitch said, kissing her on her cheek.

She was so nervous, she wondered
if he could hear the little drummer boy pounding inside her chest.

“So this is what it looks like
during the day.”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she said,
scanning the panoramic landscapes.

“Yeah. I’ve never been here
before. It’s great. The skiers will be happy. Do you ski?”

“Never tried. You?”

“I used to go with Alec and a few
other friends every winter to Washington.”

“Nice.”

“I can teach you if you like.”

“I’ll think about it. I love
seeing the snow and the scenery, but the cold scares me.”

“So what are we doing today?”

“We?”

“Yes, we? What were your plans
for today?”

“Well, every year I’m usually at
Craig and Maggie’s for dinner, so I’ve never had to cook anything. I bought a
small turkey yesterday, but I don’t have a clue on how to fix it.”

“I can help with that. What else
did you get?”

“Veggies, potatoes, croutons and
bread for stuffing. I also got a small ham and ingredients for dessert—oh, and
some rice and salad, too.”

“Were you going to invite all of
Pitkin County for dinner?”

“No,” she chuckled. “I got the
smallest size of everything. I wasn’t even certain if I would fix it at all,
but I guess now that you’re here, we may as well.”