“Okay, (A) I’m not doing any of those things, and (B) Do we need to talk about the fact that two of your three suggestions involve partial to full nudity?”
She laughed. “Come on, Tess. You can’t go back to your room alone to ring in the new year. The very thought of it makes me depressed.”
“The thing is, Carina, I like being alone.” I pulled her in for a hug. “I’m fine. I swear,” I said, though I could feel my voice wanting to crack. “I really do just want to go to bed. I appreciate it, though. I really do.”
I kissed her cheek and pulled away, looking into her eyes. “Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year,” she said grudgingly.
And she let me go.
I tucked my chin and walked down the carpeted hallway, marveling at how the ridiculously loud music quickly became nothing more than a thumping beat. My ears rang from all the noise, and my heart felt full. Inexplicably, my eyes welled with tears. Maybe I should go back. Maybe Carina was right and I shouldn’t ring in the new year alone.
But it felt too late to turn back now. I’d be okay. As soon as I got to my room, I’d feel better.
I just wished…I don’t know what I wished. That I’d finished the list? That Christopher had texted back? That any of this had turned out the way I’d imagined it would?
One tear slipped out as I reached the lobby. And then, I heard my name.
“Tess?”
I looked up, and there was Christopher.
TESS’S NEW YEAR’S BUCKET LIST
Make a paper airplane that actually flies (20 seconds at least) ✓
Sing in public ✓
Strike up a conversation with a stranger ✓
Wear high heels outside the house ✓
Make out with a guy whose last name I don’t know (???)
TP someone’s house ✓
Get Adam Michel’s autograph ✓
Get a short, stylish haircut ✓
Ski a black diamond slope ✓
Eat sushi Wear a strapless dress to a party ✓
He was standing right next to his couch, the fire roaring in the fireplace behind him. On the coffee table where we’d rested our hot chocolates while we pored over the list, there was a bottle of champagne and at least a dozen glasses. In fact, there were champagne bottles and glasses all over the room, the staff having prepared for every guest at the lodge to have a chance at a New Year’s Eve toast.
“Hey,” Christopher said, his eyes taking all of me in. “You look…amazing.”
I blushed. “So do you,” I said. Christopher was wearing a suit. An actual suit with a light blue shirt under it and a dark blue tie. Plus he was standing—no crutches—balanced on one foot. Standing up straight for the first time since I’d known him. And from what I could tell, we were exactly the same height.
“What’re you doing here?” I asked.
At the same time he said, “I’m so sorry, Tess.”
I took a few steps toward him, my heart pounding like mad in my chest. “Sorry for what?”
“For everything,” he said. “I only left because my parents didn’t want me talking to you anymore. They said since you were a member of the family that owned the lodge, it wasn’t…prudent was the word they used, I think. They were worried I’d say something that would mess up the lawsuit or whatever. And they didn’t want me texting you, either.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense,” I said, both stung and at the same time relieved. He hadn’t been avoiding me because he wanted to. He’d been avoiding me because he was ordered to.
“And I was a little mad, too, if I’m being honest,” he said. “It was awful seeing you with that guy. I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“I understand,” I said. “Especially now that I know what he did. But I never liked him, Christopher. You have to know that. I never even remotely thought about him that way. It was always—”
I stopped, realizing what I was about to say. The word you was on the tip of my tongue.
“Always?” He grinned, and reached for my hand.
“Yeah,” I said. “Always.”
He ran his thumb across the top of my knuckles, and I felt that touch in every last inch of my body. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I couldn’t believe he was here.
“Wait,” I said. “Why are you here?”
“I got my parents to drop the lawsuit,” he said.
“You did?”
He tilted his head. “Well, settle the lawsuit. All they really wanted was for Damon to be fired and my medical bills to be paid. So once Loretta let him go, I talked them into dropping the ridiculous number they’d come up with for ‘psychological trauma’ and asking only for the money to cover the hospital and stuff. Which I think is fair.”
“Totally fair. Oh my God, Christopher. Thank you!” I let go of his hand and threw my arms around him, but the force of my hug sent him off-kilter, and we both went tumbling backward over the arm of the couch.
“Ow! Oof!” Christopher said.
“Oh God!” I crawled away from him and jumped up, careful not to touch his cast. He was sprawled awkwardly on the cushions, his good leg still hooked over the arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He straightened himself out until he was sitting on the couch and I was standing in front of him. He looked up at me, pushing his now mussed bangs away from his eyes. “Hey…whatever happened with the list?”
“Oh, I’m not going to finish it,” I said, waving a hand, the humiliation hitting me in a fresh, new wave.
“Why not?” he asked. “I mean, I got your texts, and texted you back, like, a hundred suggestions of things to replace five and ten.”
“You did?” I asked, gleeful.
“You didn’t get them?”
“I turned off my phone.”