Page 58 of Words of Love
Chapter 15
After a couple of silent, determinedly efficient hours packing their belongings and loading their cars, Brooke preceded Sam down the winding mountain road. He’d insisted on following her all the way back to Bliss Cove, which she thought was both endearing and annoying.
Why bother acting as if he wanted to look out for her when he would retreat into his corner as soon as they got back into town?
Making an effort to ignore his big truck right behind her, she navigated the road toward the highway. ABBA blasted from the speakers. The snow thinned, melted, and then disappeared completely as they drove farther west.
When Brooke’s gas tank indicator flashed, she put on her turn signal and headed toward the off-ramp. Sam followed. She pulled into a gas station, and he eased his truck beside the pump opposite hers.
“You doing okay?” He started toward the convenience store. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I’m fine. Nothing, thanks.” She pushed the nozzle into the gas tank.
As the pump worked, she took out her phone to call her mother and let her know she was heading back. Notifications popped up on the screen like bubbles in a pot of water—emails, texts, social media.
Brooke’s heart stuttered.
From Aria:Oh no! I heard the news. I hope you’re okay. I feel terrible, but…really? Sam is stuck there too?
From her mother:I’m so glad Sam is there with you. I’d be so worried otherwise.
From Destiny:No wonder. Venus is moving through Mercury, which means your sexual energy is intense. Lucky for you…Sam is an excellent match. I still say he’s a Scorpio. ;-)
From Aria again:Ooo. Lots of buzz about you and Sam. This is so interesting. I can’t wait to hear the deets.
From her mother again:The “snowstorm” has people talking. You know the busybodies. Just wanted to warn you.
Brooke groaned. All she needed was for both her and Sam to get hit by a blizzard of gossip.
She finished filling the gas tank and got back into her car to call Aria. “What in the world is going on over there?”
“The first big romance story of the year.” Aria’s voice rose with intrigue. “There is no way you can tell me that you were trapped in a cabin with Sam Donovan for a whole weekend and nothing happened.”
Brooke rubbed her forehead. “This is all a very big misunderstanding.”
“Sweetie, even over the phone, you’re terrible liar,” Aria reprimanded. “You especially can’t lie to your best friend who is keenly aware that you’ve been harboring a secret fascination with a certain hot bookstore owner.”
Brooke sighed. “This is the kind of thing that happens in a Regency romance, not in 21stcentury California. Say, the Duke of Whatever and Lady Whatzit end up trapped in a snowstorm, and when they return to polite society, everything thinks they’ve been boinking and the lady is compromised, and it’s all a big scandal until the duke is forced to marry her.”
“Nice try changing the subject.”
“How did this news get out anyway?” Brooke tapped her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. “We were the only two people there. And it was a booking error, not as if someone were setting us up. Oh my god. Did you set us up?”
Aria laughed. “I wish. Unfortunately, if I tried to set you up with Sam, I’d have arranged a dinner at the Mousehole, not some elaborate scheme involving a freak snowstorm and a double-booked cabin.”
“Then how did thewhole townfind out?”
“From the way I heard it, the grapevine went like this.” Aria cleared her throat, and Brooke could picture her friend holding up each finger as she made the points. “Sam told one of the forest rangers to contact Felix Milford. So the ranger did, and he told Felix you guys were alone up at the Eagle’s Nest, and to please call your mom. And the rental company hadn’t told Felix about the booking error yet, so he thought you and Sam were up theretogetherfor a romantic retreat. You know, like Hunter and I had planned.
“So Felix called your mom, and your mom was obviously gobsmacked, and then Felix went to work his shift at Metalworks, and apparently he mentioned it to Joe…who told Destiny, who, by the way, was in Joe’s office at the time, and word on the street is that they weren’t just whistling Dixie. You can guess how it all unfolded from there.”
Oh, Brooke could guess, all right. “This is terrible.”
“Hey.” A contrite note entered Aria’s voice. “I’m sorry if I was being flip. Is this all a bad thing?”
“Yes.” Brooke ignored a tiny voice in her heart clamoring to be heard. A voice countering that no, it hadn’t been a bad thing at all. Just the opposite. It might have been one of the loveliest things that had ever happened to her.
“Aria, I need your help.”