Page 9 of All The Wrong Notes
“—then we can do girl stuff, like go to the town and get smashed on pumpkin spice lattes. It’s just a weekend. You’ll hardly see him, if you don’t want to. Please?”
It was tempting, despite Evil Will. But she couldn’t. Could she? “Where, exactly, is this cottage?” Where did that come from?
Janet twisted around from her seat beside Carlos to grin at Elise. “It’s up in the Kawarthas, just a couple of hours away. We’re driving, so you can come with us. There’s a lake and canoes, and bikes you can borrow for the trails, and a great sound system. You’ll come?”
“And there’s a hot tub out on the deck, so bring a bathing suit,” Carlos interjected. “It’s covered in case it rains, but it’s got a fabulous view of the lake.”
A cottage? A lake and canoes? Bikes and trails? A great sound system and limited exposure to Will the Terrible? It was extremely tempting. She really shouldn’t. But Janet was her best friend, and it would be a great opportunity to get to know Carlos better. He’d probably be almost a brother-in-law soon, if things kept going this way.
“Will won’t want me there.”
“He specifically suggested we invite you,” Carlos said.
There was no other answer. “Oh, sure, thanks. It sounds lovely. I’ve got time to organise things at the arts centre.”
Whoops of joy emanated from the front seat.
Eventually, they decided on making the long weekend a little bit longer. Thanksgiving was on Monday, and Janet didn’t teach on Tuesdays. Carlos was able to take a day of vacation, and Elise managed her own schedule. As long as she could be reached by her assistant, if necessary, she could also afford another day of relaxation. They were to leave right after work on Friday evening, and not come back until late on Tuesday afternoon. That way, they would also avoid the worst of the holiday weekend traffic.
Elise packed her swimsuit and hiking boots, and at Janet’s puppy dog-eyed request, she brought her guitar as well. She wasn’t particularly good, but she knew the chords to enough songs that they could sing together on the deck, if they wished. As long as Will stayed sequestered in his den, it should be a lovely weekend.
Upon their arrival, the cottage proved to be more luxury manor than lean-to. A long driveway wound down from the country road, through about half a kilometre of trees, before opening into a wide lawn before a rather grand house, all stone facing and deep red wood, almost melting into the surrounding forest. There was a garage with space for three cars, from what Elise could see, that led to the main house via a breezeway, through which she glimpsed a flash of sun on water.
The house itself was large enough and well-enough fitted out that a family could live there comfortably all year. Hopefully that meant she and Will wouldn’t be forced into the same rooms too often. Still, this was his home, and she would be pleasant. He was there waiting for them outside as Carlos stopped the car, looking far too good for such a rat, and welcomed them with more words than Elise had ever heard him put together. The smile he offered seemed almost sincere as he led them into the house.
The front door led into a wide vestibule, which, in turn, opened into a large living area with a cathedral ceiling. The far wall was almost all window, with a set of doors that opened out onto a deck with a fabulous view of the lake and the trees beyond it. On one side of the room, there was a door through which Elise could see a large and well-appointed kitchen. On the other, a fireplace around which a scattering of furniture formed a comfortable and cosy sitting area. At the far end of the wall behind her, wide stairs led up to an open hallway with a balustrade, along which there were at least three doors concealing what must be bedrooms, and beside them, another stairway led down.
Will led them down these stairs to the lower level, which boasted another roomy sitting area, three comfortable bedrooms, and a bathroom the size of Elise’s whole apartment.
“Here is your room.” Will held a door open to let Elise through. “I hope it’s okay.”
It was more than okay, with solid wood furniture, a soft carpet, and tasteful décor.
“Oh, yes. It’s lovely.” She placed her bags on the bed and stepped back outside into the sitting area, just as Janet and Carlos emerged from their room.
Will continued his tour, and walked to the glass sliding door at the other side of the space. “This leads down to the lake.” He opened the door and stepped through, inviting the others to join him. “Because the land slopes down to the lake, this covered patio is below the deck on the main level. We can enjoy the hot tub here even if it rains.”
Elise smiled to herself. So, this was the promised hot tub. It did look lovely, and it had a fabulous view of the lake. Everything was beautiful and totally luxurious, and all far nicer than Will deserved.
“Will it do?”
Elise blinked. She had been so busy ogling the house and its grounds that she forgot Wicked Will was guiding her.
“Yes. Absolutely. It’s beautiful. Thank you for inviting us.” It really was very nice. She could afford to be polite.
“The boat house there,” he gestured to a shed-like structure right at the water’s edge, “has canoes and lifejackets. The bikes are in the garage, if you want to go cycling. Or you can just hang out on either of the decks, or on the dock.”
Elise followed his gaze through the glass door to a long wooden pier that jutted out several metres into the lake, with a wider square at the end that was large enough for a few chairs, or a couple of towels spread out to sit or lie on.
“Thanks.”
“Take your time to get settled. There are snacks and drinks upstairs if you want to nibble on something. We’ll eat dinner a bit later.”
Will smiled at her, the first full smile she had ever seen from him. His face, always worthy of the finest piece of art, softened into something even lovelier, and his grey eyes lost their steel to grow almost warm. Damn it all, but she couldn’t pull her gaze away from them.
You hate him, you hate him, you hate him, she repeated to herself as she unpacked her few things from the weekender bag and went to pull a brush through her hair before heading upstairs.
Janet and Carlos were already there when she arrived a few minutes later, cuddled together on a large sofa near the fireplace. Two large, overstuffed armchairs completed a semicircle around a low table that was groaning with bowls of vegetable chips, plates of cheese and crackers, and a selection of wines and ciders.