Page 29 of The Christmas Accomplice

“My brain is starved for oxygen, and I could have a mild case of wind burn.”

“I think you’ve met someone here.”

“I’ve met a lot of people here. It’s what happens when a person travels.”

“Which you’ve never really enjoyed. And yet, here you are half-smiling and glowing and putting me in my place.” Dean sat back against the couch with a self-satisfied smile. “You’ve come into your own after our breakup and now you’ve met someone here at the lodge.”

Did Dean have small drone cameras following him every place he went?

“That’s a good theory. However, it doesn’t help us decide how to handle the fact that both of us are here to enjoy a vacation only one of us should be on.”

“True. Okay, I’ll let it go for now, but will you at least admit you’ve met someone who’s captured your interest?”

“I’ve met several interesting people since I’ve been here.”

“Fine. Good to see your stubbornness hasn’t lessened since we’ve broken up.” He chuckled and shook his head as he stretched one arm across the back of the sofa. “Welton Monroe, finally falling in love. What a compelling event to be witness to.”

Welton got to his feet, face burning and palms sweaty. “If you refuse to drop the subject, I’m going to leave again and trust you can secure a place of your own at some point this evening.”

“All right, sit down. I apologize. I won’t bring it up again tonight.”

“At all. Not just tonight.” Welton sat once more, glad he didn’t have to follow through on his announcement of leaving the cabin. It would be even colder outside now.

Reece probably has a warm apartment nearby. Too bad you don’t have his number.

The thought surprised him so much he barely heard Dean speaking.

“This place has probably been booked solid for at least a year, so neither of us is going to find a room of our own. Since you arrived first, you can have the bed and I’ll sleep down here on the couch. Does that work for you?”

“It does. And I arrived first because I was the one who ended up taking this vacation.”

“Fine, however you want to spin it. Now that we’ve settled sleeping arrangements, let’s catch up. We haven’t talked in months.”

“That’s probably due to the fact that we ended our relationship.”

“Yes, smart ass, I know that. But hopefully it didn’t end our friendship.”

“Friendship?” Welton blinked in surprise. “I never thought you considered me a friend.”

It was Dean’s turn to look surprised. “Why would I be in a relationship with someone I didn’t consider a friend?”

“I don’t know. We don’t have a lot in common, and toward the end of things between us, I got the feeling I embarrassed you.”

The change in Dean’s face was quick and surprising. His eyes welled with tears, reflecting the yellow flicker of the flames, and his expression grew still and serious.

“I felt a lot of things while we were together, but not once did I ever feel embarrassed by you or by being with you. Not once.” He ground a knuckle into one eye then looked toward the fire. “I really cared about you, and I admired you in a way.”

Welton couldn’t help a disbelieving huff, and instantly regretted it when Dean looked at him again. Now Dean looked wounded, and it made him feel guilty for his reaction.

“It’s true. I did admire you. I still do. You know who you are and what things you like to do. You like role playing games and a short list of video games. You have a nighttime routine of moisturizers and hand cream that pretty much ensures you will never get a wrinkle. You fall asleep lying on your left side, but halfway through the night you usually roll onto your stomach. You like to wear cardigans, but only if they have pockets, and you don’t like ice in your drinks.

“When we first got together, I thought you were set in your ways. A stubborn guy who acted old before his time. But as I got to know you, I realized you’d simply come to understand what things you liked and cut out the rest of it. You know yourself better than anyone else I know.”

Dean slouched back against the couch and looked at the fire again. “My other friends aren’t like you at all. Like, at all. They live for the moment. They haven’t even considered how much to put toward their 401k. All they’re looking to do is have fun and hook up, and I’ll admit I like to do that, too. But being with you helped me realize that it’s not a terrible thing to be alone for a while and get to know myself.”

Welton sat in stunned silence after Dean stopped talking. He’d had no idea Dean had noticed those things about him, or that he’d had any kind of effect on Dean.

“You never liked to be alone before.”

Dean shrugged. “It’s not too bad now. Back in November, I skipped going to the bars a couple weekends in a row.”

“How’d that go over with your crowd?”

“Nobody checked in with me. I went out again over Thanksgiving and no one asked where I’d been or if anything had happened.”

“That’s very sad,” Welton said. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well. Anyway, that doesn’t matter.” Dean drained his wineglass and got off the couch. “I’m going to check out what’s going on up at the lodge. Care to join me?”

“No, thanks. I’m going to stay here and relax a bit.”

Dean grinned but didn’t say a word. He took his wineglass into the kitchen then started up the stairs. “Is it okay if I leave my suitcase up here so it’s out of the way?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Welton filled his glass again and sat looking into the fire, thinking about Reece as he listened to Dean rummage through his suitcase for clothes.