Page 12 of Snowed In with My Best Friend's Dad
I hated that he was right. It wasn't like he dragged me kicking and screaming into that hotel room. I'd gone willingly. He saidhehad changed his MO.Idefinitely had.
"If you need food or want something to drink, help yourself. I'm going to make some phone calls and see if we can get you out of here." He poured himself another drink, picked up his glass, and strode past me out of the kitchen.
I made a beeline to his liquor bar, grabbing the same bottle he poured from, not caring what it was. I found a glass, pouring a bit into it and downing it, willing the burn to undo this crazy situation. But of course, it didn't.
Knowing we both needed a little space, I decided to stay in the kitchen. I walked over to a set of French doors looking out on a vast deck. A hot tub sat on it. I remembered Lindsay telling me to use it so I could relax and treat this trip as a respite. At this point, I was experiencing the opposite of a respite.
"Fucking hell!" Brett bellowed from the other room.
That couldn't be good. As I continued to look outside, I noticed that the snow was coming down harder. It was sticking and accumulating. I had a sinking feeling his outburst meant that I wasn't getting home tonight. Unless Brett was willing to drive me in that fancy souped-up SUV. Sure, I had all-wheel drive in my car, but it was currently stuck in a ditch, and even if I got it out, everything about my car was old enough, including my tires, that it would make the trip difficult.
I thought back to the town, wondering if there was a hotel, not remembering seeing one. I imagined there had to be a bed-and-breakfast or lodgings, but they were likely well out of my price range.
"Bad news. There was some sort of multi-car accident up on the highway, so all tow trucks and wreckers are spoken for. And with the snow coming down the way it is now, they don't believe that they will be able to get to your car anytime tonight, especially since it's in a ditch and not blocking traffic.”
I sighed and nodded.
"The fact that you don't want to be here, and I don't particularly want you here, would be motivation enough for me to drive you back to Boston, except, of course, there's a multi-car accident blocking one of the roads we need to take to get there. That means you're staying the night. I've put your bags in the guestroom, and you're welcome to make use of anything in the house. The Wi-Fi, food and drink, hot tub, whatever you want."
"But?" I turned to look at him. "It sounds like there's a ‘but’ in that statement."
"No but. I also just talked to Lindsay, who said that she felt you needed rest and relaxation. So, you have full run of the house and I’ll do my damnedest to stay out of your way."
How was it that hearing the words I wanted to hear actually hurt a little bit? He was treating me like I was a leper.
"And in case you're concerned, you don't have to worry about my trying to come on to you." He held his hands up in surrender. "Enjoy your stay." And with that, he exited the kitchen again.
Both he and Lindsay had told me to make full use of the house, but I didn't feel comfortable doing so. I hurried out of the kitchen to catch up with him. "Can you tell me which room is mine?"
You gave me a curt nod. "It's up the stairs, first door on the left."
I made my way up the stairs and into the large, rustic room. My bag and backpack were sitting on the bed. The light was off, so the room was dark, but there was enough shadow that I could make out the window. I went over to it, looking out. The snow seemed to be coming down even faster and thicker. What if we got snowed in? What if tomorrow I couldn't get out?
I remembered Brett saying that he had talked to Lindsay, so I pulled my phone from my pocket, dialing her number.
"Oh, my God, Mira. Are you okay?" she said when she answered.
I sat in the window seat, letting out a long breath. "Yes. I'm safe and warm."
"I'm so glad that my dad found you. You could have been stuck out there all night. You could have died."
I rubbed my temple. "Yes, I was very fortunate."
"My dad promised me that he will give you space so that you can rest and relax. He can sometimes be a little gruff, but he's really a good guy."
My mind flashed back to the hotel room and all the good things that Brett had done to me. I gave my head a quick shake. I couldn’t think of that stuff.
"I'm so sorry I'm not there with you. We’d have so much fun."
"What happened, anyway?” I asked her.
"My car went on the fritz, and I can't get anyone to fix it because it's too close to Christmas. Liam is letting me stay until I can find someone."
I'd never known Lindsay to be a liar, but there was a part of me that wondered if that was an excuse because she didn't want to leave Liam. They had only just started going out, and there was no doubt that she was infatuated with him.
"I'd much rather be there with you. Christmas is so much fun up there. Did my dad decorate? He can be such a Scrooge, but deep down, he's a softy."
I realized that I hadn't paid much attention to the home. I was so focused on the fact that I'd had sex with my roommate’s father and that I was stranded there alone with him.
