A knock comes on the door. “That’s breakfast,” he says and pushes to his feet.
I set the cake plate down. “I didn’t know you ordered.”
“You were in the shower.”
“Is that who you were talking to when I came into the room?” A short while ago after showering, I entered the room and found him on the phone, talking quietly, like he didn’t want me to overhear him.
Instead of answering, he reaches for his wallet and walks to the door. Okay, so avoiding that question isn’t strange at all. Unless it wasn’t room service he was talking to.
A burst of old insecurities crash through me and I quickly push them down. I am spending this last weekend with him, and I damn well plan on enjoying every second. If he was on the phone making plans with some girl for when our time together is over, it’s none of my business.
I glance at the full tray with silver domes covering the plates as he rolls it toward the table. “How much did you order?”
“I wasn’t sure what you felt like.”
My heart wobbles. He really is so sweet. “I think I might be too full from the cake.” I didn’t realize he was ordering in, and when I came from the shower and saw the cake from last night, I couldn’t help myself. Usually, I’m much more disciplined. I think Christian is ruining me, and I’m not even mad about it…because of that decadent cake.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have eaten the cake.” I stand and head to the table. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
His smile is so soft and tender, it wraps around my stupid heart and squeezes. “Because if you want cake, you should have cake.”
He begins to remove the silver domes and a silly laugh catches in my throat. “I have never had room service before, Christian.” As I take in the abundance of food, it drives home the fact that Christian and I really are from different worlds.
“You’re kidding. Not even when you traveled for competitions?”
“Nope, we all ate like cattle in the buffet line.” I take the lid off one and find a plate of bacon. I snatch up a slice and bite into it.
“I thought you were too full.”
I give him a look that suggests he’s insane. “There’s always room for bacon.”
He laughs and gestures for me to sit. “So fancy,” I say as he removes all the lids and puts the plates in the center of the table. “Want to hear something funny?”
“Always.”
He sits and we each help ourselves to what we want. I go straight for the strawberries. “When I was young, do you know what represented wealth to me?”
He shakes his head and bites into a sausage. “No, what?”
“Those vertical venetian blinds,” I say with a laugh, and when he narrows his eyes and cocks his head, I explain it to him. “You know those long blinds that you open and close with a cord.”
He grins and nods. “We had those. I just called them curtains.”
“I thought if you owned venetian blinds, you were rich. Remember when Chelsea Haverstock invited me to her party that night…” I pause, although he probably doesn’t need a minute to remember the night he pulled his pants down.
“I remember.”
“She had venetian blinds and wall-to-wall carpet. I was like, this is posh. I thought someday, when I grow up and become a success, I was going to have blinds and all that carpeting.”
“That’s funny. Wealth to me was a trip to Disney.”
“You must have done that.”
“Actually, no. I’ve never been there.”
His eyes open at the shock on my face. I’m surprised for sure, but why would he lie about that? “You’re kidding me?”
“No, why? Have you?” he asks.
“No, but why did that represent wealth to you?” I wave my hands around the place. “You had this resort, and I’m sure you’ve been all over the world.”
“Most trips were business, and we’d tag along. Maybe Disney didn’t represent wealth, maybe it represented family. Now that I think about it, that’s it I guess.” He cuts into his egg, takes a bite, and looks thoughtful. “My friends would go with their families. I was so envious. Even though I had everything I could want, what I really wanted was just time with my parents. I wanted us to do things as a family, like I’d see all the other kids around me doing.”
“I get it, Christian. I really do.” I used to envy the rich people who could have whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. I was clearly looking through rose-colored glasses. Christian has given me a much clearer vision, and truth be told, I wouldn’t trade what my mom and I had for all the money or trips in the world.
“Maybe someday you’ll have that family, and you can all go to Disney.”
He snorts. “Like I said last night, what do I know about being there for someone?”
“Christian, you’ve been there for me through my whole injury, and don’t forget you had your grandmother. She taught you what family was all about.” He takes a sip of coffee and glances at me over the rim, his eyes unfocused, like he’s a million miles away.
Finally, instead of agreeing or disagreeing with my comment, he says, “I’m going to hit the slopes for a bit. Afterward, do you want to explore the town, and hit up the art museum?”
“I would love that. I’m going to sit in the lobby, and if it warms up enough, I’ll grab one of the outdoor Adirondack chairs overlooking the hill so I can watch.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind me leaving you here?”
“I like alone time, remember, and I want you to enjoy yourself, Christian.” I give a wave of my hand. “Go, have fun. I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back.”
“I
