One Weekend in Aspen Read online

  “This is harder than I remember,” Emily admitted.

  “Want me to take a turn?”

  Emily considered turning down the offer, but a semi sprayed the windshield with icy muck at the same moment. The wipers took a second to clear the sludge and she sucked in a breath. “Actually, that’d be great.”

  They came to a summit marker and she pulled off to the side. Ahead, the road curved downhill. They’d been climbing in elevation for so long Emily was surprised by the change, and even more surprised that the snowfall seemed lighter.

  “How is the storm better up here?” The clouds even seemed to be clearing, and peeks of sunlight shone in the sky with splotches of crystal blue. On either side of the highway, the snow glittered.

  “It’s probably a lot colder,” Alex said. “Ready for this?”

  As soon as Alex opened the door the icy wind blasted inside. They hurried to switch sides, Emily wondering why she thought Aspen in February would be fun in the first place. When they were settled back in the car, Alex tapped the dash. “It’s a balmy three degrees out there.”

  “In other words, too cold for snow.”

  Alex nodded. “But this storm’s supposed to move through quick. It might not even be snowing in Aspen anymore.”

  * * *

  Alex was right. By the time they rolled into town there was no sign of the storm save several feet of pristine snow. Fluffy white frosting covered every car, every rooftop, and every tree, but the afternoon sun cast enough light to make everything sparkle.

  “As much as I don’t miss snowy winters, this is kind of beautiful.”

  “Kind of?” Alex pointed to the mountain ahead of them.

  With the blue sky above and the pines dotting the sides, the snow-covered peak was truly breathtaking. “And it’s three degrees.”

  “It was at the summit. Now it’s warmed up to fifteen. You brought a good coat, right?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m not here to ski.” Emily didn’t want to admit that she no longer had a “good” winter coat. Once she’d left Minnesota, she hadn’t had an excuse for anything that would keep her warm in subzero temperatures.

  “Is it a salsa dance competition?”

  “No. But good guess.” Alex had clearly given up trying to figure out what she was actually doing for the weekend. Now she was only giving ridiculous guesses to put Emily at ease, which made it as sweet as it was funny.

  “Really? Am I close?”

  “Not at all.”

  Considering how many hours they’d been in the car, they seemed to get to the Aspen airport too fast once they passed through town. The truth was she wanted an excuse not to leave Alex’s company. She didn’t have one.

  “Thanks for the ride. You sure I can’t chip in for gas at least?”

  “I’m definitely sure. You bought lunch. And you kept me company.”

  Convincing Alex to let her pay for the lunch hadn’t been easy, but she’d managed that and decided not to push for more. “Well, thank you, again. I know this probably sounds crazy, but I’m glad there was a storm.”

  “Me too.”

  Alex parked at the curb and then got out to grab Emily’s luggage. Emily considered hugging her, then decided that would be awkward, so instead extended her hand. Alex clasped it, a quirky smile on her face.

  “Is shaking hands weird at this point?” Actually, it felt weird to Emily as well.

  “A little. But I like weird.”

  “I like weird too.” They both let go at the same time, and Emily felt a flush hit her cheeks. She could almost imagine stepping forward and kissing Alex. How much she wanted to do exactly that rocked her.

  “I feel bad that I stole your pen.” Alex looked down at her feet. “Should I give it back?”

  “I want you to have it.”

  “Does that mean I can call you sometime?”

  “I’d like that,” Emily said without hesitation. She didn’t know what, if anything, would come from Alex calling her, but she knew she wanted to hear from her again. She didn’t want this to be goodbye forever. “Or maybe I’ll call you first. Actually, I’d probably text. I’m better at texting.”

  “I’ll take texting.”

  “Maybe I’ll even text you tomorrow. Don’t want to leave town without stealing that hot cocoa recipe of yours.”

  “I knew you were after the hot cocoa.” Alex chuckled, looked back at the rental car and then back at Emily, clearly not wanting to leave. “I know I already said this, but I’m glad I met you.”

  “Same.” And she didn’t mind hearing Alex say it again.

  Alex opened her mouth as if about to say something, but Emily’s phone rang, interrupting her before she could. They both looked at her purse. The location of the loud ringing was easy to pick out.

  “That’s probably the person you’re supposed to meet here. The hula dancer for that hula dancing competition you’re doing this weekend.”

  “Probably.” Emily’s heart settled in her throat. What if Alex was the person she was supposed to meet this weekend?

  “Anyway. See ya around.” Alex raised her hand and a moment later was heading for the black SUV. As much as Emily wanted to stop her, she didn’t say anything. What could she say?

  Alex got in and started the engine but didn’t rush to pull away from the curb. When she looked back at Emily, everything around them seemed to go quiet. Emily held Alex’s gaze, wondering what would happen next if she simply got back in the car and asked Alex to take her wherever she was going.

  The phone rang again, and Emily finally looked away to answer it. She needed to let Alex go. They were strangers who’d spent a day together. Nothing would come from wishing for more.

  * * *

  As hard as it was leaving Emily at the airport, it was even harder pulling into the empty garage. Alex sat in the car for a minute, eyeing the empty passenger seat. Emily had been an unexpected burst of brightness, but now that she was gone, reality invaded.

  In a week, she’d be back in Tokyo. Starting anything didn’t make sense. She wanted to call Emily right now, but the most they could have together was what they’d already had—a random connection with a stranger. She’d had too many of those to count. Their day hadn’t been the start of something that would last. Nothing ever did.

  Besides, Alex was nearly certain that Emily was in Aspen to meet someone. Probably a new girlfriend. Someone she’d met online maybe. Given her recent breakup, that made the most sense, as would her being a little embarrassed by it and not wanting to admit it to a stranger.

  Alex grabbed her suitcase and let herself in. Thanks to the property manager who looked after the house, the heat had been turned up and the whole place smelled like freshly baked cookies.

  Waiting on the counter was a plate of snickerdoodles wrapped in cellophane with a note taped to the top. “I could be free tonight if you want to meet for a drink—or more. Happy to have you back in town. ~ Jorie.”

  Jorie was the property manager, and there was no doubt she was interested in the “or more” part. They’d slept together once and had exchanged texts back and forth a handful of times since. Another short-term connection that wasn’t going anywhere.

  When they’d first met, Jorie had mentioned a boyfriend, but after only one drink she’d practically climbed into Alex’s lap. Either she’d broken things off with the guy or they had some agreement now. All told, it had been a fun romp, and as nice as a repeat might be, Alex wasn’t in the mood. Her thoughts were too caught up on Emily despite how she rationalized why she needed to forget about her.

  With one last look at Jorie’s note, Alex picked out a snickerdoodle and headed upstairs. The bedsheets were turned down and a nudge of guilt settled in at the sight of a heart-shaped chocolate Jorie had placed on her pillow. Alex took off her shirt and tossed it in the hamper, thinking of the last time she’d been in Aspen. She hadn’t been with Jorie then. Or even in her own bed. She’d spent all her time at Katherine’s.

  When was it? Lat
e August. Katherine had complained about having to wear clothes. Aside from that, Alex didn’t remember anything else—other than the sex. They’d fucked like bunny rabbits who didn’t really like each other but had too much damn chemistry to ignore. As usual.

  Their problem was never sex. It was everything else. Alex had tried to start a conversation about exactly that last night. But Katherine had sidetracked her. She’d stroked her toe up the inside of Alex’s leg and interrupted midsentence to say she was in need of a good fuck, and could they talk after?

  Of course, they both fell asleep after, and then Alex had to leave before Katherine woke because of the early flight. Katherine had scheduled the flight and even bought her the ticket, but she’d arranged to fly out later herself with her girlfriend. Madison didn’t care who Katherine slept with. If she did, it would make things easier.

  Still, Alex was resolved to have the conversation about ending things with Katherine. The problem was that she got thrown off track whenever Katherine was right in front of her. All the reasons they shouldn’t have sex, or even kiss, flew from her mind. But the reasons were there all the same.

  She took off her pants and Emily’s pen tumbled from her pocket. When she leaned down to pick it up, the imprint caught her eye. She read the number thinking how easy it would be to call.

  Emily was exactly the type of woman she wanted to meet. Someday. If only today had been that day. She climbed into bed and shivered until the down comforter held in enough of her body heat for her to relax, longing for someone to be snuggled up against. That was the one problem with sleeping in her own room. Whenever she spent long in the house she actually owned, she felt lonely.

  Most of the time she didn’t think about being alone. It wasn’t hard finding company when she wanted it. But all the one-night stands in the world didn’t fill the hole that was a lack of an emergency contact. Maybe finding someone who wanted to build a life together was too much to hope for, but sex with women who didn’t want more had begun to feel like a waste of time. Great time to decide that. She closed her eyes and nestled deeper into her bed. Right before you go to a sex fantasy weekend, you realize meaningless sex makes you feel hollow. Nice one, Alex.

  Chapter Six

  The black SUV that pulled up to the curb was not Alex’s. The fact that Emily wished it were was a problem. But not one she wanted to deal with at the moment.

  She waved to the driver—recognizing him from the picture Katherine had texted—then picked up her carry-on and rolled her suitcase outside. The reality of what she’d signed up for, and all the nervous energy that went with it, had returned within minutes of Alex leaving. Arguably, it was different now. Yes, she was nervous, but it was more of a nervous excitement at the possibility that she’d actually go through with something as crazy as sex with a perfect stranger.

  Alex had reset something in her body. Things she would have thought impossible only yesterday seemed like good options at the moment. Like having sex with someone you met that morning and drove through a snowstorm with. If only Alex was going to the party.

  Katherine had sent a text a few minutes after Alex had dropped her off with info on her driver and a note about someone named Shay who’d be at the house. The storm had thrown a wrench in everything. All the flights that hadn’t been rerouted were delayed. Katherine was stuck at SFO, still hoping to get to Aspen that night, but she’d sent a group email pushing the start of the weekend back to Saturday night. Emily, admittedly, was relieved. All she wanted to do was settle into her room and relax. And think about Alex.

  “You here to ski?” the driver asked.

  Emily shook her head. He didn’t seem to notice her answer, promptly launching into a description of the ski conditions as they pulled away from the airport. He’d apparently memorized the weekend’s expected weather, and without missing a beat asked if she needed a recommendation for a ski rental. Because it didn’t matter, Emily nodded, and he began a rundown of all the local ski shops.

  After they left the tiny airport behind, the dark green pines gave way to vistas of snow-covered mountains, along with a dusky blue sky. Emily snapped a picture and texted it to Gianna along with a message: Maybe I’ve died. This could be the road to Heaven.

  Gianna immediately texted back: I’ve always thought Heaven would be a big sex party.

  Emily laughed out loud and the driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror. Not wanting to explain, she shook her head then texted back: How was your day?

  Gianna’s response brought another smile: Girl, I know how to have fun—spilled half a bottle of olive oil. Been mopping for the last hour. Now spill the deets on the sex party. Any hot women?

  Emily tapped her phone case, deliberating whether she should tell Gianna about Alex. Finally, she typed: Long story short, it’s been a heck of a day here too. Haven’t gotten to the party yet. Had to fly to Denver first. Then had a five-hour drive in a snowstorm.

  Gianna: Oh honey that’s awful. Maybe you’ll meet someone who makes it worth it. A string of little fire emojis followed.

  Emily felt a pang of guilt not mentioning Alex. Nothing about the day had been awful. In fact, the whole trip felt worth it already. Even if the weekend was a bust, she had Alex to fantasize about.

  The driver pulled off the main road onto a snowy side street. They slowed to a crawl over the unplowed sections and then crossed a short bridge, slowing even further. Below them a river snaked through patches of ice, snow heaped on either side of its banks. For all Emily said about not liking the cold, the sight did bring an unexpected wave of nostalgia for Northern Minnesota.

  The SUV pulled into a driveway on the other side of the bridge. An iron gate and an impressive rock wall blocked the entrance to a huge house right next to the river. Not a house, a mansion, Emily corrected. She took a deep breath, wondering again what the hell she’d gotten herself into.

  The driver didn’t waste time getting her suitcase unloaded. She tipped him with the wind whipping away her words of thanks, and then pulled her coat up to her throat.

  Before the car had even pulled away, the front door opened and a twenty-something dyke with a mop of blue hair that cascaded over one side of her face gave her a wide smile. “Welcome to the illicit sex den. I’m Shay. I’m guessing you’re Emily?”

  Emily nodded. At least the welcome was warm. Shay hurried out to help with her suitcase and then ushered them inside.

  “Katherine told me to not to scare you off. She also told me not to call her house an ‘illicit sex den.’” Another big smile.

  “Not scared off yet.” Emily smiled back in earnest.

  The warmth of the house enveloped her. She took a minute to get her bearings, shaking off her coat. Vaulted ceilings in the foyer boasted several skylights and natural light filled the space. On one end, a wide spiral staircase led up to the open second floor, and on the other a short hallway led to a living room with a huge fireplace complete with a crackling fire. Two closed doors led off from the foyer to what Emily could only imagine. Secret sex rooms?

  Despite the cold outside, Shay was in a T-shirt and shorts. “Did you get the email? Katherine and Madison’s flight got delayed. So did Ava’s. All three of them are getting in late tonight. Nicola’s flight is still on schedule last I heard—she should be here in a half hour or so—but otherwise it’s only me and Lara here. We both got in yesterday before the storm. Lara came early to ski. I just came early. That sounds like a sex joke, but it isn’t.” Shay grinned. “I hate snow, so I told Katherine to make me the official greeter. Do you ski?”

  “No. I was worried I’d be the only one.” That wasn’t all she was worried about, but Shay’s youthful excitement made her wonder if she was silly for being nervous about the other part.

  “We’re possibly the only two in all of Aspen who don’t ski. Or snowboard. By the way, I use they pronouns.”

  “Cool. I use she/her.”

  “Want me to show you to your room? This place is kind of a maze.” Shay picked up Emily�
��s bag and started for the stairs. “I told Katherine she needed to give us maps, and she told me it was a good thing I was cute.” They looked over their shoulder and gave Emily a wry grin. “So how do you know Katherine?”

  Emily should have anticipated the question would come up and she wished she’d prepared an answer. Knowing Katherine’s friends, it was unlikely any of them “worked” for someone else. Usually they were entrepreneurs or CEOs or, even more commonly, philanthropists.

  Shay stopped at the top of the stairs waiting for her. Emily had paused midway right in front of a stained-glass mosaic of two naked women, their limbs entwined. For the moment it was a good excuse to admire the artistry, but tracing the lines with her eyes did more to distract her than help focus on an answer to Shay’s question.

  She could simply say that she’d met Katherine at a gala for the symphony. That much was true. She’d gone to the gala with Cass back when they were still pretending they were happily married. Cass was used to hobnobbing with the likes of Katherine and had gushed about her afterward. She’d pushed Emily to send Katherine a note about her personal chef services. One week later, Emily had landed the job of cooking for Katherine three nights a week. But only saying they’d met at the symphony rang false. The truth was probably better.

  “I work for her. I’m a personal chef.”

  “Really?” Shay tilted their head. “You’re Katherine’s chef? What’s that like? I bet she’s hard to please.”

  Emily doubted Shay had much experience being anyone’s employee—or anyone’s employer. One look and she guessed Shay was a trust fund kid which landed them in the philanthropist category of Katherine’s friends. Mostly it was because they seemed too carefree. Even their flip-flops looked pricey.

  “Katherine and I don’t interact much, honestly. I try to do all the food prep and cooking when she’s out of the house so I’m not in her way. Then I stock up her freezer with meals for the week and leave dinner on the table. That’s my usual for all of my clients.”

  “That sounds perfect. Bet your clients love you.”