Page 102 of Snowed Inn

The way he says “nice” makes me suck in my breath and close my eyes. I already met him. I just pushed him away.

“We’re all excited to see you,” Dad continues. “The girls are already fighting over who gets to sit next to you at dinner.”

I close my eyes, swallowing past the lump in my throat. I do miss them. I miss the warmth of California.

And, if I’m honest, I miss how sure everything used to feel. Before this week. Before Jesse.

Now even going home doesn’t feel the way it’s supposed to.

I sigh, tilting my head against the wall. “I’m excited to see everyone too. And it’ll be nice to get out of the cold for a while.”

Dad chuckles. “I bet. So . . . how’s it been out there? You sounded a little hesitant when you first told us about this trip.”

“It’s been fun,” I say. And that makes my chest tight too. Because it has been fun. Sled racing, snowball fighting, hot sex fun.

But I can’t stop thinking about why Dad’s words made me squirm. I did finally meet a nice guy. A genuinely good one. And it freaked me out so completely, I couldn’t even talk to him about it. In fact, I shut him down the moment he tried.

And that’s when it hits me.

I messed up. I really messed up.

“Maria?” El’s voice calls from the lobby.

I clear my throat. “Hey, Dad. I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

Dad says something about safe travels, but I barely hear it before hanging up.

My pulse won’t settle. Because it’s taken me all morning . . . hell, all week, but I finally know what I have to do. Find Jesse, tell him how I feel, and see if we could actually be something more.

Chapter 39

Donny’s hatchback is idling out front, and Ellie’s here to see me off. Aiden said goodbye a few minutes ago before heading out to the work barn. Charlotte’s at the front desk, calm and efficient as ever. Pumpkin and Argos are having a snore-off in their usual spots, completely unbothered by the fact that I’m leaving.

Jesse isn’t here.

I know it’s because of how I behaved when he asked me to talk earlier. I was practically wearing a T-shirt that said “No emotional bandwidth.”

It’s my turn now. I need to find him and open up. It’s a little scary and a lot thrilling. But it’s time.

“Ready to go?” Donny asks, jingling his keys in the air.

“Yeah, uh . . . just give me a few minutes,” I tell him.

El doesn’t even ask. She just nods, already knowing exactly where I’m going.

I take off out the front door and down the steps, my boots crunching against the snow as I make my way toward the food barn. My heart is hammering, every step faster than the last, and by the time I push open the doors, I’m almost running.

Because this suddenly feels so important. Like the rest of my life could hinge on this one conversation.

Inside, the barn is quiet. Too quiet. I expected a long line at the bar—something to explain why Jesse hadn’t come back. Instead, it’s almost empty. The holidays are over. Everyone has returned to their real lives.

Sera is in the back. There’s only one customer sitting at the bar, sipping a beer, while one of Jesse’s bartenders polishes glasses behind the bar.

I hurry over. “Hey, is Jesse here?”

The bartender glances up. “Yeah. He’s in the back.”

I don’t ask for permission. I flip up the countertop, step behind the bar, and push open the door to the back.