in a
real hurry early this morning.”
"Oh. ” A hollow ache filled his chest. So she really
had left. And she hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye?
Maybe
last night hadn ’t
meant as much to her as it had to him. The thought filled him with a kind of
helpless anger. Even if she hadn’t felt the same way, she could have at least
told him so. For fuck’s sake, they’d had another date this afternoon, and she
knew where he was staying! She could have stopped by to tell him she was
leaving.
"Hey,
don ’t take it so personally,”
Rachel said, clearly reading his thoughts from the expression on his face. “She
didn’t say goodbye to me either, and I’m related to her. The only reason I knew
is because Gabriel told me when we were changing shifts... and I doubt he would
have known if he hadn’t seen her charging out of here with her luggage.” She
smiled a little. “When Jade’s got something on her mind, she tends to block out
everything else.”
"Okay. ” He wasn’t sure how to take that since he
didn’t know how close Jade was to the rest of her family outside her
grandparents, but he had to admit Rachel’s words made him feel a little better.
“Do... do you think maybe you have a phone number for her? I really wanted to
say goodbye.”
Rachel
shook her head. “I
don’t have anything like that... but you should ask Abuelito Garcia.” She
pointed towards the elevator. “I saw him go back up the elevator. He might be
in his rooms right now.”
"I ’ll go talk to him.” Relief coursed through
Dawson as Rachel gave him her grandfather’s room number, and he quickly headed
for the elevator and took it up to the third floor. As he rode, he admitted to
himself that he didn’t want Jade’s number so he could say goodbye. He wanted
her number so that he could meet up with her again. For Christ’s sake, they
both lived in the LA area. The chemistry between them had been so explosive it
had rocked his world, and he couldn’t let her get away, not if it was possible
that she could be his mate. And, with the way things had been between them last
night, it was not only possible, but likely.
Taking
a deep breath, Dawson
knocked on the door Rachel had told him to go to, anxiety biting into his
chest. This wasn’t exactly the way he’d introduce himself to a prospective
mate’s family... but what else could he do?
The
door opened to reveal an older woman with smooth, coffee colored skin and
graying black hair wearing a long woolen dress and Native American jewelry.
Fine wrinkles fanned out from the corners of her eyes and around her mouth, and
the wizened look in her dark eyes told him, along with the shape of her mouth
and face that were so similar to Jade ’s,
that this was Jade’s grandmother.
"Good
afternoon, Mrs. Garcia. ” God,
but this felt so incredibly awkward. “I’m looking for Mr. Garcia. Is he here?”
"No,
he ’s taking care of a plumbing
issue in one of the guest rooms.” Her brow furrowed. “Did Rachel send you up
here to find him? We don’t usually handle guest matters at our private
residence, but I’d be happy to help you.” She smiled graciously but the tone
underlying her words told Dawson that Mrs. Garcia was going to have some choice
words for Rachel.
"No,
no, it ’s not about that,” Dawson
said, rushing to correct the misconception before Rachel got in trouble. “I’m
completely satisfied with my experience here at the Lodge.” He smiled at the
woman. “It’s just... I was supposed to meet Jade this afternoon to go skiing,
and she hasn’t shown up.”
"Oh! ” Surprise flared in the woman’s dark eyes, and
she smiled. “So you are the young man that Jade has been keeping from us.”
real hurry early this morning.”
"Oh. ” A hollow ache filled his chest. So she really
had left. And she hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye?
Maybe
last night hadn ’t
meant as much to her as it had to him. The thought filled him with a kind of
helpless anger. Even if she hadn’t felt the same way, she could have at least
told him so. For fuck’s sake, they’d had another date this afternoon, and she
knew where he was staying! She could have stopped by to tell him she was
leaving.
"Hey,
don ’t take it so personally,”
Rachel said, clearly reading his thoughts from the expression on his face. “She
didn’t say goodbye to me either, and I’m related to her. The only reason I knew
is because Gabriel told me when we were changing shifts... and I doubt he would
have known if he hadn’t seen her charging out of here with her luggage.” She
smiled a little. “When Jade’s got something on her mind, she tends to block out
everything else.”
"Okay. ” He wasn’t sure how to take that since he
didn’t know how close Jade was to the rest of her family outside her
grandparents, but he had to admit Rachel’s words made him feel a little better.
“Do... do you think maybe you have a phone number for her? I really wanted to
say goodbye.”
Rachel
shook her head. “I
don’t have anything like that... but you should ask Abuelito Garcia.” She
pointed towards the elevator. “I saw him go back up the elevator. He might be
in his rooms right now.”
"I ’ll go talk to him.” Relief coursed through
Dawson as Rachel gave him her grandfather’s room number, and he quickly headed
for the elevator and took it up to the third floor. As he rode, he admitted to
himself that he didn’t want Jade’s number so he could say goodbye. He wanted
her number so that he could meet up with her again. For Christ’s sake, they
both lived in the LA area. The chemistry between them had been so explosive it
had rocked his world, and he couldn’t let her get away, not if it was possible
that she could be his mate. And, with the way things had been between them last
night, it was not only possible, but likely.
Taking
a deep breath, Dawson
knocked on the door Rachel had told him to go to, anxiety biting into his
chest. This wasn’t exactly the way he’d introduce himself to a prospective
mate’s family... but what else could he do?
The
door opened to reveal an older woman with smooth, coffee colored skin and
graying black hair wearing a long woolen dress and Native American jewelry.
Fine wrinkles fanned out from the corners of her eyes and around her mouth, and
the wizened look in her dark eyes told him, along with the shape of her mouth
and face that were so similar to Jade ’s,
that this was Jade’s grandmother.
"Good
afternoon, Mrs. Garcia. ” God,
but this felt so incredibly awkward. “I’m looking for Mr. Garcia. Is he here?”
"No,
he ’s taking care of a plumbing
issue in one of the guest rooms.” Her brow furrowed. “Did Rachel send you up
here to find him? We don’t usually handle guest matters at our private
residence, but I’d be happy to help you.” She smiled graciously but the tone
underlying her words told Dawson that Mrs. Garcia was going to have some choice
words for Rachel.
"No,
no, it ’s not about that,” Dawson
said, rushing to correct the misconception before Rachel got in trouble. “I’m
completely satisfied with my experience here at the Lodge.” He smiled at the
woman. “It’s just... I was supposed to meet Jade this afternoon to go skiing,
and she hasn’t shown up.”
"Oh! ” Surprise flared in the woman’s dark eyes, and
she smiled. “So you are the young man that Jade has been keeping from us.”
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