Page 43 of A Snowy Escape

“I’m not huge on breakfast either, so I can appreciate keeping it light,” he says, moving around to dig in the bags.

I almost snort.

Three food items is not keeping it light for breakfast, but he’s in killer shape. I bet he burns off a lot of calories working out at his gym every day.

He places a food box down in front of me, along with a pack of plastic silverware. “What do you want to drink?”

“Oh, um, just a Coke.” I tuck my hair behind my ear as I pop the lid on the food. “I don’t drink coffee, but I need some caffeine to get moving.”

I’m not sure why I’m self-conscious about not being a fan of coffee. It gives me a stomachache, and I never feel good after drinking it. Actually, I do know why I’m afraid Bryant will look at me funny. Tommy picked on me about it and even called me a child for not liking the taste of the expensive espresso he tried to get me to drink.

“Hey, I love a crisp Coke first thing in the morning.” Bryant sets the can of Coke on the table and pops the lid. “Dig in, pretty girl.”

I blink repeatedly.

Pretty girl?

Is he just one of those flirtatious people? Maybe he was afraid of scaring me off that first morning, so he toned down his natural personality?

I focus on getting the plastic fork and knife out and cut myself a piece of French toast before taking a bite.

“Okay, so it’s somewhat a rite of passage up here to underestimate the weather,” he says, digging into one of the bags. “Luka noticed you were cold. He stopped by the sporting goods store on the way home last night, and bam!” He pulls something gray out of the bag. “Now you have a matching scarf, beanie, and gloves. Everyone thinks a beanie is overkill, but you lose like ten percent of your body warmth through your head. Well, that’s what my mom always told me. I have no idea if it’s actually true. On the bright side, you’ll look really cute in it.”

“That’s so thoughtful.” I swipe my drink off the table to take a long swig. “I’ll have to thank him when I’m back at work, but please pass along the message for me. I know you’ll see him before I will.”

I have today and tomorrow off, which is nice after working the last six days straight. At the same time, I don’t have any friends here. Sitting in the apartment for two days sounds depressing.

“You can always text him or stop in for dinner downstairs,” Bryant says, winking. “But I’ll be sure to tell him. Okay, what’s next? Oh, yeah. Lawson sent this for you, Echo.” He pulls out a massive bone. “God, it smells gross. Let me get it away from you while you eat.”

Echo pops up at his side, wagging her tail.

“They’re spoiling you rotten,” I say, reaching out to run my hand down her spine.

She runs off, following Bryant into the living room.

“Lawson is particular as fuck when it comes to what Shadow is allowed to have, so at least you know it’s good quality.” He chuckles. “I’m pretty sure it’s an actual cow bone filled with marrow. Oh, Jesus. I could live without that smell first thing in the morning. Sit. Okay, here. Just take it before I gag.”

I laugh, peeking over my shoulder to see what’s happening.

Bryant holds the plastic the bone was wrapped in between two fingers with his nose wrinkling. He takes it to the trash can and moves to wash his hands. “I heard a rumor that you’re off today. Do you have anything planned?”

“Nah, I haven’t exactly had the chance to make friends yet,” I say, wishing I had said anything but that.

Everyone up here has been great.

Well, except Bev.

My manager seems to be sweet as pie to all the servers, excluding me. I don’t know what I did to make her dislike me, but I’m hoping she’ll be more welcoming the better I get at my job.

“We’re getting down to the wire, but I finally buckled down and bought Christmas decorations for the gym.” Bryant dries his hands on his jeans as he comes into the dining room, taking a seat across the table from me. He pulls out a food container like mine and gets to work opening the plastic silverware. “I thought maybe I could sweet-talk you into helping me out today? I’ll pay you⁠—”

“You don’t have to do that,” I say, cutting him off. “I would love to help. Maybe I could even work in exchange for a gym membership?”

I bet it would be way easier to meet friends at the gym than it has been at the restaurant. The majority of the employees working with me at Maxwell’s during the day are fifteen to twenty years older than I am. The night shift and bar staff seem to be closer to my age, but I leave right as they’re coming in.

“You don’t need to work to pay for a membership.” Bryant chuckles. “We’ll get you set up with one today.”

Chapter Fourteen