“I was in a difficult position.” He stood, tense and immobile, in front of the window. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you now, but I didn’t want to keep anything from you. I didn’t want there to be secrets between us.”

“Why? We don’t have a relationship, Zac. Keep as many secrets as you like.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t be cold with me.”

“Why not? This is who I am, Zac.”

“That’s not true.”

She was hurt. Desperately hurt. And she couldn’t figure out who had hurt her most. Christy or Zac.

She’d almost slept with him. She’d felt herself sliding slowly, dangerously, into a relationship.

Well, thank goodness that was one mistake she hadn’t made.

She stalked to the bedroom, grabbed a pillow and a fleece throw and dropped them next to Zac. “You offered to sleep on the sofa. I accept.”

“Alix—”

“Compared to sleeping in an ice cave or whatever it was, one night on a sofa should seem like luxury.”

“Can we talk about this? A moment ago we were about to—”

“No, we weren’t. I only do one date, Zac. And we’re already way past that.” Using dignity like a shield, she walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

15

Robyn

Robyn pressed the button on the fancy machine that was Erik’s pride and joy. While the machine purred and coffee dripped into cups, she foamed the milk. Of all the many aspects of Sweden and Swedish culture that she appreciated, top of her list was the tradition of fika, and not only because she was a lover of coffee and cake. Fika was about so much more than a caffeine-and-sugar boost. It was social. It was about connecting. For Robyn, it was an opportunity to catch up with friends or better acquaint herself with the guests. It was a chance to slow down. Here, taking a break wasn’t something to apologize for, but something that was actively encouraged. There was an appreciation of the importance and richness of human relationships that had been missing from her past life, and in time she’d discovered that there was little that improved the mood like good company.

Today her company was her niece, and she could hardly believe that she was right here in the kitchen. It felt awkward. Uncomfortable.

It would have been good to take the time getting to know each other a little better before diving into the deep, serious stuff, but Robyn knew it wasn’t something they could ignore. They had to deal with what lay behind them before they could move forward and hopefully build a relationship.

“That smells delicious.” Christy leaned on the counter next to her. She’d arrived at the lodge ten minutes earlier, beating the new snowfall by a matter of minutes. Stepping from cold to warm had turned her cheeks pink, and although she’d removed her gloves, she kept rubbing her fingers to warm them. “Seb prefers tea, but sometimes I think I wouldn’t make it through the day without strong coffee.”