Never Been Snow Lucky (Snowed Inn Romance)

Chapter 1

1

IRIS

S leeping during a flight had never come easily to me, but working on a graduate school research project for ten hours a day, seven days a week, over the past three months had left me exhausted enough that I passed out shortly after the plane took off. I didn’t wake up until the flight attendant reached past me to get the garbage from the person in the seat next to mine while the pilot announced that the cabin needed to be prepared for landing.

My eyes blinked open as a nearly empty tray was passed in front of me, and my stomach let out a loud growl at the reminder that I’d slept through the free meal service offered to passengers in first class. But I needed sleep more than food, and I could grab something to eat in the airport.

As soon as my plane touched ground, I flipped my cell phone’s data back on and several text notifications from my mom popped onto the screen. The theme of each message was basically the same—I needed to call her as soon as I deplaned. Definitely not a good sign, but I wasn’t too worried since she hadn’t mentioned that it was an emergency.

I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be happy about what she had to tell me, so I waited until I had collected my luggage from baggage claim and was near the doors for the shuttle that would take me to the ski resort where I was spending the next two weeks. After taking a few bites of the giant pretzel I bought to tide me over until I got to the hotel, I called my mom.

She picked up on the first ring and blurted, “I’m sorry, sweetie. Your dad and I aren’t going to make it to Winter Falls today.”

I wished this was the first time my parents booked a holiday vacation and changed their plans at the last minute, leaving me alone for at least half of the trip. Unfortunately, the reality was that I’d experienced this very same phone call twice before. And before I moved away for grad school, they just pushed back the trip for all of us whenever this happened.

On the plus side, at least my trip wasn’t also delayed since I didn’t bother flying home first to travel with them anymore.

“Let me guess…Dad had an important client call who just had to meet with him today? And he couldn’t say no even though it’s only four days until Christmas, and you were supposed to get on a plane this afternoon to celebrate the holiday with your daughter, who you haven’t seen in months?”

“You’re not being fair, Iris.” Mom heaved a deep sigh, and I could all-too-easily picture the frustrated expression she tended to have when I complained about my dad putting work ahead of family. “Your father works hard so that you and I are comfortable. If he didn’t take good care of his customers, there wouldn’t be any holiday ski trips in the first place. And you wouldn’t be getting two Masters degrees without any school loans.”

I’d heard the same lecture too many times to believe it any longer, but I knew that arguing with my mom wouldn’t do any good. She never took Dad to task for his lack of a work-life balance. Their dynamic wouldn’t change, no matter how much I wished otherwise. And reminding her that I had only done my dual degree at their urging would only end in yet another long-winded spiel about how much my thesis would help me get into the best PhD program in the country. Something they very much wanted to happen, while I wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend more time on my education when I was already certified to work with athletes on overcoming mental barriers to peak performance. If only I was equally as good at conquering my own when it came to my parents.

“I know he works hard, but I miss you guys.”

“And we miss you, too.” She sniffled, and my shoulders slumped because I knew I’d made her feel guilty for something that truly was outside of her control. “But we’ll only be delayed for forty-eight hours. I already switched out tickets to a flight the day before Christmas Eve, and all of the presents and our stockings are packed in my biggest suitcase. Everything is wrapped, so it’ll only take me a few minutes to put the gifts under the tree.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“And I wasn’t sure if you’d have time to shop, so I put your name on the tag for a couple of gifts,” she added. “Your dad said something the other day about the newest Montblanc fountain pen. It’s an homage to The Great Gatsby , so I thought it would be the perfect gift from you since you two had so much fun debating plot points when you read it back in high school.”

“I have a few things for you guys, too, but I’m sure he’ll love that. Thanks.”

I was twenty-five and hadn’t skipped buying presents for my parents since I was like…sixteen. But that never seemed to stop my mom from putting stuff under the tree for me too.

“And Tiffany had the cutest pair of gold and diamond earrings in their Fleur-de-Lis collection, so that’s what you got me.”

Shaking my head, I laughed softly. “You’re welcome.”

Her answering giggle left me smiling as we ended the call with her telling me that she’d text me the details of their new flight.

I refused to let their change of plans impact my enjoyment of the trip and was pleased to find that the Snowed Inn would’ve made it difficult to stay grumpy. The shuttle was unlike anything I had seen before. The front of the bus was decorated like a giant snowman, and the driver was wearing a Santa hat.

He called, “Welcome aboard the Snowed Inn Express! Don’t worry about your bags. I’m happy to load them for you.”

“Thanks.” I pressed a ten-dollar bill into his palm.

He tucked the money into his pants pocket with a smile. “My pleasure.”

When I climbed the steps onto the bus, I noticed that all of the windows had snowflakes painted onto the glass. And when the driver got back on, he walked through the aisle, offering the passengers hot chocolate and cookies.

My stomach was much happier by the time we pulled in front of the inn. Between the giant pretzel and three sugar cookies washed down with two cups of the most delicious hot chocolate I’d ever tasted, I couldn’t imagine being hungry anytime soon. Not until I got to the registration desk and the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies hit my nostrils.

“Oh my gosh, I was just thinking about how full I am after all the treats on the shuttle, but I don’t think I can resist eating one of these.”

“Don’t even try to withstand the temptation. These are worth breaking all the rules, which don’t apply since you’re on vacation.” The woman behind the counter beamed a smile at me as she nudged the plate closer. “If you’re worried about the calories, you can burn plenty off on the slopes.”

Although I wasn’t a novice to winter sports since I’d been figure skating since I was three, I had never tried snowboarding before, just skiing. I had thought about taking lessons while I was here, but I figured I wouldn’t have time because my mom tended to keep us busy during family vacations. Now that I was on my own for the next two days, I decided that it was the perfect time to give snowboarding a try.

“I like how your mind works.” Grabbing two cookies, I returned her grin. “Can I book lessons through you, or do I need to call someone else?”

She opened a drawer and pulled out a pamphlet, sliding it across the counter to me. “The ski school has different options for lessons, from one-on-one to larger groups. They handle their own scheduling, but if you let them know that Raven sent you, I’m sure Lincoln will do his best to squeeze you in.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” I tucked the pamphlet into my backpack before shoving one of the cookies into my mouth and letting out a low moan of appreciation.

Raven wagged her brows. “And there’s always more where those came from.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I snuck one more cookie before she handed me the key to the suite my mom had booked. It was one of those old-fashioned brass skeleton keys that would have felt ridiculous somewhere other than an inn that looked like a giant log cabin from the outside and decorated with a persistent snowman motif in the lobby. And the rooms as well, I discovered as I walked into the room. With a Christmas tree in the corner of the living area that separated the two rooms and a fully stocked fridge in the attached kitchen, I would be quite comfortable here for the next two weeks.