Free Tempted by Cecily von Ziegesar Page B

hadn’t brought anything else.
    “Let’s get you settled.” Amanda nodded in the direction of the ski lodge.
    Callie marveled at Amanda’s flawless ivory skin and touched her own face involuntarily. She wondered if it was the Maine air or some wonderful spa treatment that gave Amanda her glow. A combination of both, she imagined.
    Callie followed Amanda into a darkened lobby. “Your room is this way,” Amanda said over her shoulder, her puffy coat making a shushing noise when she turned down the long hallway off to the right. Callie’s stomach rumbled, but she didn’t want to seem too demanding or break the peaceful silence of the lodge by asking about the kitchen. Maybe her room would have a fruit basket, or even some of those little mint chocolates on the pillows.
    The floor creaked beneath their feet as they made their way silently around a corner and down another long hallway. Small night-lights lined the walls at regular intervals, their tiny orbs of light revealing simple, off-white walls with dark wood trim. Callie could already feel herself relaxing.
    “This is you.” Amanda pointed at a wooden door full of pine knots and painted white, a Pottery Barn kind of look that Callie loved. “It’s pretty late, and we like to get started early, so you should rest up.”
    Callie glanced down at the taffeta skirt peeking out from beneath her coat. “I, uh, forgot to pack anything.” Maybe Amanda could lend her a pair of those snuggly shearling-lined boots she was wearing.
    Amanda waved her hand as if this were a silly worry. “We recommend that all our guests come without any cumbersome belongings.” She smiled. “We provide you with everything you’ll need.”
    “Great!” Callie replied warmly. “I guess I’ll, uh, see you in the morning?” She liked Amanda’s quiet unobtrusiveness, and wondered if she’d get to do yoga with her tomorrow or something. The ski lodge was a little drafty, and the cold air stirred Callie’s senses.
    Amanda placed a hand on Callie’s forearm. “I promise, this experience is going to be exactly what you need.” She waved a thin arm and pulled her parka up around her neck, then disappeared down the hall. Callie pushed open her door, ready to experience the full plushness of the spa. She’d take a hot bubble bath and curl up in bed with the TV on.
    Callie flipped on the light, illuminating the single low-wattage lamp in the corner, a brass base with a simple white shade. Elegant simplicity was clearly the vibe here. A draft whistled from under the windows, which Callie was slow to realize didn’t have curtains. She held herself as she shivered, goose pimples running up and down her arms. The bed in the corner was small, and the mattress seemed a little thin—in fact, there was something monastic about this whole place. Callie investigated the bathroom, switching on the fluorescent light, a little horrified to see some toiletries already on the bathroom sink. Had they given her the wrong room?
    Then she noticed the door to the adjoining room and realized the spa’s mistake—they’d given her a room with a shared bathroom. She thought of the time her mother took them to Mexico, and they were put into a junior suite instead of the master suite they’d booked. It had been an absolute nightmare to share a bathroom with her counter-hog mother. Callie turned off the bathroom light and traipsed over to the bed. No need to freak out. Maybe the old Callie would’ve rustled Amanda out of bed to point out the error, but Callie patted herself on the back for being such a trouper. See, Easy, she wasn’t a princess at all—everything could wait until morning.
    She kicked off her flip-flops and crawled into bed fully clothed, pulling the woolly blanket over her head and burrowing her cold toes into the sheets. It was sort of like camping out. A little deprivation before being spoiled rotten would just heighten the sensations that awaited her in the morning, which was only a few