Free The Winter Spirit ARE by Indra Vaughn

you can fall for.”
    I scoffed. “I’m not falling for him,” I told her, beating a new set of eggs. On the inside I heard screeching tires of thoughts and ideas and possibilities coming to a sudden, full stop.
    Was I falling for him?
    “Um. Hi.”
    Elisa and I spun on our heels. Owen was standing in the doorway, looking surprisingly unkempt. His hair was a mess and his face looked so pallid, I suddenly remembered the traces of makeup I’d discovered the night before.
    Neither of us said anything.
    “I was wondering,” Owen eventually went on in the awkward silence, “if I could have a word with you, Nate?”
    He looked so awkward I felt sorry for him and began to put my towel away, but Elisa stopped me with a hand on my arm.
    “The other guests will be coming down for their breakfasts soon,” she said.
    I knew she was offering me an out if I needed one, so I smiled at her. “Why don’t you take care of that today and I’ll do the rooms.”
    She nodded, gave Owen the stink eye, and disappeared into the pantry to get the batter for pancakes.
    “Let’s go to the lounge,” I said. As I expected, there was no trace of candles or romantic atmosphere left in the bright morning light. The curtains were open as wide as they could go. The fire was out so it was even a little chilly in there. I hid my grin but sent a mental thumbs up to Gabriel. The things a ghost could be good for…
    I closed the door and turned to face Owen. He looked small in the large room, nothing at all like the predator who’d cornered me last night.
    “I want to apologize,” he began, cutting me a quick glance as if he expected me to interrupt. I remained quiet. “We were getting a divorce, but we’re not divorced yet. I wanted to reconcile before I came here but she said no. She called yesterday to say she changed her mind and wants to talk. I’m sorry if…if I gave you the wrong impression.”
    I raised my eyebrow at him.
    “Okay, bad word choice.” He laughed weakly, ran his fingers through his hair and then deflated completely. “But it wasn’t all a lie,” he whispered. “The job change, the move here, it might still happen if we can’t work it out. And I did want to see you. You always made me feel so…admired, as a kid. I mean I knew what you felt back then. And I was hoping—”
    “That you could come here to bask in my hero worship until you felt better about yourself and then move on?”
    “No!” Owen took a step closer but I crossed my arms and he stayed where he was. “I really thought maybe you and I could…”
    “Until your wife wanted you back, at least.”
    He had the grace to turn red. “I’m sorry. But she’s my wife. I still love her. You understand, don’t you?”
    I let my arms drop to the side. “You didn’t hurt me, Owen. You wouldn’t have been able to if you’d tried. So no harm done. Not to me, at least. Why don’t you go pack your things and get going? It shouldn’t snow again until tomorrow and the roads will be clear.”
    He stared at me and his eyes were shimmering a little. I felt a pang of sadness too, but not for seeing him go. For learning the friendship I had cherished as a child hadn’t been what I thought it was.
    “Bye, Owen,” I said. When he reached out to hug me, I opened the door and stepped aside. His eyes lingered on me for a second when he passed me, but he said nothing, and disappeared up the stairs.
    I took a deep breath, and then aimed for the kitchen. Mrs. Anderson and Mr. Houzer were eating breakfast, making cow eyes as they spoon-fed each other fluffy scrambled eggs.
    And just like that I was utterly and completely done.
    “Does your wife know you’re here, Mr. Houzer?” I asked. “What would she say if she knew?”
    His head jerked up and he gaped at me. He glanced at Mrs. Anderson, then back at me, said, “Uh,” and nothing else.
    In a cloud of flour Elisa crossed the kitchen, loudly said, “Excuse me, Nate, I need you in the pantry. It’s an