Callum’s thumb brushed her tear away and he kissed her lips. “Thank you for our sometimes moments, Peyton. I will hold on to them for far longer than my last breath.” Then he pulled her into his arms.
She lay her head on his chest and looked up at the sky. The moments they had shared, although brief, were treasured. They were moments where she believed that he was hers and that she was loved.
She breathed him in and memorised the beats of his heart. She took in her surroundings and the man who held her. Then she closed her eyes and let every sound and movement Callum made sear themselves into her heart.
Life is a cluster of sometimes moments, more beautiful when more are grouped together. Our sometimes moments will be my forever moments. There is no one else after Callum Reid, the boy who kissed me under a cherry blossom tree and the man who gave me a forever in a sometimes.
“Y ou finally made it,” Callum said once Peyton had walked up the small hill.
She stood next to him and said, “I had to wait for my parents to leave, and Jenny’s covering for me.”
Callum wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re here. I wanted you to be here when it happens.”
Peyton squinted up at him. “When what happens?” she asked, slightly suspicious.
He rolled his eyes before untangling himself from her. Then he picked up his SLR camera and adjusted the lens. “Look out at the lake, Pey.”
When she looked in the direction that he’d suggested, the view took her breath away. It was beautiful. The setting sun filled the sky with purples and reds, and the water sparkled before her eyes. She had never seen the lake look more beautiful than in this moment.
The sounds of the camera shutter had her turning her head. She watched the awed expression on Callum’s face transform as he looked at the photo on the screen. He saw the beauty. He saw the innocence of nature. And Peyton saw that in him. Her heart throbbed at the sight of him taking in the view. The way he appreciated life had her envious of his perspective on the world, and a slow smile developed on his face.
When he turned and his eyes met hers, the sparkle in them made her breathless. And it was in that moment that she knew what she had always known deep down.
I’m in love with Callum Reid.
“Pey, wake up.”
A nudge had Peyton groaning.
She hugged the blanket around her and said, “Callum, I don’t have your kind of stamina. I’m not an expert at lasting long when it comes to sex. Give me a couple of hours.”
He shook her this time, so she rolled on her back and opened her eyes.
“As much as I love the idea of sex right now, that’s not why I woke you up.”
Peyton sat up and rubbed her eyes. Before she could even ask him what was going on, Callum handed her the phone.
“It’s Jenny,” he said.
She looked at the clock on her bedside table to see that it was just after two a.m. She knew Jenny would never call her this late, especially with this week’s guests having already checked out. It had been four days since Callum had told her that their time was limited and four days since she had started operating the hotel to guests. The feedback that she’d received from her customers had been great, and it had given her the confidence boost that she’d needed. Now she could concentrate on Marissa’s wedding and the building of the lakeside dance floor.
Peyton scratched her head before she put the phone to her ear.
“Peyton!” Jenny cried out hysterically.
Peyton stilled. “Jenny, are you okay?” she asked desperately.
A million scenarios on Jenny’s safety ran through Peyton’s head. She couldn’t lose Jenny. She couldn’t lose anyone else.
“Jenny, please talk to me.”
There was a loud bang in the background, and Peyton looked at Callum. He was just as confused as she was.
“What’s going on?” Callum asked.
Peyton shook her head to tell him that she didn’t know.
“Peyton…”
“I’m right here, Jenny. Tell me that you’re okay. Do I need to come get you?” Peyton asked as she threw back her blanket and stood up from the bed. Then she walked to the hook near the door and grabbed her dressing gown, slipping it on over her silk nightdress.
Jenny let out a sob. “It’s the hotel, Peyton.”
Peyton froze. “The hotel?”
Callum was by her side instantly, holding her. His supporting touch couldn’t stop Peyton’s throbbing heart. Fear overtook every inch of her body. Flooding she could fix. A fallen tree on a cabin would dent her finances, but it wasn’t impossible. A broken window would be easy to replace.
“It’s on fire, Peyton. The hotel’s on fire.”
The phone slipped out of her hand and fell onto the floor. Numb. That’s what she felt. Her heart had stopped functioning and she was sure her lungs had, too. She was breathing, but her lungs weren’t inhaling the oxygen.
Callum let go of her and bent down to pick up her phone. Before he could even stand, she bolted out of her room and the house.
Shoes weren’t important. More clothes to protect her from the winter night weren’t a concern. She ran. Faster and harder. Stepping on sharp rocks as she desperately sprinted to the lake. She felt pain. In her chest, her lungs, the side of her body, and her feet. But she didn’t care. She heard her name being yelled out from behind her, but she kept her legs moving up the hill and to the lake. She didn’t stop to see if there was smoke or flames—she just kept running.
The moment she reached the path to the hotel, she slowed down, taking careful steps towards the hotel. Tears ran down her face as she painfully willed her body forward. Flames and smoke. That’s all she saw. Dark, black smoke filled the sky, providing the backdrop for the fire that engulfed the building.
She had never felt so helpless. In front of her, she watched everything she had ever loved and treasured die before her very eyes. Each memory of her parents, Jenny, the staff, and Callum. The flames were destroying the future she had carved for herself. It was symbolic. The hotel’s burning down was a reflection of her future—she didn’t have one.
When a part of the hotel collapsed, she fell to her knees, sobbing. And when she heard voices around her, all she could do was stare at The Spencer-Dayle sign as it burned before it fell to the ground.
She was voiceless. All that came out were sobs and strangled sounds she had never made. Her hopes and dreams were dying. The last four years of keeping the hotel alive were now a waste. A loud explosion blew out some windows and she heard people gasp the moment parts of the building started to collapse. The fire was relentless in its destruction of her hotel. Arms were around her, but she didn’t have to turn to know it was Callum.
“Don’t just stand there. Save it! Do something!” Jenny screamed.
Peyton cranked her neck to see her manager pointing at the burning building. Timmy, the firefighter Peyton had gone to school with, looked conflicted as he held the hose. When his eyes met Peyton’s, there was an apology in them.
“I’m so sorry, Peyton,” Callum whispered as he put his hand on the side of her head and brought her to his chest.
“It’s gone,” she managed out.
The tears continued to fall—the only form of water near the hotel. Peyton focused on the firefighters to see them standing there watching the fire consume The Spencer-Dayle.