In This Place

All In, Now

                                                      "Lord, I got taken by the tide"--Belle Mt.

The snow finally tapered off to light flurries and both Kris and Cory stayed by the window with Alan discreetly setting drinks down and picking up empties. Cory was utterly plowed, and, at one point, she glanced over at Kris and saw the girl had bundled herself in the heavy throw Alan had brought and was sound asleep.

Alan had proven himself to be quite handy, quietly dropping off drinks when needed. The only time he spoke was to quietly approach Cory and remind her of her AlpenGlobe reservation. Cory had nodded and gently woke Kris, letting her know it was time for dinner, and she'd made a surprise reservation.

They were both hammered, something Cory quickly discovered when Kris tripped a few times and almost went down. Alan lost some points when he rushed over the first time and almost ignored Cory's terse "I've got her."

Back in the room, Kris, blushing, apologized and stated she really wasn't that drunk, she just tended to be a bit clumsy at times. Cory, amused, accepted the apology and told her dinner was casual as she watched the girl's panicked sifting through her bag for something dressier.

Alan's polite tap on the door came just as they finished dressing. Cory wasn't sure why they needed him to walk them to their reservation but again, their room might be the only concierge service for the night. He immediately inquired about Kris's health and Cory listened to the girl stumble her way through an explanation of how she was generally clumsy, even more so while drinking. Alan looked more than prepared to carry her, if needed, and Cory had the suspicion his level of concern was put into place when he saw Kris lick the frosting off the rim of her martini glass.

The AlpenGlobe experience was something Cory had been looking forward to. A large wooden deck extended from the resort with spectacular views of Mt. Charleston and 6 large glass globes were placed strategically on the heavy wood. Climate controlled and fully enclosed, they sported a dining table and a wraparound lounge for seating.

They could enjoy the snow and watch the stars come out, all while dining on what Cory hoped was excellent food. Alan handed them over to the waiter who introduced himself as Leo and walked them out onto to the deck. He slid the door of the globe open and smiled as Kris entered and sat down on the circular couch.

"Cory, this is amazing! It's like...like...being in a snow globe!"

"It is, isn't it?" Cory quietly replied. Ever since her and Kris's discussion back in the room when they first arrived, she felt that underneath everything, Kris still thought she'd done all this just so she could get back into bed with her.

And maybe she had. Maybe she'd blithely overlooked what she innately knew to be the truth, because she was too busy patting herself on the back for being such a great girlfriend to do something like Stonemont.

"I'm Leo, and I will be your server this evening. Our specials tonight are our Tomahawk steak, which is dry-aged and served with roasted garlic, our house steak sauce and has a portobello demi-glaze. All our beef is grass-fed and comes from the Flying H ranch out of Greeley, Colorado. Our other special is pan-seared sea bass, served with a parmesan risotto, sauteed spinach, and a citrus beurre blanc. I'll give you a few moments to look through the menu then return to take your orders."