Christmas Escape

Chapter Seven

Peyton

I woke up feeling like I was being embraced in a soft hug. The beautiful aroma of coffee and bacon filtered through my foggy mind. I blinked my eyes open to light pouring through the open curtains. Frowning I glanced at the clock that hung above the dresser and gasped. I’d slept all night. I didn’t even have a nightmare. I hadn’t slept like that, well in forever.

I sat up slowly. Regretting immediately pulling myself out of the warm embrace the bed seemed to have on me. But my bladder was screaming louder, and my stomach rumbled with hunger. I realized I’d slept through dinner and hadn’t eaten since before I left the hospital the day before. I went to the bathroom and took care of business. When I looked in the mirror, I winced at the sight in front of me. The bruises were starting to change from purple to yellow. My eye was still swollen and sore to the touch.

“Alright Bessy, am I allowed out of my room this morning?” I asked with humor threaded through my voice as I tugged on the doorknob. In answer the knob twisted smoothly, and the door opened with a soft creak. I laughed quietly as I shook my head. “You really are living and breathing, aren’t you?” The pipes groaned, startling me. Shaking my head, I grabbed the key to my room and locked the door behind me, not that I had anything that would be worth stealing and headed downstairs.

In the dining room the tables were filled with a few other couples, who all glanced up at me as I entered. I considered backing out and heading back to my room. However, my stomach had other ideas as it chose that time to growl again.

“Ah, good morning Peyton,” Micah said as he came in through a swinging door that I assumed led to a kitchen, carrying a pot of coffee. “Come and sit down, I’ve got some bacon and eggs prepared.”

I smiled and nodded my head. Sliding into the seat at the table, I did my best not to make eye contact with the other occupants in the room. Low chatter filled my ears, as the other visitors planned what ski slopes they would hit while they were in town.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Micah asked as he slipped a plate of bacon, toast, and eggs in front of me.

“I’ve never slept so well,” I replied, glancing briefly up at him.

“That’s great. Bessy made sure to keep you safe,” Micah replied with a chuckle causing me to laugh. I nodded my head. She sure did.

“I never rang my parents, I was so tired, that I just fell asleep,” I told Micah with a frown. I’d promised Mom and Dad that I would ring them once I arrived at the lodge. But I’d completely forgotten.

“Your dad rang last night. I explained to him that you were asleep and said I’d get you to call him this morning when you woke up,” Micah replied.

I sighed and slipped a piece of bacon between my lips. The salty meat filled my taste buds with sheer joy. It didn’t take long, and I was engulfing my food. Jason had controlled everything, including what I could eat. It had been so long since I had bacon. I was in ecstasy.

Micah continued to roam through the room filling cups of coffee and chatting to his guests. An elderly couple sat at the table beside me. The woman tried to catch my eye, but I purposely kept my head down. I wasn’t ready to answer why I was there or tell my story.

Once the breakfast was finished and Micah was gathering empty plates, the elderly couple stood readying themselves to leave. The woman stopped at my table and gently reached out touching my arm.

“Don’t go back to him, never go back to him,” she said softly.

I looked up at her and felt my eyes prickle with tears. “I won’t,” I promised. It was a promise that I knew I could keep. I would never put myself in that position ever again.

The woman smiled and nodded her head. “Good girl.” She turned and left with her husband by her side. I watched them leave through the front door.

“They are a lovely couple. Their daughter came here to stay for a while a few years back. They’ve been visiting every Christmas ever since,” Micah explained as he slid into the seat opposite me.

“What happened to their daughter?” I asked.

Micah winced. “She went back to her husband. He beat her to death within weeks of her return.”

I groaned. I couldn’t help but wonder how often that was the common story. How many women went back because their partners had such control of them? I wondered if Jason would try to get me back. I hoped not. I liked to think that I was going to be strong enough not to return. But I just couldn’t say.