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“It’s nice to see some things never change.”
Zoey Clarke spun on her heels faster than somebody with her limited coordination should have, nearly falling into Max before she steadied herself. A smile spread across her face and she started running toward the familiar voice.
“Joan! Oh, my god,” she squealed. “You actually came!”
“Some things, of course,” Joan continued, completely ignoring Zoey’s enthusiasm, “being that it is the middle of July and you’re still wearing not only a sweater, but also a blazer, or that you and Max are still making love struck puppy dog eyes at each other twenty four hours a day, according to the weekly recap emails Tobin refuses to stop sending me.”
“Hey, we get a solid eight hours of sleep most every night,” Max said, walking up behind where Zoey had stopped. “So that only leaves a sweet sixteen hours for being obnoxiously in love.”
“Good to see you, Richman.” Joan responded, a genuine smile taking over her face as she settled into conversation with her two former employees. “You taking good care of our girl?”
“Doing my best.”
For a moment they all just smiled at each other.
And then Joan stepped toward Zoey, opening her arms and enveloping her successor of the fourth floor in a giant hug.
SPRQPoint’s Holiday Extravaganza party had always been one of Zoey’s favorite days of the year. The company spared no expense, always finding a way to host an event celebrating the end of the year in a way that made even anxious computer nerds excited. Last December, however, the pandemic had forced them to throw a virtual party—which was disastrous in more ways than one.
So, when the San Francisco office hit 100% of employees being vaccinated in May, the company had announced “SPRQ Point’s Super Summer Spectacular” event to make up for it.
Zoey was sure that a weekend spent at one of Lake Tahoe’s best ski resorts, an unlimited open bar, and actually spending time with some of her favorite people after working remotely for over a year would certainly make up for the Zoom That Would Not Be Named.
After catching up with Joan over the first of their free cocktails, Zoey and Max brought their bags up to their room and changed for dinner. Zoey, in a simple emerald green sweater dress, stopped dead in her tracks when she walked out of the bathroom from fixing her hair and saw Max’s suit.
“Completely unfair of you to put that on when we’re already running behind for our reservation,” Zoey said. “I just want to take it right back off.”
“What if I promise to let you take it back off later tonight?”
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice, now do I,” she said, giving him a quick peck as they locked their fingers together to head back downstairs. They’d made reservations with Tobin, Mackenzie, Simon, and Leif at one of the resort’s restaurants.
“I was thinking,” Max said as they waited for the elevator. “There’s a couple hot tubs on the roof of one of the lodges that overlooks one of the mountains. We should see if people want to go after dinner!”
“That’s a great idea,” Zoey agreed. “Mackenzie has to leave really early in the morning for her family reunion, so we should definitely do it tonight.”
They reached the restaurant, saying hi to a few people they passed on their way to the table where the other four were already sitting. After everyone ordered, they settled into comfortable conversation.
Zoey was quiet, watching happily as so many people she cared about spent time together—joking, joyful. If you’d told her five years ago that she and Max would be actual friends with Leif and Tobin? Forget about it. If you’d told her a year ago that she and Max would have a healthy relationship while still maintaining a friendship with Simon? No way. Zoey knew she still had a fair amount of disaster radiating off her at all times, but thanks to a lot of therapy and a little help from the universe, she was having a hard time finding anything wrong with this exact moment.
“Zoey said you’re leaving early tomorrow, Mackenzie?” Max asked, pulling his girlfriend back to the conversation when he said her name.
“Yeah, my family reunion is this weekend every single year,” she responded, “and I would never hear the end of it from my siblings if I didn’t make my famous fried avocado.”
“Are you going too, Tobin?” Simon asked.
“T-Money said ‘nah nah, honey I’m good,’” Tobin responded with a laugh. Zoey prided herself on getting better at reading people over the last year or so, but she still couldn’t tell if this laugh was genuine or not.
Zoey and Max shared a look, hopeful he wasn’t about to break out in heartsong. Even Zoey couldn’t escape 2015 without getting sick of the Andy Grammer tune and it was infrequent the couple could get through a meal out together without having to help somebody else. Shouldn’t there have been some rule that meant both of them having powers meant half as many heartsongs instead of twice as many?
There was a lull in conversation, everyone glancing around the table and trying to decide whether or not Tobin’s response was going to cause any reaction whatsoever out of Mackenzie. When it didn’t, Simon put a contagious smile on his face and said, “I’m still thinking about that fried avocado, though! Why have you never graced our presence with it?”
“Yeah, your local kitchen-inept boss would definitely appreciate that,” Zoey said, hoping to continue steering the conversation back to the lighthearted atmosphere there’d been just minutes ago.
Luckily, it worked. With the exception of maybe Tobin—Zoey was hoping she was just reading too far into his quieter demeanor—everybody jumped back into a lively conversation about SPRQ Pants. Twenty minutes and an after-dinner drink later, Max suggested his hot tub idea to the group and everybody agreed to meet up there.
“Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss!” Tobin shouted as soon as Zoey and Max stopped next to the hot tub to take off their shoes and set their room key and phones down before getting in.
As happy as they both were that Tobin seemed to recover his spunk, they were both equally as confused about the subject matter of the shouting.
“There’s mistletoe above you,” Mackenzie explained, and sure enough when they both looked up they found she was correct.
Max leaned down, grabbing each side of Zoey’s face and kissed her—a couple seconds longer than it maybe should’ve been in front of her coworkers, but not so long that anybody actually felt uncomfortable. Zoey and Max joined the other couple in the hot tub afterward, Simon and Leif not yet on the roof.
The roof had great views of skiing hills on one side and a forest of trees on the other—snow cascading around everything. A giant fireplace was situated between the two hot tubs, roaring with a large stack of wood available to add on the other side of the rooftop deck.
“Max, my guy,” Tobin said as they settled in, “you’re looking especially swole lately. Judo with Sensei Don treating you fiiiine!”
“Thanks, Tobes,” Max said, a shy smile spreading across his face. “I like your swim trunks.”
Apparently Zoey wasn’t the only one who hadn’t realized Max was secret buff, and she couldn’t help but smile seeing his. Her man was hot and she would never stop being excited that she could stare at him any time she damn well felt like it now; though, she was still a bit bitter his suit had come off only to put a swimsuit on instead. Either way, deciding to stop running away from him was the best decision she’d made in a long time.
Leif and Simon weren’t far behind, joining the rest of the group in the warm water. As the evening grew later the air around them grew colder, and everyone was discussing how wild it was that driving just a few hours into the mountains could so drastically change the weather they were used to in the Bay.
Almost as if on cue, Zoey heard the ‘gears’ turning in her head as a piano melody took over and Tobin started humming. One look at Max told her that he could hear it, too.
“ I really can’t stay, ” Mackenzie sang.
Tobin joined in just a few beats later with, “ but, baby, it’s cold outside. ”
I’ve got to go away.
But, baby, it’s cold outside.
This evening has been...
Been hoping that you’d drop in.
...so very nice.
Mackenzie started wading through the water toward the steps on the hot tub, but Tobin moved after her. He grabbed her hand, pulling her back into his lap as he sang the next line.
I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice .
My mother will start to worry,
Beautiful, what’s your hurry?
My father will be pacing the floor,
Listen to that fireplace roar.
So really I’d better scurry...
Beautiful, please don’t hurry.
Well, maybe just a half a drink more.
As Tobin sang “I’ll put some records on while I pour," he stood, spinning both him and Mackenzie around in a small circle in the middle of the hot tub. He put her down, and they started a small circle of foxtrotting—somehow missing all four other bodies in the water.
They both sang, “ Baby, it’s cold outside, ” before breaking apart again.
“ You’re very pushy, you know, ” Mackenzie said in a sing-songy voice.
Tobin grinned. “ I like to think of it as opportunistic.”
I simply must go,
Baby, it’s cold outside
The answer is no.
But, baby, it’s cold outside .
The welcome has been…
How lucky you dropped in
...so nice and warm.
Look out the window at that storm
My sister will be suspicious,
Gosh, your lips look delicious!
My brother will be there at the door,
Waves upon a tropical shore
My maiden aunt’s mind is vicious.
Mid song, Tobin cut Mackenzie off with a kiss, but she continued singing shortly after. Apparently he really did think her lips looked delicious.
I’ve got to get home
Baby, you’ll freeze out there
You’ve really been grand,
I feel when I touch your hand
But don’t you see?
How can you do this thing to me?
I really can’t stay.
Baby, it’s cold outside.
Both Mackenzie and Tobin settled back into their seats, and conversations about the weather continued.
“I have to admit, I love the excuse to break out some of my favorite winter cardigans this weekend,” Leif said.
“Ah, hey, Zo?” Max said, interrupting. “Want to grab a round of drinks for everybody at the bar inside?”
There were a lot of things that Zoey found attractive about Maxwell Richman—literally too many to count—but Maxwell Richman wanting to help her work through “solving” a heartsong had to be one of the sexiest. She nodded, quickly getting out of the hot tub and toweling off before they went inside.
“Did you hear Baby It’s Cold Outside?” Zoey asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
There had been one time they’d both heard a different heartsong and it had been one time too many, so now they always checked before creating a game plan.
When Max confirmed he’d heard the same song Zoey said, “Okay, so obviously it’s cold out there, but clearly the song is about him not wanting Mac to leave, so I think if we just come up with a plan to keep him distracted for the weekend we should be good to go!”
They reached the bar, Max ordering a round of margaritas for everyone.
“I don’t know, it feels like maybe there is something more going on than just Tobin not wanting her to leave,” Max said. “I mean did you hear the way he sang ‘how can you do this thing to me’? I know I used to joke about Tobin not having feelings, but that dude is clearly hurting.”
As much as she didn’t want Max to be right, Zoey knew he probably was. Sometimes it was frustrating to admit how good Max was at helping people, but mostly she was just happy to have him on her side.
The bartender put the drinks down and thanked Max for the tip he left. Max picked up the tray and they headed back toward the door.
“So I guess if we can get them alone tonight and talk to them we do it, but if not we default to keeping Tobin busy the rest of the weekend?”
“Deal.”
After the round of Margaritas was gone, Mackenzie said she was going to go use the bathroom and Zoey saw it as her opportunity to get her side of the story. Making their way inside and into the restroom, the pair was quiet. When they were both washing their hands, Zoey decided she had no time left to waste; in fact, there was little time to even attempt subtlety.
“So, I um… may be reading too much into things,” she started carefully, “but did I sense a little tension when Simon asked Tobin if he was going to your family reunion?”
Mackenzie let out a loud sigh.
“You picked up on that, huh?” she asked. When Zoey just smiled at her in the mirror, Mackenzie continued. “When I told Tobin I had my family thing this weekend, he started dropping hints he’d like to come with. Any time this weekend was brought up, he made sure I knew he wouldn’t be disappointed to miss 'SPRQ Point’s Super Summer Spectacular' after the whole Zoom debacle.”
“That’s… a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, Tobin is great,” Mackenzie said, the first smile breaking through the frown that’d been on her face since Zoey had breached the topic. “He’s just really, really great.”
“So, then what exactly is the problem?” Zoey asked.
“It’s just that my family…” Mackenzie said, flustered again. “I, uh, love my family. I love them dearly . But they are very different than I am. And I just didn’t want Tobin to think of me differently.”
Zoey made the split second decision to hug Mackenzie after they’d both dried their hands.
“Kenz,” Zoey started, “if I have learned one thing during the six years I have known Tobin, it’s that he’s often underestimated. I won’t tell you what to do, but I will remind you that he loves you. And that the trust you’ve put in him in the past was not unfounded.”
They were nearly back at the hot tub, so Mackenzie just smiled. When they got there, the guys were all getting out and drying off.
“We decided it’s bedtime,” Leif said, a yawn escaping his mouth midway through bedtime. A chorus of chuckles carried the group to the elevator and they all said their goodnights.
Tobin was eating breakfast alone when Zoey and Max got downstairs the next morning.
“Can we join you?” Max asked as they approached his table. The breakfast buffet was open for a few more hours, so they sat down before getting their own plates.
“You know ya boi hates eating alone,” Tobin said with an open gesture, but his usual flare was absent.
“Did Mackenzie leave?” Zoey asked tentatively.
“No, she’s upstairs packing up,” Tobin said. “I didn’t wanna watch.”
“Is everything okay, Tobes?” Max asked next.
“What is this, twenty questions with Tobin?” he asked in response.
This was not a Tobin that Zoey nor Max liked to see. Something about his eclectic personality made it harder to be around a more toned down version of himself.
“We’re just worried about you,” Zoey said after a silent moment.
“Why worry about me? It’s no big deal. Just finally have a girlfriend, but one that is too embarrassed to let me meet her family. Super chill. Tobes is A-Ok!”
If the response wasn’t chilling enough, the double “ok” hand sign followed by two thumbs up would’ve chilled Zoey to the bone.
“Mackenzie loves you, Tobin!” Zoey said, trying to keep the conversation cheerful. “Why don’t you just talk to her about it instead of us?”
“Because then she’ll break up with me and I’ll go from having a girlfriend who is embarrassed of me to no girlfriend.”
Zoey had always known Tobin had struggled with relationships, but she didn’t quite understand until right this moment that he shared her past of unnecessarily complicated, exhausting for everybody, the opposite of good relationships.
“Remember when I used to call you my least favorite person at SPRQ Point?” Max asked him.
Zoey had thought Tobin’s eyes couldn’t look any sadder than when they’d sat down, but they somehow fell even further at that.
“If you’re trying to make me feel better, that isn’t helping.”
“Maybe, uh, get to your point, baby,” Zoey urged.
“Right, my point,” Max said, looking between the two. “Yes. My point was that no matter what any of us ever thought about you, everyone can see how much you two adore each other. Even Joan mentioned how often you talk about Mac in your weekly email recaps. There’s no way she’s embarrassed of you.”
At that point, all three of them saw Mackenzie enter the restaurant and walk toward their table.
“ Talk to her ,” Zoey urged quietly before Mackenzie approached.
“Tobin, can we—” Mackenzie started.
“Don’t go!” Tobin said, standing up. “I mean, go. I don’t want you to miss your family reunion. Just… don’t go without me .”
“I already packed your bag,” she said. “It’s in the car with mine.”
Tobin walked around the table, kissing her sweetly before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a long hug.
“Sorry, guys,” Tobin said, his spunk returning more with each word. “Ya boi doesn’t third wheel anymore. Deuces!”
Tobin and Mackenzie made their way out of the restaurant holding hands and Zoey looked over at Max fondly. His tousled morning hair and flannel with rolled up sleeves were hotter than any man had the right to be at seven in the morning.
“So, should we go get some breakfast?” Max asked.
“We could,” Zoey said, reaching her hand out to run her fingers along his forearm before linking their fingers together. “Or, and hear me out here—now that we fixed one couple we could go fix that whole problem with me never getting to take your suit off of you last night.”
“That.” Max said, already heading toward the door. “Let’s definitely do that.”