I swiped my hand across my face, hiding my massive grin. I’d gotten to know Frankie’s feisty demeanor quite well after spending almost every evening at Marie’s, hoping to catch her there. Getting her to loosen up wasn’t going to be easy, but hell if I wouldn’t give it a fighting try.
“Are we doing this or not?” Frankie asked, lifting up the boots and waving them around, almost knocking herself right in the face.
“Careful, champ. Any injuries that happen before the hill, I cannot be held responsible for.” I gave her shoulder a little shake, and Giles and Mattie laughed.
“Come on. Let’s go,” Frankie whined.
The slight shake in her voice told me that she was anxious. I felt a slight tug at that.
“You two go ahead.” I pointed to Mattie and Giles. “Maybe we’ll meet up at the base later.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be stopping by before that to see Frankie fall a few times.”
Frankie glared at her sister. “Wait. You’re actually ditching me?”
Giles looked behind them, clearly eager to escape the beginner area.
“We can’t all take over the bunny hill,” Mattie said. “Oliver is going to teach you.”
The sigh Frankie let out could have triggered an avalanche.
“Let’s go.” I waved for her to follow me, but she still stood there, hesitant.
“See ya,” Mattie said as she and Giles headed to the main lift.
I turned, not waiting for Frankie to follow, and walked over to one of several outdoor benches surrounding a firepit. It wasn’t turned on right now because of the early hour, but later in the day, people would be packed shoulder to shoulder around this thing.
“Come on, I won’t bite,” I yelled to Frankie, who was still standing there. “Unless you want me to,” I added with a wink.
That seemed to finally snap her out of it. She stalked toward me and plopped down on the bench. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea—hey!” She swatted my hand away,but I had already managed to pull off one of her leather boots.
“Put this on,” I instructed, taking the right snowboard boot from her hand and setting it on the ground. “I can grab you another pair from the rental shop if they don’t fit. They should be tight but not crushing your toes.”
She looked hesitant but thankfully followed my instructions. She stuffed her foot into the bulky boot and grunted as she tried to get her heel to slide in.
“Here,” I said, grabbing her waist and pulling her lightly to stand up. “Grip my arms and push.”
As soon as she stood and pushed down, her foot went in easily.
“How’s it feel?” I tapped the tip of her boot.
“Uncomfortable,” she said.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not a tennis shoe. Are your toes cramped?”
“No,” she admitted. “I can wiggle them.”
“Perfect.” I gave her a thumbs-up.
Once she got the other boot on and laced up, I grabbed both of our boards and headed toward the bunny hill. Frankie followed me, and when I glanced back, I could see her eyeing the small hill with apprehension. Typically, they didn’t open it early like they did the main chairlift, but I’d convinced one of the guys I knew to operate it for us.
“This is a terrible idea,” she said under her breath.
I chuckled and knocked on her helmet. “Relax. You’re with a professional.”
She narrowed her eyes and jerked away from my hand. “Somehow, not comforting.”
My lower lip jutted out and I blinked down at her a few times, doing my best hurt-puppy-dog impression. That finally got her to smile and playfully shove my shoulder. It wasobvious that through her tough exterior, she was all nerves. I was determined to make this fun for her.
