Dressed as a priestess or shaman—I never know which—with a long, flowing dress and a crown of flowers in her hair, she raises her arms and flicks her wrists, gesturing for the crowd to fall silent. Then she lifts her gaze to the setting sun.
“We come together on the longest day of the year, to honor you, Mother Sun, who lights the darkness, who warms the earth, and who nourishesour souls.
Thank you for waking up the land. Thank you for waking up the creatures. Thank you for waking up our spirits after a long winter. Be our guiding light, reminding us to respect the land, the creatures and one another during this season of renewal.”
Nona bows her head as she falls silent, and the crowd erupts in cheers. Then four guys step forward with torches and light the bonfire.
Flames stretch upward, licking at the air in their quest to rise into the darkening sky. A wave of hot air radiates outward, warming my face as it forces me to close my eyes. Trapped between Axel’s heat and the blaze in front of me, my body hums with warmth despite the chill in the night air.
As the initial heat wave fades, I open my eyes to watch the people around me. Blake tosses what looks like a bike tire into the flames while Cade and Maddox toss in a scrap of paper. Ryder stares absently forward, the light of the blaze illuminating his vacant face, though he doesn’t appear to notice.He must be thinking of his brother.
I’m debating whether or not to approach him when I feel movement next to me. Turning my head, I spot Sloan and his boyfriend Carter, and a smile creeps across my face. I don’t see Sloan much since he left Murphy’s to open his physical therapy practice, and it’s even rarer to see the two of them together. I think they’re enjoying their newfound bliss as roommates slash lovers, and I would never begrudge them that time together. I miss seeing him every day, though.
Stepping out of Axel’s embrace, I give Sloan a hug and wave hello to Carter as I make introductions. “So, Carter, what do you think of your first Solstice?”
“Well,” he scratches the back of his head, “I’m glad I don’t have to be in costume.”
I stifle a laugh as I catch Axel’s confused expression. “There’s a charity bike race every year where people dress up, and Carter got stuck with a costume that didn’t leave much to the imagination.”
“I didn’t object to the way it fit, just the character itself. Spiderman is my least favorite superhero,” he says to Axel.
“Why not just dress as something else, then?” Axel’s eyes get bigger as he realizes Carter, Sloan and I are all staring at him open-mouthed. “What?”
“My sister isveryparticular about the costumes.” Sloan lays a hand on his arm and leans into him like he’s sharing confidential information. “If you’re in the group, you wear what she gives you and certainly don’t speak of it if you object.”
He starts to laugh as though he almost fell for it, but abruptly stills when he sees none of us find it funny. “Wow. I guess it’s a pretty big deal then.”
“The biggest.” Sloan nods solemnly.
The guys start their own conversation once we point out they’re both professional athletes—or in Carter’s casewasbefore he retired from ski racing—leaving Sloan and I to catch up. Or rather, for him to call me out.
“You two are looking cozy.” He fights a knowing grin.
“It’s chilly and he’s warm.”
He makes no effort to hide his dramatic eye roll, but at least he lowers his voice. “You’re in denial.”
“I’m really not,” I whisper back. “Would I be interested if things were different? Yeah, I can admit that. But he’s still going to leave, Sloan. In a few days.”
“And you think that’ll be the end of it?” He crosses his arms in front of his chest and stares me down.
“He hasn’t given me any reason to think otherwise.” I deliberately leave out that he’s asked me to come to his event, because it would only give Sloan more reason to harp on me, and for my own sanity I have to keep things in perspective.
“For a guy bitching about costumes you sure seem to be into them,” Axel’s booming laugh cuts my thoughts short.
“What’s this?” Sloan leans into Carter and wraps his arms around his waist.
“Your boyfriend is thinking about having a costume event on the slopes. The lift ticket is free on opening day if you’re in costume. What sort of costume can you even have if you’re all bundled up?” Axel shakes his head in disbelief.
“You’d be surprised,” Sloan mutters.
“Ally would take that as a personal challenge.” I bump Sloan’s shoulder and we both burst out laughing.
“What am I missing?” Axel watches us with a mixture of confusion and apprehension.
“Costumes are sort of a way of life here,” Carter explains. “I’m still getting used to it since I only moved here a year ago, but it seems like any event where you dress up is a big draw. That’s why I’m thinking of doing one on the mountain.”
“What sort of dress up?” Axel still looks skeptical.
