Page 49 of Head Over Skis

‘What?’ I ask.

‘I was wondering, isn’t everything worthwhile in life a risk though?’

His words surprise me. Is he saying that a life without risk isn’t worthwhile? At all?

I’d say my life has been better, or at least easier, since I decided to take the safer road. Maybe I could’ve been happier if I’d decided to pursue art, but in my mind it’s a very small maybe compared with the much larger possibility of everything being so much worse.

‘Not when a risk backfires and takes not only you but everyone around you down with it,’ I say with assurance, hoping for an end to this conversation.

Thankfully my stomach pipes up, its rumbling easy to hear even from underneath the blanket. I give Rory a sheepish grin. ‘Do you happen to have anything other than hot chocolate in this million-pound treehouse?’

‘Yes,’ he laughs, ‘and also it’s not a million pounds.’ He takes my mug from me, gesturing back towards the house. ‘More like two,’ he says, winking as he closes the balcony doors behind us to keep in the heat.

‘You’re joking!’ I shout, wishing David was here to verify as I waddle over to the window seat with the blanket wrapped around my shoulders.

‘Either you’re the most well-paid ski instructor in the world, or you’ve got some side-hustle going on I don’t know about. Let me think…’ I cross my arms as I stare at him. ‘Are you a sugar baby?’

He throws his head back at that, and I’m glad we’ve finally returned to a lighter mood.

‘I’m only asking because I’ve had requests myself, and if this is the life I’m missing out on, I won’t be blocking their accounts next time!’

‘Unfortunately not. This and the flat in London are funded by a combination of my work here and some investments passed over to me from my dad,’ he says, and I realise this is the first time he’s mentioned him.

While he constructs our cheese toasties I glance back over at the table of photos, confirming again that there aren’t any that show a man who could be his dad. The only guy I can see at all is Kevin.

Rory carries two plates over to the window seat, sitting opposite where I’ve settled and lifting his legs up to mirror mine. He doesn’t start eating, his stare vacant as he takes in the view. Thoughts seemingly somewhere else.

‘You okay?’

His head jerks back to me, then down at his plate.

‘Yeah, sorry about that. Dig in,’ he says, still shaking his head like he’s trying to brush off whatever thoughts had taken over. Following his lead, I take a bite and immediately feel so much better once I get a mouthful of cheddar and tomato. My satisfaction must be evident because Rory smiles, nodding down at my sandwich.

‘You’d be a pretty cheap date then,’ he says, and I take another bite before replying, my stomach thankfully no longer protesting.

‘I don’t know, you’d have to ask Adam,’ I say, meaning it as a non-comment, but it comes out sharper than I was going for.

‘I must admit from what I’ve heard about this guy, he sounds like…’ Rory trails off, and I worry about how he’s planning on finishing that sentence.

‘Sounds like… what?’

I’m not sure what I’m expecting, given that I know I haven’t painted him in the fairest light in my conversations with Rory.

‘Like he doesn’t deserve you,’ he settles on, and I stop, sandwich half lifted towards my face.

It’s not the response I was expecting.

It’s something… sweeter. Is he flirting again? Or was that pity? I wish Tilly was here to set me straight.

‘I don’t know, he may have some issues, but he’s not the only one. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about me either,’ I say, realising that answer was nowhere near the realm of flirting back, and now I’ve fallen into a self-pity trap. No, worse. I’ve tripped right into a self-pity grave. Oh god, what is wrong with me?

‘I mean, I can’t even ski down an easy red,’ I add, trying to make a joke out of my self-deprecation, but I can tell he doesn’t buy it.

‘Why do you do that? Put yourself down?’

‘I don’t know,’ I admit, unsure whether this is a post break-up thing, or if I’ve said things like this before.

Still trying to ignore Rory’s continued stare, I tap my phone and a recent text from Tilly that I hadn’t heard come through lights up the screen.