Page 60 of Head Over Skis

‘What! Am I the only one who didn’t see this on my cards? Am I blind?’

‘Blinded by loooove,’ I say, making kissing noises over at her as she splashes me with both hands.

‘Ugh, stop. I can’t cope with this level of revelation right now. I need to chill out,’ she says, hands cupping her cheeks as she takes deep breaths.

‘That’s funny, I didn’t think spas were supposed to be stressful,’ I say, perfectly relaxed now that everything is out in the open. I stretch my legs across the bubbling jets, the water doing wonders for the lingering pain in my ankle.

‘Can we change the subject please, maybe back to you and your ski-instructor lover boy?’

‘I don’t really know what else to say,’ I admit, but then I remember how our conversation ended earlier. ‘Except he asked me if I was free to hang out after our lesson tomorrow.’

‘Do you think he might take you out on a date?’ Meghan claps her hands together.

‘Maybe bang your brains out in some staff-only closet?’

‘Classy as always, Tills,’ I say, and she bows her head in thanks. More herself now that she has someone else’s love life to think about.

I don’t tell them that I haven’t said yes yet. But I let myself think about the prospect of spending time with him again tomorrow, and I can’t deny it makes me feel all fluttery. I have the urge to jump out of the tub, find my phone and text him my answer.

Hearing Tilly say that she thinks it’s okay for me to explore the spark I can’t deny we have, it’s like someone’s come and removed the safety wheels. It’s early, and I can’t be sure of anything, but I do want to give myself some more time to figure it out.

I have no clue what could still happen, but if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that tomorrow I’ll be back on the slopes. And once I’ve towelled off and headed back inside to message Rory, I think I’m going on a date too.

19

Class today has been torturous. You’d think it would be because of the mild pain I can still feel in my ankle, which we’ve bandaged up within an inch of its life, but that’s not the thing making my stomach churn.

It’s the fact that from the moment we started to the moment we finished, Rory’s eyes have been on me like they’re burning each part of my body they fall on. I’m surprised I’ve made it through without becoming a melted puddle in the snow.

Once we’ve finished our final run, everyone disperses, including Meghan and Tilly. They wave as they go to meet the boys, or rather, Meghan waves while Tilly makes inappropriate hand gestures that I choose to ignore. While I’d usually join them, today I’ve got other plans. Ones that have my stomach doing loop-de-loops in the best way, and involve the man who’s taken up all my brain space since we almost had a repeat of our night in London yesterday.

I wait for him to emerge from the instructors’ hut, and in that time someone else skis up to my side.

‘Something’s happened,’ Penny says, her voice making me jump. I could’ve sworn she’d skied off with the others.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I say back, adjusting my gloves and avoiding her gaze because that woman can read minds like they’re books if you give her the chance.

‘Hmm, you’ve had an energy about you today,’ she says, and I can sense her eyes scanning me up and down before she follows my gaze to the hut, which Rory has now emerged from. ‘He’s got it too. Nope, there’s no use fooling me, honey, especially with him mysteriously missing our class yesterday.’

She nods her head resolutely, and I try to keep my composure, but she’s hit the nail on the head and she knows it.

‘Not that I mind, that Kevin was very dishy.’

‘Careful, or Bill’s going to hear you,’ I whisper back, eyes darting around to see where her husband has gotten to.

I spot him grumbling at his skis as he leans them on the racks outside the après bar, but they keep slipping off.

‘Oh you needn’t worry about that, he’s half-deaf these days anyway.’ She pats me on the arm before wandering over to help, her place quickly becoming filled with the person I’d been anxiously waiting for.

‘Are you ready?’ Rory asks, and my heart skips.

‘Given the fact you’ve told me nothing about what we’ll be doing, what do you think?’

‘Fair point,’ he says, bobbing his head from side to side before reaching out his hand. ‘Do you trust me?’

It’s stupid, I know, but the answer to that question comes easily even if I don’t want to admit it.

‘Maybe a little,’ I confess as I take his hand, letting him lead me through a gap in the trees off to the side of the training slope. We walk like that for a while, hand in hand with our skis left behind inside the instructors’ cabin.