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“I want to go,” said Claire.
“Me, too,” said Hannah.
“This is a great idea. Josh will think choosing to shop rather than ski is a sacrilege.” Emily chuckled. “And so will Charlie.”
“Have we got a general plan of action?” asked Anne.
Everyone murmured agreement and dispersed, with Grace promising to bring Olivia up to speed on their plans.
Returning downstairs, Emily spotted Derek examining a trail map with Charlie, who was holding Chloe on her hip.
“Where have you been?” asked Spencer. “We’re all ready to go.”
“I forgot to brush my teeth,” said Emily, giving him a kiss. “But I’m ready now. This is gonna be a great day.”
CHARLIE THOUGHT OLIVIA seemed to have turned over a new leaf. She was chatting excitedly with Josh, while hanging onto his arm. Charlie couldn’t hear what she was saying, but Josh seemed less than enthused at their interaction. Perhaps he was simply tired. He was carrying all of his equipment along with Olivia’s. Jace was struggling a bit with walking in his ski boots while carrying his skis and poles, but he stubbornly refused Charlie’s help. She smiled at his proud expression as he strained with the effort.
Charlie managed to catch up with Josh and Olivia, since they were making slower progress.
Olivia said. “Josh, do you want to go shopping with us girls this afternoon? We could use someone to carry all of our purchases.”
“You want me to go with you? And skip an entire afternoon of skiing?” Josh’s expression bordered on revulsion.
“It’s only half a day. I love shopping. You might as well get used to it. We’ll be going shopping all the time after we’re married.”
Charlie pushed past them hurriedly, not wanting to hear any more about their future together as a married couple. She wished them the best, but she certainly didn’t want to think about it. She was almost grateful when Derek joined her, since his company would distract her from the distressing conversation she’d just overheard. But Derek was acting extra affectionate, and she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with him, even though he was only doing what she’d asked him to do.
He slung his arm over her shoulder and leaned in to kiss her without breaking a stride.
“That’s not necessary,” Charlie hissed.
“Sure it is. They’re walking right behind us. Both of them saw it happen. It was perfect.”
As they rode up the gondola, Derek continued his possessive touching. He kept a hand on her arm or around her shoulder. He kissed her cheek and nuzzled her neck until her face must have been crimson.
“You’re supposed to be enjoying this. You look like I’m torturing you.” He chuckled in her ear.
“I think you’re going a bit overboard,” she complained in a low voice. “This is too much stuff in public for me. I think you can stop for now.”
“Emily said I needed to be more aggressive. She said last night, when I kissed you, it seemed to be a turning point for Olivia.”
“Really?” She cast a doubtful glance at Olivia. “Okay, if Emily said that, I’ll try to go along with it. But don’t do it unless you’re sure she’s watching.”
“She’s looking right now,” said Derek. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her on the lips, a slow lingering kiss. And Charlie felt... mortified. Derek’s lips didn’t rouse any passion in her, even though he was attractive and smart. Was Josh the only man who could spark a fire inside her? Maybe she’d simply built it up in her mind. After all, he’d only kissed her twice, two years ago.
“Try that again.” Charlie closed her eyes, ignoring the fact she was in public, and concentrating on Derek.
“Wow.” Derek pulled back, blinking his eyes in surprise. “That uhmm... That was nice.”
EMILY SMIRKED THE FIRST time Derek kissed Charlie on the gondola. Her humiliated expression and Josh’s stormy one demonstrated the plan progressing well. But something was different about the second kiss. Josh still appeared to be swallowing bile in his throat, but Charlie seemed a bit too enthusiastic. Emily shot a questioning glance to Derek, who answered with a perplexed look and a shrug. Perhaps Charlie had truly given up hope with Josh, and she was letting herself actually become attracted to Derek.
She heard her mom’s voice in her ear. “I think we’re letting things with Derek go a bit too far.”
“Yeah. I saw that. Any suggestions?”
“I only need one lift ride with her,” she said smugly. “And probably one lift ride with Josh toward the end of the morning, after Olivia’s had a chance to work on him a bit.”
“What are you going to say?”
