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“Yeah,” I replied. “I’d have to say that he is probably one of the hottest men I have ever met up close. If you thought he was hot in his ski gear, you should have seen him in jeans and a Henley. His muscles filled out, like, the entire thing.”
“Uh oh, sounds like someone has a crush.” Hailey snickered.
“No.” I blushed. “Can’t I just think a guy is, like, super hot? Besides, I don’t have a chance in the world. Have you seen the kind of girls that are floating around this place? They are like supermodels.”
“Girl, you are freaking gorgeous,” Hailey said. “And on top of it, you are smart, hardworking, and you have an actual personality. Those hookers have daddy’s money and really good plastic surgeons.”
“Still, they are much hotter than me,” I said. “And I am terrible when it comes to talking to guys. I get all kinds of out of sorts, and can barely put a sentence together. I have never been the girl that could pick up men.”
“You picked up Grant,” Hailey pointed out.
“No, he picked me up.” I laughed. “I just talked about random nonsense the whole time, and luckily, or not depending on how you look at it, he found me charming.”
“You are charming,” she said, smiling. “And it looks like you are going to have your chance to talk to Cameron, after all.”
We looked up at the entrance to the bar and watched as Cameron walked inside, ruffling his black hair with his hands and pushing up the sleeves of his sweater. He was so handsome, with his snow pants lingering on the edge of his hips and his smile the perfect Colgate-commercial white. The suspenders to his pants were off his body and laying to the side, giving him the appeal of a hot fireman. Immediately, I could feel the heat push into my cheeks, and I fanned myself, trying to slow down my heart rate. Hailey looked over and pushed my mouth closed, a giggle coming from her chest. Cameron walked over to the bar and nodded at the bartender, reaching across and taking the bottle of beer from his hand. He took a sip and set it down, turning and looking around the room. Finally, his eyes landed on me and Hailey, and my heart skipped a beat.
Our eyes locked, and I gasped slightly, trying to find my footing as his mouth curled up into a smile. I grinned back and then looked down, grabbing my napkin and fiddling with it as he pulled himself away from the bar. Hailey looked at me confused.
“He’s coming,” I said under my breath.
“Perfect,” she whispered. “Just be your amazing self. You will do great.”
I looked up in panic as Hailey picked up her mug and walked off, Cameron getting closer by the second. I could feel the sweat in my palms start to rain down, and I grasped my mug with two hands, turning back toward the bar. What was I supposed to even do? I hadn’t talked to another man in three years, let alone in a situation where we were probably going to be flirting. I took in a deep breath as he walked up next to me, the smell of his cologne seeping into my brain and making me hazy.
“May I sit down?”
“Sure,” I said, looking and smiling.
“You are Bea, from my class, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied, swallowing a drink of my coffee. “It was a really great class. I think I might pick up skiing when I get back home.”
“Well, you seem like a complete natural,” he replied with a smile. “I am glad I could give you the confidence to actually get on the slopes. I’ve been skiing for a very long time, and I couldn’t imagine my life without being able to escape to the snow.”
“So, you have been instructing for a long time?”
“Since I was about nineteen, back at home in Vermont,” he said. “I started skiing when I was a little kid and just really caught the bug for it. I competed, I trained, and then I realized how much I loved it when there wasn’t any pressure on me to be the best. So, I quit competitions and started teaching. My buddy Glen and I created our freelance company, so we pretty much get to ski almost every week of the year.”
“That’s awesome,” I replied. “I stay at home all the time in my home office. I wish I had chosen to travel more. I mean, with my job, I can do it anywhere in the world that has internet. For some reason, though, I decided to settle down in my own home town.”
“Well, I am sure you are amazing at your craft,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with settling down. I’m sure the Mister is happy to have you home.”
“Oh.” I laughed. “There is no Mister. just me.”
“I see,” he said, smiling.
“How about you?”
“No.” He chuckled. “It’s just me and my skis, and Glen, of course, but he’s my best friend, so I don’t mind having him with me.”
“Hailey has been my best friend for many years,” I said. “She is the whole reason that I am here for the Christmas holiday.”
“Nice, you took a girls’ trip,” he replied.
“Kind of,” I said. “My boyfriend of three years and I broke up, and she thought I needed a vacation.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said kindly.
