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CHAPTER 6
Addisyn gritted herteeth as the bike clanked annoyingly, grinding through its gears while she pedaled. What a cantankerous contraption.
Once again she berated herself for the impulse buy. She’d been on her way home from work the afternoon before—walking, as usual—when she passed the Wheel Power Bicycle Shop, a tidy corner establishment right in the middle of the Whistler Village. With the late April sun melting the remains of the snow and the sky beginning to soften into a particularly beautiful shade of blue, Addisyn had suddenly envisioned herself gleefully biking to and from work each day. She could even use a bike to check out some of the cool local sites, which she was ready to explore now that winter was over. And, after the rigorously athletic lifestyle she’d once led, even her grueling gym workouts weren’t satiating her need to move. Biking would help take the edge off—especially in a community as outdoorsy and athletic as Whistler.
Yes, it had sureseemedlike a good idea.
She gripped the handlebars more tightly and swerved to miss a pothole. The steering was looser than she expected, and she nearly pitched off the curb. Addisyn released a slow, even breath, determined not to lose her cool. When she’d returned earlier this morning to purchase the bike and plunked down the price of $89.99, the proprietor of the shop had assured her that it rode “like a dream.”
A nightmare?she asked herself wryly.
Well, it was what she could expect from a bike that cost less than a good pair of tennis shoes. The coffee shop was fewer than three blocks away now. She maneuvered around the corner—narrowly missing the street sign. Too late, she remembered the final hill. She leaned forward over the handlebars, determined to churn upwards, and tried to downshift. Not early enough. In a cacophony of snappings and rattlings, the chain slipped loose.
Momentum was too much, and with an impact that felt as if it were flattening her ribcage, Addisyn landed on the pavement. Her hands flew out to catch her even as she slid across the asphalt. The bike flopped over in its own ungraceful way—partially beside her and partially on top of her.
Addisyn sucked in a ragged breath and fought the tears pooling in her eyes. She was no stranger to falling. She did it all the time on the ice—had even broken her shoulder blade once in a devastating fall out of a triple Lutz. But this—this was different. She wasn’t used to falling on asphalt, wasn’t used to the rough surface scraping her palms.
And maybe she was also tired of falling with no one to help her stand back up.
She was vaguely aware of a car pulling close to the curb. As she struggled to raise her head, the tingles on the back of her neck told her who was there before he said a word.
Oh no.
“You all right?”
Darius. That compassionate tenor voice with a hint of West Coast accent could only be him.
Addisyn couldn’t even meet his eyes. “Uh...sure. Yeah.”
As if she had intended to recline here on a public thoroughfare, underneath a clunker bike.
Awkwardly she began the attempt to rise, but the bike pinned her down. Shame seared her cheeks. She had to be the world-record holder for Most Unattractive-acting Female.
Darius swung himself out of his car door, his gaze riveted on her. “Are you hurt?” He reached back inside the car to switch on his hazard lights, then closed the few feet between them.
“Uh...” Before she could say anything, he had grabbed her shoulders and untangled her from the bike, gently helping her to her feet. He held onto her shoulders even after she was upright and leaned back to look in her face. “Okay?”
She shrugged, determined to laugh it off. “Sure, I guess. I just—well...” She brushed her stinging palms against her leggings. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken that hard of a fall.”
“Hey, falls are never easy.” His tone was warm and caring—like a sympathetic hug. He released her shoulders and bent to straighten her bike. “Looks like your chain slipped.”
She groaned. “Don’t even bring that up! I bought that contraption for a good ninety bucks today.” Her grin eased the pain of the accident.
He laughed. “Looks like you got your money’s worth.”
She assumed a façade of mock dignity. “Hey, now I never said I was good at negotiating. I’m not a business guru.”
“No, you’re a barista. And a super one at that.” His words were muffled as he bent over her tire. “Are you on your way to work?”
“Yes.” Addisyn sighed and flicked an embedded bit of gravel off her palm. “I’ll probably be late now.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll give you a lift. Get you there in no time.” Darius was tinkering with the chain, his fingers crawling nimbly along its links. “You know what, your chain actually broke.”
She groaned. “No. You’re kidding.”
“Wish I were.” He sat back on his heels and winced apologetically at her. “You won’t be riding this till we get it fixed.”
“Ugh.” Addisyn groaned. She’d wasted her money, she was late for work, Darius had seen her lying on the pavement like a wet washrag, and now her bike was smashed on its maiden voyage. Could anything else go wrong? “I know nothing about fixing a bike.”
