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“Yep. You’ve graduated from the beginner slope.”
“Wow,” Aria said, suitably impressed that the young girl enjoyed skiing and seemed to be good at it. “That’s great.”
“I think you could learn without breaking a bone.” Layla’s expression was serious. “I’ve never broken a bone.”
“A lot of kids around here learn to ski,” Wilder said. “It’s a family outing.”
Aria didn’t know much about what families did together if they were more outdoorsy. She’d just assumed they went on walks or rode bikes.
“Does everyone in your family ski?”
Wilder sighed as he shook his head. “Unfortunately not. Charli does, and so does Zane. Skylar doesn’t love it, but she’ll hit the slopes every once in a while. Cole and Jay are all about basketball, and neither of them want to risk getting hurt and not being able to play. Gareth only skis if his buddies are hitting the slopes.”
“It’s not my favorite thing to do,” Gareth agreed. “I’d rather hike or ride a bike on the trails or kayak. All summer things. Winter isn’t necessarily my favorite season.”
None of those were things that Aria had ever really done much of, and she didn’t envision that changing. She was glad that Janessa’s interests lined up more with hers.
Aria didn’t talk with everyone there that evening, but she enjoyed those that she did converse with. It was also nice to see Gareth in a more relaxed environment. He smiled and laughed easily, which made him seem much more approachable.
At the same time, it was odd to socialize with her boss. She’d done a small amount of socializing with co-workers, but that had usually been with nurses or aides. Rarely with the doctors.
This was definitely a whole new experience for her, and she hoped she wouldn’t mess anything up.
The next afternoon, Aria left her bedroom, dressed in an outfit that Janessa had approved. Even though she didn’t know much about basketball, she found herself excited about attending the game.
“You look great,” Janessa said when Aria walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.
“With your help,” Aria reminded her.
She knew that a basketball game wasn’t an event with a dress code unless you were a player or a cheerleader. Still, she hadn’t wanted to stand out because she wore the wrong thing. She was comfortable in the fitted jeans and dark blue sweater with a draped neck that Janessa had chosen from her clothes. Janessa also wore jeans, along with a baby pink turtleneck sweater.
“I’m bringing some water, because if we start yelling, we’re gonna need something to drink.”
“We’re going to yell?” Aria asked.
“You betcha.” Janessa grinned as she slipped a couple of bottles of water into a large shoulder bag. “If Cole gets that ball and heads for the basket, we’ll all go a little crazy.”
“Your parents will be there too?”
“Yep. Most of us try to make any game that family members are playing in. Jay was the star for the years he played at the high school. That’s how he ended up with a scholarship to college.”
“Are we going?” Layla asked as she skipped into the kitchen, with her mother trailing behind her.
Aria had known the girl for less than a week, but Layla never failed to bring a smile to Aria’s face when she was around. She was a little ray of sunshine, and Aria wasn’t sure she’d seen the girl actually walk normally anywhere yet.
“Yep,” Janessa said. “I think we’re ready.”
The four of them left the house and piled into Charli’s small SUV. Aria sat in the back with Layla, listening as the little girl talked about her hope to be a cheerleader like Skylar one day.
The parking lot at the high school made it clear that this was anevent. It took a couple of minutes for Charli to find a parking spot. Once she turned off the car, they all climbed out and headed for the doors of the high school. Layla held hands with her mom as she bounced along beside her.
Other people were also walking toward the building and called out greetings to Charli and Janessa.
“Looking forward to seeing Cole win this game for us tonight,” one man said with a big grin.
“I’m sure he’ll try his best,” Charli replied.
They made their way into the building and down a wide hall lined with classrooms and lockers. It brought back memories… not all of them good. She’d spent most of her high school trying to get good enough grades to qualify for scholarships, since that was going to be the only way she could afford to go to college.
