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“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely amazing.”
It wasn’t just the views but the extravagance of it all that caught my attention. I had experienced a lot of luxury while with my best friend and her family, but this was a whole other level. I looked around and spotted a couple of hot tubs, one right there on the deck overlooking the mountains.
“Let’s get in the pool, it’s getting a bit chilly for me, but once you’re in the water… it’s so nice.”
Kat walked down the graded entrance to the pool, slowly lowering her body into the water until she was covered up to her shoulders. She turned and looked at me. “Are you coming or what?”
I slowly walked into the pool, the water an absolute perfect temperature. It didn’t feel hot or warm on my skin; it was almost as if it were perfectly tuned to my body temperature.
I swam out to Kat who was now at the edge, her arms hanging over the side. I matched her stance and looked all around, taking in the scenery and breathing in the chilly air.
“This is amazing,” I said again. I felt like I was saying that a lot, but I was at a loss for words.
We were on top of the world, or so it felt like it. Even though Mont Blanc was higher, we still overlooked the beautiful valleys below. The sky was clear and blue, making the snow almost a blinding white around us.
We stayed there in silence for a few moments, just taking in the landscape, when we heard voices from the entrance.
Kat groaned.
“Looks like the peanut gallery decided to join us,” she said.
I turned to find the Bishop triplets standing where we stood only moments earlier.
I had seen them naked only a couple hours ago, and yet, seeing them in their swimsuits nearly did me in. My heart raced, and I felt warm, too warm. My stomach flipped and flopped, and I could feel my cheeks burning. I was afraid Kat would notice the way I was looking at her brothers and say something.
“Hope we’re not disturbing you two,” Nathan said with a smile.
“You always disturb us, but we don’t have dibs on the pool,” Kat said.
“I’m not here for the pool anyway,” Jackson said. I noticed his gaze fell on my cleavage, which was barely floating above the water.
Kat must have noticed too. “Perv, can you not make my BFF uncomfortable with your gawking?”
Jackson just smirked and walked over to the hot tub off to the side. His brothers joined him, though Aiden hesitated, as if considering joining us in the pool. He looked over at Kat, and I remembered our conversation from earlier. I wondered if he had meant what he said—would he make amends with his sister? I hoped so. I knew the two of them were both considered the black sheep of the family; they had a lot in common, and at times that brought them together, so I had hope that maybe they could have a decent relationship someday.
It was hard trying not to steal glances at the boys ripped abs over in the hot tub, so I focused my attention on the scenery outside instead.
I floated on my back, feeling weightless and breathing in the mountain air.
“A girl could get used to this,” I muttered out loud.
Kat was floating beside me.
“You know, you don’t have to go back to New York City if you don’t want to,” she said.
I stood up and looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“You could stay with us,” she replied. “We have plenty of room, and my mom loves you, she would give you a room if you asked.”
A lump formed in my throat. The reality was I had to return to New York eventually and face my ex. My whole life was there. I had my dissertation to finish. I had classes that I was in charge of teaching. I had research I was working on.
But the very idea of returning to all of that filled me with dread.
“Earth to Harper,” Kat said, pulling me back to the present.
“Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking.”
