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I went over to Shellene, who was skating little figure eights. She was adorable. “You’re a really good skater,” I told her.
She blushed. “Thanks, Thane. You too. Where did you learn to skate?”
“I played hockey until I was about eleven years old. It wasn’t for me,” I told her.
“How come I never knew that?”
“Not sure. It’s not something Lila would likely mention. How about you?”
“Oh, I was a figure skater until grade twelve when I realized I would never be in the Olympics. It was a dream I’d had, but I just wasn’t good enough,” Shellene told me.
“How comeInever knew that?”
Shellene giggled. We skated around the rink a few times, having some laughs. She was a sweet girl although a little too boring for me. I looked around the room until I located Darcy. My heart started pounding when I saw that she was with Lyle.What the hell?He had her hand in his and was leading her around the rink. I was seething.
I took Shellene’s hand and spun her around a few times. I took special care to flirt with her while doing so. I glanced over at Darcy and was satisfied when I saw her looking back at me with a confused look. She looked away quickly and focused her attention back on Lyle. I’d have to have a little chat with him to let him know Darcy was off limits.
* * *
Darcy
Why does he keep hitting on Shellene?It shouldn’t bother me, but I was protective of my friends. I didn’t want him sniffing around anyone I knew. I honestly didn’t know if I was protecting my friend or jealous. I shook my head. Ithadto be concern for Shellene’s well-being because if it was the latter, then I was in deep trouble.
“You’re doing so much better,” Lyle praised. He took my hand and spun me around slowly, holding onto my arms as soon as I came out of the spin to prevent me from falling flat on my face.
“Thanks to you,” I told him. “I appreciate you taking pity on me.”
“How come you never learned to skate as a kid?” Lyle asked, taking my hand and leading me around again.
I shrugged. I didn’t feel like telling him all about my sordid past and how I didn’t have enough money to buy skates or enough time to learn (since I was so busy raising my sister and babysitting my mother). I changed the subject quickly. “Oh, look. I think everyone’s getting ready to leave.”
When we got back to the cabin, Regan offered to make dinner with Shellene as his sous-chef. No one was going to argue, but Remi, Addison, and Lila ended up in the kitchen to help him.
I decided now was a good time to take a small nap since Addison was busy learning to cook with the other girls. I couldn’t help but let my thoughts drift to Thane. I couldn’t get a read on him. Most of the time he was doing everything to piss me off, but then he would make a genuinely nice gesture.What the fuck? Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?
I tried closing my eyes, but I could only think about Thane. I sat up. Maybe if I read a book, it would take my mind off him. I was reading about improving my discipline skills and becoming better organized.
After 10 minutes of reading the same paragraph over and over, I stood up and decided I would go for a walk outside. That ought to do it. It was peaceful outside, and I loved the sound of the snow crunching under my boots. I breathed in the fresh air and stopped to take some pictures of a deer that was passing through. I decided I would have to do a better job of ignoring Thane. Sometimes you had to be a little firm when you wanted people to back off. I’d learned that the hard way, several times. Growing up, I didn’t have many close relationships, but that was mostly because I was either taking care of my family or working one of the three jobs I had while doing my homework assignments.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out. It was a text from Thane.
Thane: Where are you? Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes.
Ugh, why can’t he just leave me alone?I’d have to have a talk with him at some point. This was getting ridiculous. I didn’t like Thane in my business.And I don’t like that deep down I’m happy he cared enough to realize I’m not there.
I felt bad that I wasn’t helping with dinner preparations, but there already seemed to be too many cooks in the kitchen. I would help tomorrow. I walked back to the cabin a little faster and couldn’t believe how far I’d gone. The sun was almost set behind the horizon, so I guessed it was nearing five o’clock. My stomach grumbled, causing me to walk even faster.
I managed to get through dinner without talking to Thane at all, though he kept looking in my direction the entire time. What had gotten into him? He never used to bother me so much.
We all hung out by the fireplace, sipping our wine from dinner. Regan and the girls had whipped up the most delicious Asian chicken curry dinner. You could tell Regan was a renowned chef, and we were getting his expertise for free.
“Who’s up for a game of truth or dare?” Shellene asked. She seemed so excited.
We all looked at each other, probably all thinking the same thing. Truth or dare can get a little dicey, but I was all for stirring things up.
“I’m game,” I answered.
Lila, Remi, and Addison all agreed. The guys were harder to sell on the idea, but Shellene put on her charm and won them all over.
