AllFreeNovel
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”I promise. I think this is the beginning of something beautiful. Let’s protect and cherish it.“ Her radiant smile infuses me with faith that I may, after all these years, bag my dream girl.
A slew of voices snap us out of our reverie. We pull apart and grab our coats. Shay pulls on her boots as the outside world intrudes into our love hut. Together, we emerge out the door and walk to the gondola. The operators give us curious glances as we board, but we ignore them and settle in for the ten-minute ride back to reality.
When the door closes and we start down the mountain, I find myself reaching out, my hand finding Shay’s. Our fingers intertwine. She leans against my shoulder as we look out at the wonder of and beauty of the mountain. It’s quiet. Peaceful. I’m lulled into a state of contentment…
“Shit. We didn’t grab our stuff from the restaurant.” Shay springs away from me, panicked. “My purse. Planner. Everything is up there and I have to teach yoga in half an hour.”
“I’ll ride back around and get it.” I pet her hair to soothe her.
“But I’ll be late…” She whirls toward me.
I wrap her in my arms and kiss her forehead. “Shhh. I got you. When we get down, go to your room. Freshen up. I’ll bring it to you. It’s fine.”
“I can’t believe I forgot.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Are you mad?”
Her words are like a gut punch. For the past two weeks I’ve deliberately made her life hell. Made her feel less-than. Incompetent. When she’s anything but. This retreat proved it. “Shay. Baby. No, I’m not mad. We need a reset on this working-together thing too.” I kiss her sweet lips. “I’ve got your back. That’s how we roll at the company. I’m so sorry that I treated you differently.”
“Okay.” She relaxes. “Thank you.”
I reassure her. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
“So you got stuck on the mountain with my sister.” Stodge slugs me in the arm. We’re finished with the Appreciation Awards and are grabbing lunch before heading back to Seattle. Shay is nowhere to be found, but I assume she’s busy closing out all of the retreat paperwork.
I load up my bowl with rice, spicy tuna, and salmon. Toss on some edamame. Pickles. Crispy wontons. Extra sauce of course. “We hashed things out. It’s fine. She’s great. I think all of the shit is behind us.”
“How in the fuck did you miss the gondola?” His eyebrows furrow. “More importantly, how in the fuck did no one notice?”
I hate that I can’t tell Miles the full truth. “We were in an intense conversation on the patio and didn’t even notice. We were resourceful, though, and holed up in the ski patrol cabin. It even had a heater.”
“What’s that smile? Don’t tell me you’re crushing on her again.” Miles laughs. “God, you’re a sucker for punishment.”
Crushing. I should be the one who’s laughing. Not that I’m going to tell my best friend I fucked his sister all night long. That wouldn’t be ideal. Not even a little. “We talked a lot. She told me about her epilepsy. Slept. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Stodge’s eyes widen. “Wow. That’s huge. Practically no one knows. Not even Devon knew.”
I try hard to contain my shock. The man she dated for nearly a decade didn’t know about her epilepsy?
She and I are going to have a conversation about that.
“Anyway, I’m glad you worked it out. Your attitude was getting to be a real pain in the hole.” He shakes sesame seeds on his poke bowl concoction.
We take our seats together. The attendance is sparse. Most of the team are either skiing, packing, or sleeping. “I’m sorry. I should have been a little more mature about all of it.”
“Forgiven,” Miles says through a mouthful of raw fish. He swallows and adds, “Don’t get any bright ideas about you and her being friends. Or dating. She needs to work on herself for a while. Deal with some shit.”
“Yeah…” I cover up my discomfort by shoving another forkful of poke in my mouth.
I’m in real trouble if Miles is seriously laying down the law.
If I’m not careful, I could have a real shitshow on my hands.
Because I’m not giving her up.
Not even for Miles.
Chapter sixteen
Shay
