“I hate all of it. I have no balance and it hurts when I fall.”
He smiles like I’m cute. “It can’t be that bad. We’ll stick to the easier runs and I’ll give you some pointers.”
“We went skiing when I was sixteen. I ran over three little kids on the way down the bunny slope and lost both my skis when I fell. Ski patrol banned me from the mountain until I took a class.”
He’s still smiling at me like I’m cute. “Well—”
I hold up my hand. “I took a class. Spent most of it on my butt, but I was allowed to get back on the mountain. I fell over in the lift line and tore my ACL.”
He shakes his head, his smile fading. “Just last month, you took the day off from work to go skiing.”
“I went with Cherry and Peach and their guys. I hung out in the lodge by the fire and listened to an audio book until one of them came in for a break or they needed me to get them a table at the restaurant for lunch.”
“You just haven’t had the right teacher,” he says with a straight face. He puts an arm around my shoulders and walks us out of the portrait gallery. “Spend a few hours on the slopes with me tomorrow and I’ll turn you into a skiing addict.”
“Not happening, big guy.”
He glances down at me and must realize I’m an unpenetrable wall of stubborn. “How about I make it worth your while?”
“You don’t have anything I want.”
He’s silent until we’re halfway up the stairs. I still have no idea where the hell we are. This house is an absolute maze.
“If you give me three hours to turn you into a skier, I’ll buy you coffee every day for a month.”
That gives me pause. “From Mistletoe Coffee? With the hint of cinnamon?”
He grimaces. “If that’s what you want, it’s yours.”
That coffee is the best, but it’s at the far end of town and I’m almost always running too late to grab a cup before work. “Fine. You can try to teach me to ski, but you’re going to regret it.”
He laughs like I’m joking. That’s fine. He’ll find out the truth tomorrow.
Too soon, we’re in the bedroom.
“Is this the smallest room in the house?” I ask.
There’s just enough room for one double bed, two nightstands, and a dresser against the wall closest to the door.There’s barely enough floor space for a normal-sized human to stretch out and sleep on the floor.
Garrick looks as happy about this arrangement as I am. “The guest room had to be smaller so that each of the, um, residential bedrooms could be the size of small apartments. Most of them have their own basic kitchens.”
I stare at him. Rich people are so, so weird. “Your parents really expected you all to live here forever.”
His cheeks pink. Again. “And most of us have stayed. It’s very comfortable here and an easy commute to the resort. Mom even had a road built that goes directly there from here. We’d be in my room, but Maisey’s twins have it now. My parents have promised to add an addition to the house if I move back. ”
I don’t even want to think about the bureaucratic nightmare getting a personal road set up must have been. Since becoming mayor, I’ve learned infrastructure never gets built easily or quickly.
Although, the resort probably brings in enough revenue, residents, and tourists that the powers that be give the Rivertons pretty much whatever they want.
I peek into the en suite bathroom, but there’s not even a tub in there.
“I’m not sleeping on the floor. I don’t care if you called dibs.”
Garrick’s smirk tells me everything I need to know as he slips out of his robe and lets it fall to the floor. “Fine. We’ll share the bed.”
Damn, the man is built. Lean and toned and… I jerk my gaze back to his face. “We’re adults. It’ll be fine.”
Keeping my eyes on his, I pull my sweater and the shirt underneath over my head. Standing just in my bra and jeans, I smile at him.
