At the edge of the resort village, at the base of the mountains, is an outdoor skating rink. There are a handful of skaters moving gracefully around on the ice.
Tears spring to my eyes. The last time I was at a skating rink was with Peach. She was eight, and she was terrible, but she loved to skate.
I miss her so much. She’s set up a website for the wedding and I’ve been checking it and then searching out all the details through as many online searches as I can manage.
We’ve been texting, but I miss the sound of her voice and her smiling face.
Why won’t she let me be there for her?
If Peach had a mean bone in her body, I’d think this is some sort of revenge for something I did, but that’s not Peach.
I don’t want to admit it, don’t even want to think about it, but I’m afraid I’m losing my sister to Nick.
Maybe I need to accept my little sister doesn’t need me anymore.
The thought sends a pang through my chest so sharply I gasp.
“You okay?” Garrick asks.
I swallow hard and look out at the view, letting the cold air push back my tears. “I’m just worried you’re going to make meget out on the ice. I can promise you my balance on skates is no better than it is on skis.”
He chuckles. “I think we both have enough bruises for one day. I’ve got something better to show you.”
He points to a path that winds around the rink and up into the forest. “Taking me into the woods to kill me?”
With a worried glance back, he takes my hand and leads me toward the path. “You still think I’m your enemy?”
“Aren’t you? I’m no good to you as the mayor when the council does the opposite of everything I support or propose. And I’m no good to you as a fake girlfriend since I can’t ski. You could solve all your problems by burying me in a snowbank.”
“Huh,” he says. “I wasn’t planning to make you disappear, but when you put it that way…”
I laugh, as I’m sure he intends, but it feels awkward. This whole thing feels awkward. We both know a different mayor would be better for him and his business.
He must sense the tension I’m feeling, maybe in the way I’m squeezing his hand so tight, because he smiles down at me. “I’m not going to kill you, Demon. You’re way too much fun to torment.”
“Uh-huh. So what torment can I expect in the woods?”
He doesn’t answer, and I don’t run away. Wrong or right, I trust this man not to really hurt me.
And I’m beyond curious to see what he wants to show me, and to find out more about his life here. I never would have thought I’d ever be happy to spend time with Garrick Evergreen, but today has been one of the best days. Even with all the bruises, I’ve had fun.
I’ve had dates take me to fancy restaurants and the hippest clubs and been bored out of my mind. What is it about Garrick Evergreen that makes even something as torturous as skiing fun?
I’m about to ask how much farther we have to go when we step into a clearing. Above us is a small but beautiful waterfall. Parts of it are frozen and glittering in the afternoon sun streaming through the trees, but there’s a good flow of water and I swear it tinkles musically as it falls over the rocks and the ice.
What the hell has this man done to me that I’m hearing water tinkle musically?
“This is gorgeous,” I say. “I can’t believe there’s not a crowd here.”
Garrick swipes snow off a bench and takes a seat. “It’s not advertised and there’s no signage. Only the truly curious find it.”
I sit next to him, the cold of the wood sinking through my leggings immediately. I shiver, but I don’t get up. It’s so pretty here, it’s totally worth a cold ass.
“You brought girls here to make out with, didn’t you?”
He chuckles. “Nah, my siblings came here all the time, and I did not want to be caught by one of them. They would never have let me live it down.”
I shift to look at him. He’s staring out at the waterfall, his expression more at ease and happy than I’ve seen it before. “You really love it here, don’t you?”
