I’m probably a little bitter, and I also have lost all faith in men, so I nearly gag when Maya bats her eyelashes and smiles sweetly at him. “Must bemylucky day,” she says, “A cute boy coming to save me.”
“Jesus Christ.” I do gag this time. I can’t help it. It’s nauseating. I’m rewarded with the sharp jab of Maya’s elbow in my ribs.
The boy smirks at us. “It just so happens that I knowexactlywhere Cody is.”
“Thank goodness,” I sigh.
His eyes remained glued to Maya. “And I’ll tell you… for the small price of your name.”
Who is this guy? Freakin’ Rumpelstiltskin? I move closer to Maya and hiss in her ear, “Two seconds ago you thought this man was a mass murderer. Do not tell him your name.”
“I’m Maya,” she quips, completely ignoring me. “And this is Darcy.”
I gape at her. “Are youseriousright now?”
She doesn’t even look at me.Am I invisible?!“And your name is…?”
The guy gives a grin so wide that dimples the size of craters appear in his cheeks. At the sight of them, I hear Maya take a shuddering breath.
We’re doomed. Another woman lost to dimples.
“It’s Louis,” he tells her, “Which isn’t nearly as exciting as Maya. That means ‘dream,’ does it not? It fits you well.”
Maya is utterly melting. Her legs tremble, and her lips stretch into a smile so broad, I fear they might split in two. “Yeah, it does. I can’t believe you know that. Nobodyeverknows that.”
“What can I say?” Louis winks. “It’s almost like fate brought us together so I could impress you.”
I’m genuinely sick to my stomach.Get me out of here.“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever?—”
“I think you might be right,” Maya interrupts me. “Do you want to come skiing with us this afternoon?”
“I do,” Louis says. “But I have to work. Don’t you worry, though, dream girl, I’ll see you again later.” He smiles. “For now, how about I get you two ladies where you need to go?”
CHAPTER 4
CODY
“Idon’t understand why I can’t go down that trail,” a middle-aged female guest points higher up in the mountains. She looks at me like I’m an idiot, and I have the fleeting thought that she has a horribly unlovable face.
“Well,Ma’am, since it didn’t seem to sink in the first three times I told you, that’s a Black Diamond trail, and you can’t go on it because you’ll die,” I reply.
Her beady little eyes narrow, and her hands find their way to her hips. “Excuse me? Ipaidfor this trip. Your salary comes out ofmypockets?—”
“I’m sure that’s fascinating,” I interject, “but you still can’t go up there. I’d have to fill outsomuch paperwork if you died, and that’s quite a bit of trouble for me. You understand, don’t you?”
Her face turns beet red, and I think I can see steam starting to flow from her ears.
Uh, oh.
She points a shaky finger at me. “Howdareyou?—”
“Cody!” a distant yell cuts her off. I know that voice. That’s the voice that’s been yelling at me for twenty-three years.
My angry student seems to notice she’s lost my already limited attention because she huffs and clears her throat. Iignore her and turn around, and sure enough, there Maya is. I have never in my life been so glad to hear my baby sister screaming at me.
Maya clumsily tramps through the snow to get to me faster, and behind her, Darcy trails leisurely along, still several yards back.
“Hey!” I call out to them, going to meet my sister halfway—it’s painful watching her struggle through the deep snow.
