“Are you alive?” Her brother’s voice echoed down the hill, and she lifted a thumbs-up in response before standing up and dusting snow from her legs. Esa’s suggestion to make use of Toboggan Hill had been a good one. They had each grabbed a sled, confident the hill was far enough from the guesthouse that they wouldn’t have to worry about waking their parents.
After the heaviness of their conversation, and the emotions conjured by her brother’sChristmas Carolreenactment, they needed to let loose and do something fun. It wasn’t lost on Sameera that they never could have done this in Atlanta—not only because of the lack of snow, but because it had been a while since all three of them had been in the same place at the same time. A deep contentment stole over her at the thought.
Her sister was already hurtling down the hill when Sameera started to climb up for another run. Esa took another turn, raising his arms like Sameera had done, as if he were on a roller coaster, but he made it only halfway before tipping off the sled. From the bottom of the hill, Nadiya mocked their lack of sledding know-how, and Esa respondedby trying to throw a snowball at his older sister. He missed, which led to more catcalls and trash-talking.
Sameera was starting her third trek back up the hill when a familiar figure in a blue parka materialized out of the trees.
“Can anyone join, or is this a private function?” Tom asked, and her heart melted. It had been doing that more and more lately, whenever she caught sight of her fake boyfriend.
He looked up to the top of the hill, where Esa waved. “Your brother invited me. He said he was outnumbered by girls. I tried to wake up Cal, but he was out cold. Who is that standing beside him?”
“Nadiya flew in to join us,” Sameera said. She couldn’t see Esa’s face in the dark but could imagine his impish delight.
Esa bounced on his feet with excitement when Tom joined them. “What? Tom is my mentor. And technically, this hill belongs to him. For now.”
Tom turned to Sameera with a questioning look, but before she could respond, Esa had jumped on his sled and challenged Tom to a race. He had time only to nod a greeting at Nadiya before he was hurtling down the hill after Esa.
Nadiya nudged her sister. “You should tell him what Andy said, and soon. Or you could do as Andy says and save your job. Alternatively, you could play both men against each other, just to see what happens. That’s what I would do.”
“Thanks for clarifying my options,” Sameera said dryly. The sisters watched Tom try to steer his sled into Esa and end up landing in a heap instead. “Thank you for coming here. I don’t need rescuing, but I appreciate the backup,” Sameera added quietly.
Nadiya shrugged. “Oxford was getting boring anyway.” Another pause as they watched their brother and Tom shake powdery snow from their clothes, then trudge up the hill. “You’ve already made up your mind about what you’re going to do,” she said.
Sameera nodded. “There’s no other option, not really,” she said. Beside her, Nadiya was silent.
Later, Sameera completed the proper introductions when the sisters joined Tom at the bottom of the hill. She didn’t miss Nadiya’s assessing gaze, or Tom’s nervous air.
“I thought Sameera had joined a cult when she told me she was flying to Alaska,” Nadiya said. “Still not convinced she hasn’t. I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Tom Cooke. If that is your real name.”
Tom visibly swallowed. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”
By the time they’d all enjoyed another few turns down the hill, Nadiya had almost stopped scowling at Tom. For her part, Sameera couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. Her grin was wide as cold wind whipped her face, filling her entire body with a heady sense of exhilaration. Her legs were starting to ache from scampering up and down the hill, and when her sled tipped over again, throwing her onto the soft, fluffy snow at the bottom, she looked up at the night sky and tried to catch her breath.
Andy Shaikh’s handsome, smirking face appeared above her. “Having fun without me?” he asked, holding out a hand to pull her up.
She ignored it and clambered to her feet, eyeing him warily. “Believe it or not, we were doing just fine before you turned up, Andy.”
“Impossible.” He always seemed to show up where he was least wanted. As Sameera took in his meticulously groomed face and hair and clocked his knowing smile, she was yanked out of her pleasant interlude and reminded of her dilemma: stuck between personal betrayal on one side and personal ruin on the other. Which Andy well knew.
She was still dusting the snow from her half-frozen pants when Tom, Esa, and Nadiya joined them, her sister frowning at this latest intruder.
Esa held out his hands. “Don’t look at me, I didn’t invite him. I don’t even have Andy’s number. Tom wouldn’t give it to me.”
“One of my many talents is always knowing where the after-party is,” Andy said. His gaze lingered on Nadiya, and he unrolled a slow smile just for her. “You must be the remarkable older sister, about whom I have heard so much. Hello, gorgeous. I have a plane on the other side of those trees, if you want to get out of here.”
Nadiya curled her lip in disdain. “Was that your puddle jumper? I didn’t know they made them that small.”
Esa laughed out loud, and even Tom smiled. Andy blinked before joining in the laughter. “What if I told you I have a bigger plane in Atlanta?”
“I’ve heard that one before,” Nadiya said, a trace of humor in her eyes. “Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Shaikh.”
Andy clearly wasn’t used to be being trolled to his face, and wasn’t sure what to do about it. “You seem too smart to mind a bit of scandal. Can I interest you in a moonlit stroll?” he asked.
“Easy, tiger,” Tom said as Sameera laughed quietly. If Andy thought he could charm her sister with a few pretty words, he was in for a swift lesson.
“If I was in the habit of taking late-night strolls, it would hardly be with you,” Nadiya said.
“What did you mean earlier, when you said Toboggan Hill belonged to me—for now?” Tom said, turning to Esa. “Has Calvin declared ownership already?” He was smiling, but there was tension behind his words. The Malik siblings exchanged glances.
