We drank a little more. I found it surprisingly comfortable to sit next to him. He wasn’t like Kai. He wasn’t waiting for one wrong word so he could tease, embarrass, or flirt with me. I barely knew Landon, but he somehow felt safe.
“So what are you here for?” he asked. “Are you a chef like Asher?”
“God, no.” I couldn’t cook to save my life, and I sure as hell wouldn’t want to work with Asher.
“But you are a student, right? You look about his age.”
“How old are you?”
“We’re twenty-six.” He grimaced. “Sorry. It’s a twin thing to slip up and say ‘we.’”
I grinned. “I won’t tell your brother you told me his age.”
He smiled back, and I felt something warm unfurl in my chest.
“I’m a senior,” I said. “Hospitality major. I’m doing a management internship for winter break.”
He looked impressed. “I’ve never known this place to take on any intern except Ash.”
“I kind of talked my way into it,” I admitted.
“Good for you.” He said it simply, like he genuinely admired that. It was such a contrast to Asher, who’d said earlier that I’d only gotten the internship by being pushy.
“Are you a ski instructor too?” I asked.
I already knew he had to ski—his muscles were exactly the same as Kai’s. Flat abs. Thick biceps. Powerful thighs.
“Sort of,” he said. “I’ll give a few lessons here and there, but I’m mainly the ski patrol.”
That wasn’t a term I was familiar with. “What does that mean?”
“It’s a bit different here than at bigger resorts, but my job is to keep people safe on the mountain. In themornings, I do safety checks—inspect the trails, set hazard markers if there’s ice or debris. During the day, whether I teach lessons or not, I’m on call if anyone gets injured. Late afternoon, I do a patrol sweep to make sure no one’s stranded, write up any first-aid reports, and oversee equipment maintenance.”
Wow. That was impressive—far more impressive than just lifting a newbie onto a chair lift. “Sounds like a big job.”
He gave me a modest smile. “Sometimes. But out here, well, this isn’t exactly the Alps.”
I latched onto that. “You’ve skied in the Alps?”
“Yes. Most beautiful mountains anywhere.”
I thought of something. “Were you skiing yesterday? I saw someone go by really fast while he—I mean, your brother—was teaching me.”
“Yeah, that was me.”
I remembered how incredible he’d looked, flying down that advanced slope, moving like he was part of the mountain itself.
He set down his empty beer bottle and stood. “Want another?”
I glanced at my bottle—still half full. But he was already heading to the fridge, so I nodded.
He came back with two, handing me one. It was thoughtful of him. I couldn’t imagine Kai fetching me a drink, and Asher would probably try to break the bottle over my head.
Out of the corner of my eye, I studied Landon. “How can I tell you two apart?”
He thought about it for a moment, a wry smile flashing across his face. But then it vanished, and he shrugged.
“Come on, there must be something different about you,” I insisted.
