“Okay, cool,” she said with a nod before jotting it down.
I probably should have just left things there, continued to pretend like I was Switzerland and didn’t feel threatened at the thought of them spending even more quality time together soon. But before I knew it, my territorial side kicked in and I was saying, “Hunter and I go snowboarding all the time, so you can tell him to just bring his usual gear.”
“Oh…okay.” She seemed to gulp. “I’ll just tell him that.” When her cheeks flushed bright pink, I knew I was most definitely sending off the jealous-ex vibe.
But could you really blame me? She was going on a date with the one guy I liked.
The guy I would have asked to the dance myself if I hadn’t made that stupid deal with my dad.
And he’d be wearing the lime green and black ski suit thatIhad helped him pick out—the one that brought out the color of his eyes and made him look like a snowboarding model.
“I can still buy my snow gear up there though, right?” Addison asked the group, interrupting my daydream of Hunter and me sitting on the ski lift and gazing into each other’s goggle-covered eyes. “I’m from Arizona, so this whole snow thing is new to me.”
“I totally didn’t even think about that,” Cambrielle said, thankfully sensing that I wasn’t in the best place emotionally to answer Addison’s questions. “Do you have any snow gear?”
“I have a coat and gloves…” Addison bit her plump bottom lip. “But I don’t think my boots are the right type for playing in the snow.”
“They do have a few shops at the resort,” Cambrielle said. “But we’re about the same size, so you can totally try on some of my boots and snow pants if you want. My mom and I may have gone a little overboard when shopping for new ski suits this year. I’m pretty sure I’ll have something you’ll like in my room.”
“That would be awesome,” Addison said, seeming relieved that Cambrielle was so helpful…and that I wasn’t the one talking to her right now.
“Great.” Cambrielle smiled. “We can just go up to my closet after this, if you want.”
Elyse and Ava asked about the restaurants in the lodge and whether we wanted to ask the guys for input on where to eat lunch or to just choose ourselves.
“There are several restaurants really close to each other,” I said. “So I was thinking we could just pick whatever we’re in the mood for that day, and then all meet up at the dining area they have on the rooftop.”
“Perfect,” Ava said.
“Is that everything?” I asked, ready to finish the meeting since I could already smell the lunch that Cambrielle’s family chef had been making for us.
“I think so.” Elyse seemed to look over the notes she had taken. “We’re just going tubing in the morning, eating lunch at the resort, and then having dinner at the Italian Amigos before the dance, right?”
“Yep,” I said.
“Then let’s get some food so we can get the pool party started,” Ava said.
A second later we were all racing down the hall to eat the delicious food we most definitely wouldn’t be waiting a full hour to digest before jumping into the Hastings’s amazing pool.
* * *
“You still okayhaving Addison join us for the dance?” Ava asked me a while later as we sauntered down the enclosed walkway that led from the main house on the Hastings's estate to the pool house. “Or do you think there’s a conflict of interest because she’s taking your ex?”
“I don’t know.” I sighed, adjusting the strap of the black, one-piece swimsuit that I’d just changed into after lunch. “I’d like to think that it will be okay. But ever since she asked him out and I saw them flirting at the game, it’s just been hard to see them together.”
“I bet.” Ava’s brown eyes met mine. “I never saw you and Hunter when you were dating, but just from seeing what you’re like as friends, I can imagine you were really good together.”
“We were.” I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my chest that was telling me the romantic part of our relationship may remain in the past tense if things kept going the way they’d been going this week. “Which is why I’m scared he’s going to get distracted by this new thing with Addison.”
“I think he’s just trying to be friendly since they have a date coming up. I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“I’m trying not to,” I said.
But it was hard not to get in my head about everything. Addison was cute, fun, and new while I was the “been there, done that,” and “learned there was way too much drama to keep it going” girl.
My relationship with Hunter had been so easy last year. As natural as taking a breath.
But a lot of that ease and comfort had disappeared when we broke up. I couldn’t help but wonder if Hunter, who was basically “Mr. No-Drama Llama,” would choose to go with the new “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Arizona Girl” option instead of the “Lots of Baggage Best Friend.”
