“Pretty sure you can have whatever you want on them.”
It took a while to get the skates off and return them to the rental desk, but soon enough, they were at the kiosk, reading the menu to the girls. Paisley chose strawberries and whipped cream, while Evvie got her wish of chocolate chips. Once their orders were ready, they found a bench and sat down.
“This is so pretty.” Hailey took in the fairy lights dripping off the quaint buildings and lining the skating rink. At the end of a red carpet, Santa Claus sat on a throne beside a forty-foot-tall Christmas tree. Its limbs were heavy with ornaments and garlands, and wrapped presents sat at its base. “Didn’t we go to school with the owners’ kids? I have a vague recollection about that.”
“We did. Do you remember Rhys Wolff? This property’s been in his family for generations. About twenty years ago, it was a dude ranch. When his parents took over, they turned it into a ski resort.” He pointed to the fancy hotel. “That’s the main lodge.” And then he gestured up the cobblestone street. “They lease out all the stores and restaurants, and homeowners have their choice of townhouses, homes, and ranches.”
“Why don’t you live here?”
“None of these places have wrapping rooms.”
She laughed. “You could design one.”
“Too much work. I don’t give a sh—” He stopped himself from swearing. “I don’t care about décor and all that. I bought the house because it came fully loaded.”
“Makes sense.” She sighed. “This was exactly my fantasy in high school. Holding hands with my jock boyfriend as we skated around the rink, sipping a hot chocolate.”
“Hang on. Let me just…” He leaned back on the bench and pretended to pull a sword out of his chest.
“What’s that for?” It took her a moment to understand, and then she laughed, patting his chest. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it like that. What you planned for our date was awesome. Honestly, it was beyond anything I could’ve dreamed up on my own. I just meant it was the kind of thing I’d imagined in my head a million times. It was why I begged my mom to let me stay here.”
Too bad he hadn’t given her what she’d wanted. “I don’t understand why they didn’t let you stay to the end of the year. Kicking you out was pretty harsh.”
“Believe me, I know. But they said they were responsible for me, and when I didn’t come home until the next day, they’d decided they’d lost their trust in me.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “And to think I got so close to prom before it was all snatched away.” At least, she said it with good humor.
“Who would you have gone with?” He helped Evvie cut off a piece of crepe and fed it to her.
“You’ll laugh if I tell you.”
He couldn’t believe it. “It was Brock Dirtbag.”
“Nope. It was you.”
“Okay, now I know you’re lying. You hated me.”
“I didn’t hate you, but it wasn’t about that. I just wanted the four of us to go and have a nice time. I wanted to get ready with Lindsay, come down the stairs and see you waiting for me, take pictures with her parents. I wanted to hang out of the limo’s sunroof with a bottle of champagne in one hand.” She shook her head. “Stupid, I know. It was every cliché I’d ever seen in a movie or read in a book.”
“Okay, good. I feel better, then. You never could’ve acted out your fantasy.”
“No?”
“Nope. Lindsay lived in a one-story house. They didn’t have stairs. My conscience is clear.”
She nudged him. “Okay, dude. You got me there.” She went quiet, resting her head on his shoulder. “Want to know the real reason I wanted it to be you?”
“More than I want to finish this awesome spinach and mushroom crepe.”
“Because no one else would’ve looked at me the way you did.” She went quiet as though imagining it. “When I came down those stairs, I wanted my date’s eyes to go wide, I wanted to see that look…the one where the guy’s blown away. It’s the way you always looked at me. Like I was special. Like I was the most beautiful girl in the world.” She set her fork down. “I really like the way you look at me.”
I could look at you like that for the rest of my life.
Because nothing had changed. “Youarethe most beautiful woman in the world.” No one else made him feel that nervous excitement whenever he laid eyes on her.
Her features softened. It looked like she wasn’t sure if she could believe him. He set his plate on the bench. “Hailey—”
Evvie cried out as her cocoa spilled all over her powder blue ski pants.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Fortunately, the padding kept her leg from scorching, but she still screamed as if Wild Jack was in hot pursuit.