“I am.” I jerked my chin towards him. “Where did you get those clothes?”
He unleashed Todd. “Todd and I jogged to my house, so I could change, and then we ran back.”
I opened my eyes farther in surprise. “Your truck is here. How far did you run?”
He went into the kitchen and got a cup of water. Still a little winded, he said, “Less than a mile. Todd needed to go out.” He chugged the water, rinsed the glass and put it in the rack to the left of the sink. “We had a rental house closer to the mountain. I was able to keep it for a few more days.” He came into the living area, sat down beside me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He smiled. “Good morning.”
I smiled back. “Good morning.”
His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and declined the call. “So, what’s the plan today?”
“I have to work.”
He raised his right hand, palm up. “Doctor stuff?” He lowered his right hand and raised his left. “Ski patrol stuff?”
“Ski patrol stuff.”
He rubbed my feet. “How much time do you have?”
My grin grew. “Not that much time.”
He teased, winking, “Dirty mind. I thought I would ski too. Can I see you after?”
“Like a date?” I took a sip of coffee.
“’Is that so unusual?” He leaned forward and whispered, “And just so you know, I don’t kiss on the first date.”
I pulled my lips between my teeth, trying not to laugh. “Is that so?”
He nodded affirmatively. “I will treat you like a lady.”
Hearing those words made me wanted to be treated like anythingbuta lady. The smirk on his mouth told me he knew exactly where my thoughts had turned. I said primly, “In that case, I would be happy to go out with you tonight.”
He jumped off the couch. “I need to go get my gear.” He patted Todd on the head. He looked back at me. “See you on the mountain?”
“Yes.”
He ran out the door, then back in. He gave me another kiss. And then another. “So pretty.”
I swatted at him. “Go.”
“I’m going.”
This time he did leave. When the rev of his truck left the driveway, I started getting ready myself.
I was grateful for the break from the clinic this week. If there were any emergencies, I would be paged. But for now, I technically had a few days off to ski. And now, to spend with Brett.
I didn’t fool myself into thinking this was going to be anything more than a fling for him. I was fine with that. Maybe he was just what I needed to get back into dating. From the second I’d seen him beyond the leaping flames of the bonfire, I’d known we would be intimate.
It had been such a long time since I’d been physical with someone. It was nice. No, more than that. Freeing. I hadn’t been with anyone since Clay. The chain was broken.
I drove the short distance to the resort, parked in employee parking, and made my way through the lobby to the patrol office. The last time I’d walked through here, I’d thought Brett was having a heart attack.
The patrol office buzzed with Christmas cheer.
Margo saw me come in. “Liz! Wow! You looked gorgeous last night.”
The metal locker clanged when I opened it and exchanged my winter coat for the patrol jacket. “Thank you. I borrowed the costume from Jenna.”