i

d clean, kids tumbling around on their tiny skis and the hum of the lift in

y peppermint tea from a den

a

s jacket was sleek black, fitted, and clearly new. Not in a flashy way, but in the "I-don't-shop-sales-r

self like a man prepa

led out with a grin,

ed awkwardly on his shoulder. "I'll have you know I'm now a

g with flair? Because

m practically an Ol

ess tense than they were last time. Som

shadows across the snow, turning everything soft and golden. A few locals waved at me a

ways at me. "Cele

"Small town.

t handed you a muffi

s more than

omething magnetic about Jake's laugh, like it came

e top of the bunny hill. "Let's see

p out of a plane. "If I break anythin

down personal

and to my surprise, he

like spaghetti, but he managed to make it about twenty

reath but grinning like a kid who'd just p

Guinness World Records" I teased, skiing

Decent! You hear that, Aspenridge

blushed, laughing as I shoved his arm ge

amatic fall. He got better. Smoother. And even when he messed up, he didn't get fru

d to my instructions. Took them to heart. Loo

temporary annoyance on their way to bigger

nd collapsed onto the wooden bench near the edge of the slope, under a

ossing him a half-squished

artifact. "This is gourmet compared to

t want

e, and groaned. "Oh my god. A

lope for a moment. The sun was dipping lower now, painting the sky in soft pastels. There wa

it, I asked, "So... w

roze m

trying to keep my voice light. "We don

didn't reach his e

oners with nice gear an

ushing a crumb off his

shing, just sipp

uess I needed to... d

my head

ife got loud. Complicated. I needed somewhere quiet. So

rfo

the slope now. "Be wh

fingers fiddled with his gloves like he was kee

a good town for disappearing. We d

something passed betwe

ou?" he asked

like it was strange, like staying mean

orning. The way people leave casseroles on your porch when you're sick. I like t

was saying something

s... nice"

t

o be filled. The slope buzzed with laughter and shouts and skis carving turns

g the snow off my pants. "Le

t stood too. "Do I at least

all on this next run, I'll

h st

d the slope, side by side. His elbow bumped m

realized I liked teaching him. Not just because he listened, or because he was funny and

me and went with their designer jack

made me

ike him? They di

he slope, laughing when he stumble

et myself ju