Page 24 of Crashing into Love

They were on a flat part of the resort’s property because Selma hadn’t wanted to get too far from the place, and Drew told her that she could hang out in the morning instead of going for a run and then hit the mountain in the afternoon if she wanted.

“Now, you have to be able to use your core. Do you know what that is?”

“No,” Gia replied.

Drew showed her what she meant and told her how to use her hips and shift her weight from side to side. Then, she stood back and told Gia to try to move forward on the little slope they’d found that wouldn’t let her get too far.

“Thank you for this,” Selma said when Drew returned to her side.

“No problem. She’s a good kid, Selma. Apparently, she’s a little genius.”

“If you asked her the angle of that hill, she could probably tell you and calculate the circumference or something. Is it circumference?”

“I don’t think so.” Drew chuckled.

“I don’t know where she got all this from. Her father wasn’t exactly the smartest guy in school.”

“Don’t tell me you fell for the jock type.”

“I didn’t fall for him,” Selma replied with a laugh. “He played basketball and hockey, though. We were both athletes, so it worked, but I wasn’t in love with him.”

“How long were you two together?”

“About four months before we…”

“And then, Gia?”

“I’m pretty sure she was conceived our first time. Maybe our second. Don’t get me wrong… I don’t regret anything. I have her.” Selma smiled warmly at her daughter. “But getting pregnant in high school wasn’t part of my plan.”

“Drew, I’m doing it!”

“Yes, you are. Come back up and do it again,” Drew told her. “How long has she wanted to snowboard?”

“Oh, years,” Selma replied. “Since she could walk, really.”

“You didn’t want her to?”

“It’s not that. I want her to do what she wants, what makes her happy. When she was really little, I didn’t know what to do with this very smart kid who was reading before most kids and doing math before most kids, so I put her in academic-like things. That’s where we found out that she’s really smart. I thought it would be better to immerse her in that, and all of that costs money.”

“Ah…”

“Snowboarding isn’t cheap. I can get her boards and equipment from the shop, which I do, but she would need lessons. I’d have to be able to bring her here consistently, and I can’t when we’re in season. I also couldn’t ask my grandma to do more than she already was. I thought I’d just wait to see if she grew out of wanting to do it, but she didn’t. And she seemed so miserable the other day that I finally gave in, even though it’s the exact wrong time for me.”

“I can help while I’m here,” Drew suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“Help. I can bring her out here and teach her. I’d offer to take her up the mountain, but I’m guessing you’d say no to that.”

“Drew, you’re on vacation. You do not have to teach my daughter to snowboard.”

“I can help. That’s all I’m saying. If she’s got a snow day today and you have to work, I can be with her out here. Look at it this way: she’ll get tired eventually, but this is the best way to find out if she really wants to do it. You know what they say about kids: have them do the same thing, like, a thousand times, and if they get bored and frustrated, it’s likely not for them. But if they don’t, maybe they’ll do it more seriously.”

“So, your plan is to try to bore her on a snowboard? My child, who loves the snow? Worships it practically?”

“It’s different when you’re not just playing in it, though.”

“I do have to check on my grandma.”

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