Page 9 of Crashing into Love

Drew didn’t look up.

“Drew,” she said.

Drew looked up then, caught off guard.

“Oh, sorry.” She pulled out her headphones, which Selma hadn’t noticed Drew had been wearing when she’d first approached. “What?”

“I brought you this.”

“I got my cookie when I checked in,” Drew replied.

“Yeah… It’s the worst peace offering ever, but you liked them, so… Here.” She held it out for Drew to take.

“Um… Okay.” Drew took it from her. “You needed to bring me a peace offering?”

“Don’t I?”

“Do you work here?”

“Obviously,” Selma answered and pointed to her nametag.

“But you’re on the tour.”

“I am. I’m doing this, too.”

“Oh, okay. I thought you had some big sponsorship come through. I heard about it somewhere. Commercials and stuff.”

“I did. I’m not doing this to make money.”

“You’re volunteering at a ski resort?”

“No,” she said. “My grandma owns this place. I’m helping her out right now while she’s under the weather.”

“Your grandma… Ruth? Ruth is your grandma?”

“You know her?”

“Yeah, I’ve been here a lot over the years. How did I never see you here?”

“I only helped out a little when I could back then. I’m here more now until she’s better.”

“What’s wrong with her, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She caught a cold, and it turned into pneumonia, but she’s getting better. Anyway, I just wanted to bring that by. I’ll get out of your hair now.”

“Will you tell her I said hello and that I hope she gets better soon?”

“She’ll know who you are?”

“I hope so. I used to talk to her whenever I was back from a run and she could take a few minutes.”

“She never told me.”

“That I’ve stayed here?”

“She knows we’re in the same sport,” Selma explained. “And that I’m the reason you weren’t a medalist in the last Olympics.”

“Maybe she didn’t put it together. Or, maybe she did, but she didn’t want to bring it up. I haven’t been here since, so maybe it just skipped her mind.”

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