Page 75 of Edge of Desire

Turning around I punched her in the arm. “If you ever do that to me again, I swear to God, I’ll kill you.”

The utter look of horror on her face should’ve made me laugh, but I was still too appalled for that.

“I couldn’t help it. I was in agony. You heard it. You know it was bad. You should’ve told me the altitude causes gas.”

“Oh, hell, Melissa, let’s just go.” The thought of what ejected from her made me shudder.

I grabbed my jacket and she put her bright fuchsia one on. What a sight we made. She looked like a carnation that had been caught in a nuclear explosion and I didn’t even want to know how I looked. It must’ve been hideous.

We made it to the ski school where Griffin and Marley waited for us. When they saw Melissa, they both turned a sickly shade of gray. I pulled them both aside and promised them lots of stuff. Drinks, food, tips, I think I even told them I would buy them each a new pair of skis. I wasn’t sure. I was still recovering from Melissa’s sonic blasts I had been so rudely exposed to.

Once Griffin and Marley had been comfortably bribed, they escorted Melissa inside where she was fitted for skis, boots, and a helmet. She, of course, wanted hot pink or red. She ended up with red, which went horribly with her red hair and fuchsia ski outfit. Melissa loved it.

We took the gondola up the mountain and started out on the green slopes, but Melissa wasn’t kidding about being an incredible athlete. She really was. By the end of day one, she was already skiing the intermediate slopes and doing very well. Griffin and Marley couldn’t believe it. They would only have to show her something one time and she would catch on. She had no learning curve at all. It was a straight line.

After the day on the mountain, we headed over to Tres Chicas, where I worked, to grab a few chilly ones. I treated Griffin and Marley too. When Melissa took off her red helmet, I thought Griffin’s and Marley’s eyes were going to roll out of their heads. Her red curly hair had been smashed down all day by her helmet, so the top part lay close to her head. The rest of it frizzed out and made a colossal ring around it, much like Bozo the Clown. I tried my best to get Griffin and Marley to stop staring at her, but it didn’t work. Melissa just thought they were smitten with her.

“It’s my athleticism,” she leaned over and whispered to me.

“I think you’re right,” I whispered back. I kept jerking my head at the two guys, but they were lost in the enormous halo of red fuzz. I cringed when I saw Griffin’s hand reach out and grab a chunk of it and just squeeze.

“You like that, don’t you?” Melissa hummed.

“Yeah, I do,” he answered as he licked his lips.

Oh my God. I was mystified.

“You ought to see it when I’ve just fixed it. It’s really something. Isn’t it, Ava?”

“Yeah, it’s something all right.”

The next thing I knew, Marley’s hand was reaching out too. Who were these guys? Who even liked that kind of hair?

“So,” Melissa started out, her voice low and husky, “what’s it gonna be for dinner tonight, boys?”

I was in shock and my brain refused to cooperate with my mouth.

“Ahblabtisy ...” Marley mumbled.

The dudes couldn’t even speak. All I heard out of them was gibberish. Now I was beginning to feel like the third, no, make that the fourth wheel.

“Well, I’m up for whatever you boys want to do.” She winked.

I facepalmed myself. “Um, okay, Melissa, maybe I need to leave you three alone.”

“What? No way. You’re coming with us tonight.”

“Not if it’s where I think you all are headed.”

“Dinner?”

“I’ll do dinner, but that’s it.”

“Oh, I got you. Don’t worry, Ava.”

Since I had a foot in that door, I said, “So where do you all want to eat. We could stay here and eat if you want.”

“Sounds good to me,” Melissa answered.

---