Page 111 of Wish You Were Mine

As soon as I stepped inside, I came face-to-face with Ashley and immediately regretted my decision to leave the station. I tensed, uncertain what to expect from her considering how we’d left things between us when Summer and I had told her we were together.

But Ashley didn’t look upset. Nor did she have the glint in her eye that meant trouble.

“I’m so sorry about your house,” she said.

A tiny bit of my tension released, but I was still wary of her. “Thanks. I called the insurance company at lunch, and they’ve said that as soon as we’re allowed back in, they’ll send someone to see what we’re dealing with.”

“That’s really good.” She cleared her throat, and glanced down at the table, then back at me. “I want to apologize.”

“For what?”

Someone entered behind me, and I shuffled out of the way.

She grimaced. “For making you uncomfortable. It’s obvious that Summer has won you over, and I shouldn’t have pushed as hard as I did. I just wanted someone decent, and I knew you fit the bill.” Her lips twisted slyly. “She better hold onto you tightly.”

I stared at her, uncertain how to respond. With her words, she was telling me she’d given up on the idea of us, but her tone suggested she might be clinging onto a shred of hope.

I crossed my fingers I was imagining that.

51

SUMMER

“Does this outfit say, ‘daughter-in-law material’?” I asked Asher, pirouetting to show him the dress, tights, and jacket I’d chosen to wear for our dinner with his family at the Destiny Peak Ski Resort restaurant.

His dark gaze burned over me from head to toe. I could swear I felt the heat like a caress.

“You look beautiful,” he said. “You always do.”

I huffed impatiently. “But I’m not always officially presenting myself to your parents as the person you’re dating.”

His forehead furrowed as if he didn’t quite know what to make of me. “No, but they know who you are. You don’t need to put on an act for them.”

“I’m not, but I want to be prepared.” I sat on the edge of my bed and crossed my legs, my skirt pulling up to just above my knees. Was it too short for an occasion like this? Usually, I wouldn’t think so, but I’d been waiting for this for so long that I was overthinking everything.

Asher knelt in front of me and raised the back of my hand to his lips. “Just be you. It will be fine.” He stood and tugged me up with him. “Let’s get the chains onto your Ute.”

We were taking my vehicle up the mountain because the snow hadn’t melted and the Ute was better equipped for the steep, winding drive than his car. I grabbed my purse and toed on a pair of warm but pretty black boots, and we headed outside together.

It didn’t take long to get the chains on—we were both accustomed to using them—and I drove slowly and carefully through the dark to the beacon near the top of Destiny Peak.

When we arrived, I parked next to Garth’s SUV. Asher rounded the car and jogged over to take my arm as I got out. The icy air nipped at the exposed parts of my neck and face, and we bustled across the parking lot and in through the front entrance. Tabitha, the resort’s owner, sat behind the front desk, as elegant as ever.

“What are you doing at reception?” I asked, surprised to see her there.

She smiled. “Sally called in sick tonight, and no one else was able to get up the hill. You two are meeting the Heatons for dinner?”

“That’s right.”

She stood and came out from behind the desk, her slim form clad in a sleek trouser suit. “Let me show you to their table.”

She led us down a corridor to the restaurant. I couldn’t help glancing at the spot where Asher and I had sat when we’d both been here for separate dates. Fortunately, Tabitha steered us away from there, to a long, rectangular table in front of the window. During the day, I was sure it had a spectacular view, but for now, all we could see through the glass was darkness.

We thanked Tabitha and she excused herself. Asher’s family had left a pair of seats side by side next to Brenda. Garth, Frannie, and Dean sat opposite us, with Marcy in a highchair at the end of the table.

“Did you run into any problems on the way up?” Garth asked.

“No, it was fine.” I accepted the glass of water Frannie poured for me.

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