Page 9 of Wish You Were Mine

“Sometimes it’s like that,” Max said sympathetically.

“What would you know about it?” Toby teased. “Have you even dated this millennium?”

“Leave him alone.” I could see Bailey’s cheeks growing red. If anyone picked on Max too much, she’d have a meltdown, and surely then even my most oblivious brother would see what had been right under his nose for years.

“You’ll find someone when you’re ready.” Liam said, smiling down the table at me. “You’re still young. There’s no rush.”

“At least you’ve grown up enough to start dating the “nice” ones,” Nate muttered, not looking up from his plate. “Some of the guys you’ve brought around…”

I scowled and narrowed my eyes. Okay, so perhaps I’d intentionally brought home a couple of guys I knew were losers purely to wind up my brothers. It wasn’t like I’d been serious about them. I’d just wanted my family to realize how bad it could be, so they’d stop giving me a hard time when I brought home men I really did see the possibility of a future with.

My plan had backfired. They’d just seen it as more proof that I wasn’t capable of making good decisions on my own.

“So, who’s ready for the ski season to begin?” Toby asked, thankfully changing the subject.I shot him a grateful look.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Max said, serving himself some of Bailey’s superfood salad. My friend met my eyes, her smile adoring.

“Calm down,” I mouthed when no one else was looking.

How the hell Max hadn’t noticed her infatuation was beyond me.

“I’m excited to be on the slopes again,” Toby continued, his gaze becoming distant. “Nothing but me, snow, and pretty girls.”

“Pig,” I muttered.

He pretended not to hear me. “I’ve got a good feeling about this year. I think I’ll find The One.”

We all exchanged looks. Toby had met ‘The One’ several times over the course of his seasonal career as a ski instructor at Destiny Peak Ski Field. Year after year, he fell madly in love with tourists only for them to up and leave at the end of the season. He took it well every time, but I had to believe he’d eventually tire of the cycle.

“Of course you will,” Bailey assured him with a gentle smile.

Connor changed the subject to when we could expect our first snowfall, and we finished brunch with lighthearted chatter. When we were done, I helped Mom, Kennedy, and Liam clear the dirty dishes away. Tess and Nate had gone outside and were playing fetch with Daisy and their dog, Duke.

A hand landed on my arm as I passed Asher at one point, but I shook it off.

“Summer,” he said softly.

I chose not to hear him.

Instead, I looped my arm through Bailey’s and made a point to ask her loudly about a hike we had planned for the afternoon. When he followed, I decided it was time to leave.

4

ASHER

My muscles burned as I pushed the barbell above my head and slowly lowered it back to my shoulders. I repeated the motion, grunting with the effort. Technically, paramedics didn’t have to keep in shape the same way firefighters did, but what else was I supposed to do between callouts?

An alarm sounded through the intercom, and Captain Parks’s voice instructed all ambulance and engine personnel to report to their vehicles. Apparently there had been a car accident on the road up Destiny Peak.

I quickly wiped the sweat off my face, grabbed my go bag, and headed for the ambulance. My partner, Maia, met me there. I got behind the wheel and she took the passenger seat and plugged the coordinates into our GPS system. She glanced at me, her dark eyes bright despite the early hour.

“What do you think? One car or two?” she asked.

“Could be either. My money is on two though.” The mountain road was dangerous, but most people could navigate it safely unless something happened to mess with them.

The garage door rolled up and we took off, sirens wailing. It wasn’t even 8 a.m. yet, so Destiny Falls was quiet and sleepy as we sped down Centennial Street and onto the highway out of town. We turned onto the mountain road, and I checked the mirror to make sure the engine was still behind us.

“Black ice,” Maia exclaimed, pointing at a shimmer where the headlights fell on the road up ahead.

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