Page 50 of Mountain Challenge

The doctor sighed. “Okay. But I want you back here for a check-up at the end of the week, and you need to continue thephysical therapy sessions. I won’t sign the papers unless you commit to doing that.”

Ry laughed. He would have committed to a lot more than that. He felt like kissing the doctor, but made do with a strong handshake.

“Thank you, doctor. You won’t regret this.”

“Make sure I don’t. I have other patients to treat, you know?”

25

Isla

"What do you think?” Isla asked, staring at her friend Laura in the bathroom mirror.

Laura finished applying lip gloss on her generous lips before replying, but Isla already knew what she was going to say. “I like him.”

“You do?”

“You need me to spell it out? He’s tall, muscled, looks like a Greek god, and stares at you like you’re the reincarnation of Venus, come down from the heavens. Plus, he’s fun.”

“You’re mixing up your mythologies, Laura.”

Laura dried her hand on a paper towel. “What?”

“Venus is a Roman goddess. I think you mean Aphrodite, the Greek version.”

“Aphrodite, Venus … You know what I mean. The man’s a real step up from anybody you’ve dated before—and thatincludes your idiot of an ex-husband. My only question is, does he have a twin brother?”

Isla laughed, glad that Laura approved. Though at the time her friend had never said anything, Isla could always tell she and Roland didn’t like each other much.

“Come on, let’s get back to the table before he gets bored and leaves.”

Ry stood up as they approached, waiting until they were seated before sitting down again.

“So. What are we doing after dinner?” Laura asked when they were done with their meal. “You weren’t planning on going straight home, were you?”

“Um, I guess … we could go to a bar?” Isla asked. She should have imagined that Laura wouldn’t be tired. Laura was never tired. She was one of those people who could sleep four or five hours and wake up feeling rested.

“A few of my colleagues are grabbing a beer in Stella’s. We could join them, if you like,” Ry offered. Isla looked at him gratefully. She wanted Laura to have fun on this trip. She knew her friend had mainly come up to Chamonix to see with her own eyes that Isla was okay, but Isla wanted her to have such a good time that she’d be wanting to come back again soon.

“Do your colleagues look like you?” Laura dead-panned. “Never mind, you don’t need to answer that. Come on, let’s go!”

“Shouldn’t you check with them that it’s okay, first?” Isla whispered. She’d met Ry’s colleagues several times after he’d left the hospital, and they’d always been pleasant to her, but they’d never gone out for drinks together.

“Are you kidding? They’ll be glad to see us. They’ve asked us to join many times, I just … I guess I wanted to keep you all to myself.”

“This is Stella’s?” Laura asked uncertainly, looking at the narrow, steep slope and the darkened doorway beyond. “Given we’re in Chamonix, I imagined something more glamorous.”

“It’s preciselybecausewe’re in Chamonix,” Ry explained, opening the door for them, “that locals need to keep a few places hidden from tourists. Places that don’t charge eighteen euros for a beer.”

“Ah. Cheaper beer means we can drink more. That makes sense,” Laura laughed, taking Isla’s hand and going inside.

Hugo, Tristan and Lorenz sat at a table in the far corner. Ry made quick work of the introductions. “The big guy is Hugo. Next, with the wild hair, is Tristan. And that’s Lorenz, in the T-shirt. He wears T-shirts ninety percent of the time, even in the middle of winter. Guys, this is Laura, a friend of Isla’s who’s here for the weekend.”

“Good to meet you, Laura,” Lorenz said. “Glad you were able to get these two out of the house.”

“Have they been staying in a lot?” Laura asked innocently.

“Not at our place, certainly,” Hugo said. “Other than the fact that Ry’s still paying rent, I no longer feel like I have a house mate.”

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