Page 11 of Mountain Challenge

By the time they stopped, they were both panting. Ry could feel his eye beginning to swell, but was gratified to see Hugo’s mouth was bruised as well.

“You’re learning, little grasshopper,” Hugo said, his lip splitting as he smiled. Ry had gotten him good.

“Young grasshopper.”

“What?”

“If you’re quoting from the TV series, it’syounggrasshopper, notlittlegrasshopper.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. They must have dubbed it wrong in French.”

“Maybe,” Hugo agreed. “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re learning.”

“What can I say? I don’t like to lose. I know you’re still taking it easy on me, though.”

Hugo shook his head. “Come on. Let’s go grab a beer together.”

Ry checked his phone. He knew the tattoo artist had his number, because he’d left it when he’d made the appointment. Perhaps she’d call to—to what? See if you’ve had to take a paracetamol? She made it quite clear she wasn’t interested.

Ry wondered how he could convince her to give him a chance. He’d seen her check him out when he’d first walked through the door. He’d felt the attraction between them and knew it hadn’t been one-sided. And yet, she hadn’t hesitated an instant when he’d asked her out. Something about him had turned her off big time, and he wished he knew what it was.

“Hey, I’ve lost you again. What’s going on, man? Are you feeling alright?”

Ry wondered if he should confide in his friend. But then, what was he going to say?I asked a woman out and she said no, and now I can’t stop thinking about her.

“Sorry. I’ve just been distracted. I’m not going to be very good company. I think I’m going to head home.”

“If you’re sure you’re okay …” Hugo said, and the relief in his voice made Ry laugh. Emotions were not Hugo’s thing.

“I’m okay. Come on, I’ll drop you off at the bar.”

6

Isla

“It’s reallynotokay, Isla,” Laura said sternly.

“You sound like a second-grade teacher,” Isla told her best friend, who taught that grade at a posh international school in Brussels.

“Fancy that,” Laura replied. “I’m being serious. Nobody can work all day, every day.”

New business owners can. But she knew better than to say that to Laura. It wouldn’t shut her friend up, and she’d end up worrying about Isla’s ability to keep a roof over herself. Which wasn’t her intention.

“ You need to see people, Isla,” Laura insisted.

“And when you saypeople, you meanmen.”

“Of course I mean men! You need to get back on the horse, so to speak. I don’t need to hear all the details. But you can’t let one bad apple?—“

“Roland wasn’t a bad apple.”

“Anybody who sleeps with one of your friends is a rotten apple, sweetie.”

Isla sighed. She knew Laura had her best interests at heart. The two of them had been best friends since grade school, and had lived through a lot together. Through everything, in fact. From the death of Laura’s dad, to the dissolution of Isla’s ill-fated marriage, and lots of other things in between. From the time they’d graduated from university, the two of them had never lived more than five minutes away from each other—until Isla had gone and exchanged the bustling city of Brussels for the quiet of the Three Valleys.

“So, when are you coming to visit?” Isla asked, hoping to distract her best friend from her single-minded purpose, which currently seemed to be to get Isla to start dating again.

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