Page 10 of Finding Love on the Slopes

“So,” she started, lifting a box to the table and bringing out his gear. “Do you have any questions so far?”

His eyes never left the screen of his phone when he responded. “Nope.”

She narrowed her eyes as she placed his helmet and boots on the desk. “And you watched the video to the end?”

“Yep.”

“And you understood everything?”

“Yep.” Then he lifted his head and stared at the box. “When do we get to the real stuff?”

“We have to get you outfitted with your gear first,” she said.

“Good. Then we can head to the slopes after that.”

“No,” she said abruptly. He was looking at her now. “No, we won’t be heading to the slopes today. I need to be sure you understand the basics first. We have a state-of-the-art skiing simulator in the store. We can practice there first, make sure you’re good to go. Then we can head to the slopes.”

He wasn’t impressed. “Frankly, I think that’s a waste of time, Leighann.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Listen,” he said, tucking his phone into his pocket and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was so tall he still loomed over the desk. “Why don’t I change into my gear right now so we can hit the slopes before dark? I am more of a hands-on type of guy. All this ‘classroom’ learning isn’t for me. I need to be outside getting my hands dirty, so to speak.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Seems very possible to me, Leighann.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “I can’t just let you hit the slopes right now without making sure you know what you’re doing first. That would be unprofessional of me. You could get hurt.”

“I won’t get hurt.”

“According to the profile my brother has on you, you’ve lived in New York your entire life and have never even put on a pair of skis before. There is a reason for that,” she said. She sounded very frustrated with him. “I’m your instructor. I’m the one who has been on the slopes countless times, and Iknowyou could get hurt if we don’t practice first. My brother has top-of-the-line equipment that will make learning much safer and more effective. We need to practicehere,then hit the snow when you’re ready.”

He clenched his jaw. “Fine. I’m not agreeing, but let’s get on with it so we can hit the slopes already.”

You just need a little patience to deal with him. Curtis’ words echoed in her brain as she finished placing his gear on the desktop. She wasn’t sure how much more patience she could give this man. He was making this whole process so much more difficult than it needed to be, and she wanted to scream.

She grabbed a set of thermals, ski socks, and a black ski suit that had a few white and red details sewn down the sides and across the chest from the pile and handed them to him before directing him towards the bathroom to get changed. When he came out, she asked him how it all felt. When he agreed it fit well, she said, “Hands.”

He looked down at her, a little confused, as he offered his hands to her palms up. She pressed her lips together, avoiding his gaze as she grabbed the black gloves from the desk and quickly pulled them onto his hands.

“Fit?” she asked.

“They’re fine,” he replied.

She thrust the helmet and boots into his arms before commanding, “Follow me” and walked from the room.

Leigh led him over to some kind of electronic stand and said, “Get on. Place your feet on the pad where the blue foot outline is.”

Enrique quickly stood on the machine, and a readout lit up the LED screen in front of him.

Pointing to a wooden bench along the far wall, she said, “Sit on that bench. Put on your helmet and strap it tight while I go get your insoles. There is a marking inside to indicate which side is the front and which is the back.”

Enrique marveled at her presentation of the last few minutes of directions. She was like a no-nonsense general barking orders, and he was a wet-behind-the-ears soldier meant to follow them. It was a little irritating, but he guessed if it got him to the slopes faster, he would take it.

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