Page 40 of Wilder

“I suppose you’re not talking about the boxed mac and cheese.”

“Uh… no. Freshly made pasta is my favorite. I really like it with a bolognaise sauce.”

“I’m a pasta fan too, but usually when I make the noodles, they’re out of a box. I don’t have the time—or the desire—to learn how to make my own pasta.”

“I’ve never tried,” Alexandra admitted. “We had a chef that cooked for us.”

“Maybe you could learn. I’m pretty sure they sell affordable pasta making machines online, so that must mean it’s not only chefs who make fresh pasta.”

“I’ve never thought about learning how to do it myself.”

“Honestly? I can’t believe it would be more difficult than learning to do a flawless Triple Axel.” Wilder glanced over with a grin. “I know I’d rather learn to make pasta than how to do that jump.”

Alexandra gave a little huff of laughter. “Yeah. It took me alongtime to get that jump to the point where I could land it consistently.”

“Your hard work has definitely paid off. Which is why I think you’d be a primo pasta maker in no time.”

“Does anyone in your family make it?”

“My brother Zane does. He’s a chef and had already perfected it while he was still in high school. We were all appreciative recipients of his attempts along the way.”

“What about Kayleigh? You said she likes to cook.”

“She does, but as far as I know, it’s mainly fancy French stuff. It’s possible she’s branched out though. You could always ask her if she does.”

Alexandra hummed noncommittally, which Wilder took to mean she probably wouldn’t say a thing to her about it. If he knew anything about Kayleigh—and as her brother, he certainly did—he was confident that she’d love to talk about food with Alexandra. And if she didn’t know how to make pasta, she might be willing to learn along with her.

“So tell me more about your travels,” Alexandra said as they left Serenity behind.

Wilder always enjoyed sharing about his trips and the places he visited. And though parts of his travels had taken a more serious turn in the past couple of years, he didn’t think it was the time to share what he’d learned during his trip to Thailand and how that had led him to the orphanages he now spent part of his summer helping.

Maybe if he got to know her a bit better and felt like she would be receptive to hearing about it, he’d share more.

By the time they neared the place where they’d start the tour, he’d exhausted a lot of the more interesting stories he had about places he’d visited.

“Is this it?” Alexandra asked, skepticism in her voice. “It looks…”

“This isn’t where we spend the whole time,” Wilder said as he found a place to park. “We check in here, then Marty will give us a rundown on how to operate the Segway and have us practice a bit before we set off.”

It wasn’t the snazziest of locations, but since they weren’t staying there, it really didn’t matter. He was just lucky that Marty, who owned the place and gave the tours, was willing to make an exception for them, even though the tours were technically finished for the season. He probably wouldn’t have considered Wilder’s request if the weather hadn’t been so nice.

It was a sunny day, and unseasonably warm, with temps nearing sixty degrees. Any hint of the snow they’d had several days ago was gone. It was nice for what they had planned that day. Not so nice for his hope that the slopes would open soon.

Once the car was parked, he turned to smile at her. “Let’s go!”

She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Let’s go.”

Her response wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as his had been, but he thought she’d enjoy the experience once the tour was underway.

Marty strode over to meet them, his tall lanky frame clad in blue jeans, a long sleeve flannel shirt, and a vest. He pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head as he reached them and offered Wilder a wide, friendly smile.

“Good to see you again, Wild-man.”

Wilder gave him a hug, with a firm slap on his back, before stepping back to introduce Alexandra. She smiled her professional smile at him as they shook hands.

Marty might look a little rough around the edges—because he was—but he had a heart as big as his home state of Texas. He and Wilder had met when Wilder had come with some friends to take the tour a few years ago.

Wilder had struck up a conversation with him, and they’d ended up keeping in touch over the years. Now he considered the man a good friend, and he tried to see him a few times over the winter season. Marty switched over to cross-country ski tours once winter arrived, and Wilder had gone on those a few times, too.

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