Page 79 of Just Let Go

“You seem surprised.” Grady ignored the looks from the other skiers, who all seemed to be gawking at him.

“I am surprised.” Quinn laughed again. “I’d prepared to somersault all the way down the hill.”

Now he laughed.

Her heart was racing—she wasn’t sure if it was adrenaline or if she was just really out of shape. Either way, she tried to steady her breathing as she pulled off her goggles.

She glanced up at him. “You know, you’re a pretty good teacher.”

“Yeah?”

“If you can get me to ski without breaking a limb, you must be.”

“Well, the day is still young,” he said with a smile.

“Have you thought about it?” she asked. “Coaching, I mean.”

He shrugged. “Not really. Always thought, ‘Those who can’t do, teach.’”

She looked away. “I disagree. I honestly thought you’d get really irritated with me, but you were surprisingly patient. It’s alwayssomething to keep in your back pocket—you know, if you need a change down the road or something.”

“Are you giving me a compliment?”

She glanced back and found him goggle-less and grinning. “Oh, please, don’t let it go to your head. It’s not like you don’t have enough people singing your praises out here.”

They headed off, and Quinn handled her skis quite well if she did say so herself.

“I’m just glad you had fun,” Grady said. “You did have fun, didn’t you?”

She smiled. “I did. I can’t believe it, but I did.”

He seemed genuinely happy to hear it.

As they neared the chair lift, Quinn slowed and stared. She’d managed to get herself onto it once before, so she could do it again, right? Because she really wanted to go again.

“You probably want to go with Jaden. I know this place is so boring compared to what you’re used to,” Quinn said.

“Nah, it’s fine. Let’s get up there and do it again.”

“Really?” She tried not to let on how grateful she was, but she wasn’t sure she could find the courage again on her own.

They arrived at the lift at the same time as a rowdy group of young guys. They were laughing, which always made Quinn self-conscious. Maybe they were laughing at her—a grown woman scared of the bunny hill.

Remarkably, she found a way onto the ski lift without Grady’s help, and he took the seat next to her, the rowdy bunch in pairs after them.

When it came time to jump off, Quinn’s heart dropped. She wasn’t good at this part. She slowly edged toward the front of the seat, then slipped off, landing with a thud on her backside. The operator stopped the lift, and instantly, Grady was next to her, hand extended to help her up. Once she was upright, he pulled her out of the way of the lift.

Seconds later, one of the guys behind them started laughing. “Iknew Grady Benson was off his game, but dude has been demoted to the bunny hill.”

The sounds of their laughter started to fade as the guys got off the lift and headed in the opposite direction.

She glanced down and realized Grady was still holding on to her hand. She squinted up at him in the late-morning sunshine.

He watched the guys for several seconds, then looked back at her. He let go of her hand but didn’t say a word.

“You okay?”

He laughed. “I’m fine. I don’t need to prove myself to those morons.”

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