Page 71 of Just Let Go

“No, I’m not.”

“I can’t believe he got you out here.” Carly shook her head. “Must have cast some kind of spell over you. I’ve never known you to do anything as crazy as downhill skiing, and I’ve known you your entire life.”

“Hedidn’t get me out here,” Quinn argued, but judging by the skeptical look on her sister’s face, she wasn’t fooling her. “I think he brings out the worst in me.”

Carly gazed in front of them to where Grady and Jaden were walking. “He brings outsomethingin you, that’s for sure.”

“I don’t even want to know what that means,” Quinn said.

Walking into a ski lodge, even one as small as Avalanche Mountain, with Grady Benson must’ve been a little like walkinginto an LA nightclub with Beyoncé. This was his world now, and entering it made her realize that he was still at the center, despite whatever bad press he’d gotten lately.

People gawked—literally gawked—as soon as they realized who he was, and the way the conversation picked up was uncanny. The whispers passed from one person to the next, like a row of dominoes in a game she didn’t know they were playing.

Over and over, she heard his name whispered, and while he didn’t outright acknowledge it, she had to believe Grady heard it too. And if she had to guess, she thought he might like the attention.

The attendant working at the rental counter stopped midsentence when he spotted Grady. Jaden straightened a little, clearly relishing the privilege of being at Grady’s side. As if this man neededmoreof an ego boost. His head was already practically too big to get through a regular-size door.

Though once she saw him interact with the staff at Avalanche Mountain, she thought maybe that wasn’t a fair assessment. While they practically fell all over themselves to give him whatever he wanted, he graciously signed autographs, gave bits of advice, and even lifted a small boy up on his shoulders to pose for a picture that the boy’s father said they would “treasure for the rest of their lives.”

Seriously? Was this real life for this guy?

After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity, they all finally walked out of the lodge toward the back of the resort with skis, boots, goggles, and helmets—all things that were given to Grady as a “thank you for skiing with us today.”

Grady said he’d be back to give youth lessons, and Quinn tried not to laugh as the entire staff, made up mostly of twentysomething snowboarding types who said “dude” a lot and probably indulged in the kind of partying that was only legal in certain states, fell all over themselves to find out when that was happening.

Of course, Grady didn’t know. She doubted he was used to keeping his own schedule.

“I’ll keep you all posted,” he’d said.

Now, standing in the back of the resort, decked out in ski garb that made her feel like she was wearing an inflatable sumo wrestler costume, Quinn peered up at Grady, who she decided was only pretending to be wholly unfazed by the scene they’d just witnessed.

She could see it on his face. He missed it. Missed the attention, the affirmation that he was the best. She supposed it made sense—he was human, after all. But she wasn’t prone to hero worship, so he’d get none of that from her.

Jaden, on the other hand, was completely taken. “That was awesome! Does that happen to you every time you go somewhere to ski?”

Grady laughed. “No, not everywhere. Where I train, I’m just another skier.” Quinn couldn’t tell if his humility was false or genuine.

She’d guess false, but she’d been wrong about him so many times before.

“We know that’s not true,” Jaden said. “You’re the world champion. I’m sure that’s how it is—even where you train.”

Quinn pulled her goggles down over her eyes to shield herself from the sun—and the scene in front of her.

“You look like you’re ready to go.” Grady turned toward her.

“Looks can be deceiving.” Her nerves were like Mexican jumping beans in her belly.

“Maybe Mom and Aunt Quinn should go take a lesson or something?” Jaden clearly didn’t want them holding him up, and Quinn couldn’t blame him.

“Why would we go take a lesson when we have aworld championskier right here with us?” Quinn was just being mean now. It was as if her mouth had a mind of its own. A mean, childish mind that needed a time-out in the corner.

“I’ve actually been skiing before,” Carly said. “It’s just Quinn who doesn’t know how to put her boots in her skis.”

Quinn groaned. “Like I said, I would happily stay inside.”

“Nah,” Grady said. “I’ll teach you. You’ll be upright in no time.”

You haven’t seen me rollerblade.

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