Page 59 of Fall for You
She grunted as she tugged up the zipper.
“You okay in there?” Bailey called.
“I’m…” She wheezed. “Getting there.”
Bailey snickered. But then she was the one grunting.
Ronnie paused in her struggle. “Is everything okay out there?”
Bailey’s sigh was loud enough to hear through the door. “Yes. Just Dallas.”
Ronnie froze. Again. At this rate she’d never get the dang zipper up. “What did he do now?”
“Nothing.” Bailey said this with annoyance. Like she was frustrated that she didn’t have something to complain about.
The thought made Ronnie grin. She’d always found their relationship fascinating. They so clearly loved each other. And yet…
They acted like they hated each other.
“He’s coming this weekend to help out.”
Ronnie kept quiet. No need to mention that she already knew he was coming back to Paradise Springs. “That’s nice of him.”
“Yeah.” Bailey sighed again. “It is.”
Ronnie wanted to ask what the problem was, but she kept her lips shut as she finished dressing, then threw open the door.
“Oh, Ronnie!” Bailey drank her in, then made her do a spin, which was awkward with the puffy skirt. But Ronnie did as she was told, then came back full circle to find her friend fighting tears.
What?
“You’re beautiful.” Bailey sniffed, her lips wobbling into a smile. “You look like a pink marshmallow, but you’re so freaking beautiful.”
Ronnie let a laugh slip free and pulled her friend into a quick hug before having to step back and show off the dress to Margot and her friends too.
Everyone was oohing and aahing, and Ronnie played the role of big sister to perfection. Saying everything Margot needed to hear, even when all she wanted to do was rip off the dress and run out the door.
She wished she could be anywhere else…and her mind immediately took her back to those moments in high school when she was stuck in the classroom and hating whatever lesson she was enduring.
Back then, she’d play a little game called “Escape to the Slopes.” In her mind, she’d disappear to the mountains, feeling the board beneath her feet, the flow and rush as she careeneddown the hill. She knew the routes so well, she could ride all the way down from memory.
Her breath caught as she realized she was playing the game without thinking…
And she actually wanted to be playing it.
Shewantedto be on the slopes.
As her sister droned on about the trials of finding the perfect bridesmaids dresses, Ronnie closed her eyes and let herself go. She imagined the rush of cold air, that flow state she felt when she was on her board, and all that mattered was her body and the mountain and the feel of the snow, and?—
That was what she wanted.
To be back on the mountain again.
A flood of emotions hit her square in the chest, muddled and confusing. She ached to feel that freedom. That rush.
Which was ridiculous, because she trained year-round. That rush was hers for the taking.
But when she was competing, it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t just her and the board and the slopes.
