Page 64 of Fall for You
Individually.
But in a group?
She winced as high-pitched laughter broke out from a small gaggle in the corner. They were all holding shot glasses with something incredibly pink inside. She didn’t have to taste it to know it was pure sugar. Tipping their heads back in unison, they downed the pink poison before another high-pitched round of laughter ensued.
Okay, sugar and alcohol. The alcohol was definitely flowing already, and the night had barely begun.
Dinner had been a success, so that was good. Part one complete. Now if she could just make it through to the end of the night with her sanity intact…
Too late,a little voice whispered. And for the millionth time in the last twenty-four hours, her mind was filled with the image of Dallas hovering over her. Of the way his gaze intensified as he leaned down close and…
Almost kissed her.
She reached for a shot glass on the tray a server was carrying around and downed it. Immediately she winced at the sugary grossness.
“One and done,” she murmured.
“Sounds like a good plan.” Bailey was at her side, and she, too, was watching Margot and her giggly friends. “They are going to hate themselves in the morning.”
“Right?” Ronnie laughed. “I’m not sure Willow’s going to be too happy with herself either.”
Willow was definitely having a good time, though she’d been sticking with champagne and wasn’t part of the giggly crowd. She and Giselle were dancing it up on the far side of the room.
Bailey followed her gaze with a motherly smile. “She’ll be all right. Poor thing always works so hard and never gets to go out and have fun like other girls her age.”
Ronnie bumped her shoulder. “Girls her age. Listen to you. You sound like a grandma.”
Bailey laughed. “Some days I feel like one. Nothing like biting off more than you can chew to make those gray hairs start growing in.”
Ronnie chuckled. She understood completely. Sometimes it felt like her entire career was more than she could handle. It’d been one thing when it had been her passion, and that was all. But at some point over the last ten years, it had shifted.
It was no longer about her and what she loved to do, but how much money she could stockpile while she was still young enough to have a career. It was about how well she could take care of her family, and that…
That was definitely not what she’d signed up for.
Of course, back then, she hadn’t realized how important the business side of it was. She’d gone into it thinking it was just about snowboarding. The rest was just ways to pay the bills so she could keep doing what she loved.
At what point had that flip-flopped?
When had it become all about the business?
When had the actual sport taken a back seat?
She shook her head. Tonight was not the night for these thoughts.
“She doesn’t even have time to date,” Bailey was saying.
Ronnie followed her friend’s worried gaze and realized she was still talking about Willow.
“I feel bad about that,” Bailey continued. “She should be meeting guys and making friends, you know?”
Ronnie nodded. “She loves what she does, though. For some people, that’s enough.” Her traitorous mind called up Dallas’s face again, and she found herself adding, “At least, for a while.”
Was it enough for her? If anyone had asked her before the accident, she’d have said yes. But now…?
She couldn’t deny she’d felt a pang of angst while watching Drew and Bailey earlier tonight when they’d thought no one was watching. It was sweet to see her friend so happily in love.
For the first time in forever, she was starting to wonder if maybe she’d been missing out on something by being so singularly focused on her career. Because now, post-accident…what else did she have in her life?
