Page 39 of The Season
Normally, I would bat his hand away, but I’m too busy staring in wide-eyed horror between him and the beautiful girl at his back. I open my mouth, thinking maybe I can stop him, but nothing comes out.
“Like Lily,” he continues, speaking around the mouthful of stolen egg. “Now, that girl is seriously hot. Did you see her boobs in that top when she moved in? Damn.” He shakes his head, then adds: “I couldn’t stop looking at them.”
Liam clears his throat pointedly, and must kick Eddie under the table, because Eddie winces, then scowls.
“M-Morning, Lily,” I stammer, my voice coming out weirdly deep, and catching in my throat. My cheeks are flaming, burning painfully with secondhand embarrassment, like I’m the one who has been caught saying all those awful things, and not Eddie.
Eddie just sighs, rolls his eyes then gives a self-deprecating chuckle. “Shit.” He turns in his seat, smiling apologetically up at Lily, not even the slightest trace of a blush on his dimpled cheeks. “Sorry, Lil. I didn’t realize you were standing there.”
Lily just stares at him for a long moment, her smile falling as she gives him that blank look I’ve seen her give Akiva and Tom so many times before. And then she’s striding past him, that beautiful smile reappearing as she approaches Seth, coming to stand beside him at the counter and giving him a one-armed hug.
Jealousy twinges, sharp and hot behind my ribs, and my fist clenches around my fork so tight that the mouthful of eggs I’ve scooped up tumbles back to my plate.
“Wow, you really went all out.” Lily presses her cheek to Seth’s shoulder. “This is amazing.”
Seth pauses plating up the last of the food to reach one arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. “Just wanted to make sure we all have enough energy for today.” There’s no missing the pleased tone in his voice. He almost sounds smug. The scowl that’s been playing across my lips deepens. He certainly didn’t sound like that when the rest of us thanked him. “I’m hoping we can hike out and do some backcountry. It’s a good day for it, if everyone’s up for it.”
“That’s a fucking fantastic idea,” Eddie says, injecting himself into their conversation. “I’m keen as.”
“Don’t we need special gear for that?” Lily asks as Seth hands her a heaping plate of toast, eggs, and bacon.
“Yes.” To my surprise, it’s Antoine who answers her, his knife and fork poised delicately above his plate. “We need beacons, at the minimum. Shovels, if you want to be able to dig yourself out in an avalanche.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Liam scoffs, the entirety of his ire focused on Antoine.
He’s got his plate of food now too, and holds his own knife and fork with the same easy, aristocratic grace as Antoine, the fork pointed down as his knife cuts delicate little bites. Between the two of them, I feel… uncultured. Oafish, almost.
“You don’t need that sort of gear if you’re just popping under the barrier for a quick run,” Liam continues. “The bombs set off avalanches out of bounds, if you’re close enough to the resort…”
Bombs.
Just that word is enough to have darkness flitting dangerously at the edge of my vision, the scent of explosives and dirt and blood and gasoline filling my head in a nauseating rush. My fork tumbles to my plate, clattering. I blink, my vision clearing, and I silently curse my stupid brain.
Because I know he’s just talking about the explosives the ski patrol set before dawn at the top of the mountain to help prevent avalanches. I hear them go off almost every morning, and while I wouldn’t say it’s a comfortable sound, I’m used to it now.
Mostly.
“…it’s not like we’d be hiking kilometers out of bounds. Not if we did Backyards.” Liam gives Seth a questioning look. “I assume that’s what you were thinking of.” His gaze flits to where Lily stands, leaning against the center island eating her breakfast. Some of the hardness leaves his eyes, his mouth softening as he adds: “Since everyone has different skill levels.”
Different skill levels.
I feel my cheeks heat, because if Lily has ‘different skill levels’ that need accommodating, I certainly do.
“What’s Backyards?” I ask, knowing I probably sound stupid. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that it’s better to look stupid than be ignorant. Stupidity might get you laughed at. Ignorance will get you killed.
Eddie gives me what can only be described as a pitying smirk, but it’s Seth who replies.
“It’s the area just out of bounds at the Canyons,” he explains. “You hike up from Prospector’s lift—that’s the highest lift—and then hike out through the gate along the ridgeline, maybe a mile or so. I mean, you can go farther, but a mile will have you dropping in close enough to cut back to the base of the resort without having to hike back out.”
I nod along, even though I maybe only understand half of what he’s saying. My heart is racing though, and it’s not an entirely pleasant feeling. Like when we’d get sent out on a mission, and we didn’t quite know what we’d find.
I used to like that feeling. Used to live for it.
Now… Now I like plans and clear instructions. I like routine.
“It’s pretty safe,” Liam assures me, and I can tell he’s being Coach Liam now and not my roommate. He’s got that reluctantly professional look about him, like he’d rather be doing anything but helping his students, but he just can’t seem to stop himself. “Deep powder pockets, but not too steep of an incline. There might be a couple meter cornice at the top, but you don’t have to drop it if you don’t want to.”
A blink at him in confusion, and he gives a long-suffering sigh. “You’ll be fine. We’ll keep an eye on you and Lily. Make sure you make it down in one piece.”
