Page 14 of The Mountain
And just like that, Stephanie’s entire demeanor thaws and the slightly terrifying woman next to me is transformed into the smiling, carefree snowboarding legend from the billboards. “Great. I knew we’d get there.” She rises to stand, sweeping her helmet up from the floor, then turning to me expectantly, her smile warm enough to melt the snow piling up against the door outside. “Let’s get you home, shall we?”
Chapter 4
Eddie
“I’m stealing your girlfriend. Just so you know.”
Tessa’s voice has me jolting to awareness as I round the corner to the row of lockers I share with her and Liam, and I pull up short. But Tessa isn’t talking to me. She’s crouched down, wearing nothing but her sports bra and compression shorts as she rifles through her locker, her thermals pooling around her sock-clad feet. Liam shoots her an amused glance, one dark brow quirking up before he shakes his head.
“Is that right?” Liam drawls, but I notice he doesn’t argue the girlfriend point.
A few days ago, he would have. Would have grumbled under his breath about how Lily wasn’t his girlfriend. For some reason, his lack of protest has my stomach tightening, and I sit down on the bench beside him with more force than necessary.
“Yep.” Tessa grins up at me, then shoots a smug littleI knew itsmirk at Liam before pulling on her sweater. “Though I’llprobably have to fight off Vivian for her.” Tessa chuckles, bending to pull on her jeans, then shakes her head. “Shit. I wish you could have seen Chris Barlow’s face.”
I wrinkle my nose, trying to make sense of what Tessa is saying. I’m pretty sure Vivian is a snowboard instructor. French, maybe? No idea who this Chris is though.
“Who the fuck is Chris Barlow?” I say, unable to keep the scowl from my voice.
“Snowboard school manager,” Liam says automatically, giving a dismissive wave with one hand. “He’s in charge of the adult and private lessons.”
So, snowboard school politics then. I huff, then start the satisfying yet painful process of wedging my ski boots off my feet. There might be downsides to teaching kids, but at least it’s relatively drama-free. Rachel, my manager, is too levelheaded for any of that bullshit.
“For now,” Tessa says cryptically. “Apparently, Stephanie ripped him a new one.” She buttons up her jeans, then frowns down at me and Liam. “You’ll have to get the details from Lily for me when you get home, since Stephanie made Chris send Lily home early, and she’s the only one who heard what happened.”
That gets my attention. I sit up straight, my boot dropping to the floor with a thud. “Why is Lily at home?” She should be here, in the locker room, a few rows away from us. “What happened? Is she okay?” I start tugging frantically at my other boot, my skin suddenly itching with the need to get out of here, to get to Lily. I shoot Liam a panicked look.
“So, you know about what happened on the weekend, I take it?” Tessa asks cautiously, lowering her voice and narrowing her eyes at me.
“Of course I fucking know,” I snap, then force myself to pause. To take a breath. Because Tessa is one of the good ones. And she’s Lily’s friend. “Yes,” I say again, voice calm but teeth gritted, because I can’t think about what happened to Lily without wanting to punch something. I give Tessa a challenging look. “We know everything.”
Tessa nods, a cautious frown tugging at her lips, but doesn’t say anything else. Doesn’t ask for details either. I respect that.
“So what happened with Chris Barlow?” Liam asks, and there’s a cold edge to his voice that wasn’t there before. “And why did Lily go home early?”
I rip my ski uniform off, jamming it unceremoniously into my locker before tugging on my clothes, right over my sweaty thermals. Normally, I would take them off first, but I don’t have time for that shit. Lily is at home. Lily…
Tessa says something, the sharp cadence of her words running together like water, washing past me.
I remember Lily’s pale face, those wide, unseeing eyes. Her cheek against the tile floor. Her limbs limp as Seth held her against his chest. The shallow sounds of her breath as she slept on my mattress, the delicate fluttering of her pulse beneath my fingertips.
The memories blur, dancing and fading with older memories. Thebeep, beep, beepof machines. Tangled tubes, the pinching tug of an IV line in my arm. The bitter taste of some medicine on the back of my tongue.
A strong hand grips my shoulder, bringing me back to the locker room with a jolt and I turn to glare at Liam. He doesn’t look at me though, and his gray eyes are fixed on Tessa with a sharp intensity.
“… so then Stephanie pulled Lily and Chris aside and, when they came back, Lily had been given sick leave. Chris put me and Vivian on private lessons. Apparently, Lily will be on private lessons too, once she’s better. At least for the busy period.” Tessa grins wide, blue eyes sparkling with mirth. “Which is the best time to be on private lessons. We are going to makesomuch money…”
Sick. Lily went home sick.
I haul my duffel over my shoulder and shoot Liam an expectant look. He nods, the silent understanding tugging between us, like fencing wire twisting under pliers, taut and sharp.
He says something to Tessa, something likeI’ve got to goorwe’ll see you later. I don’t fucking know. Don’t fucking care. All I know is my feet are moving to the door, my mind already racing ahead to the snowy parking lot, to the icy steps leading up to our condo.
“Hey. Guys. Wait up.” And suddenly Matty is there, like a wall in front of me, a concerned frown making one line appear between his eyebrows. He lifts one hand, drawing my eyes down to where Lily’s car keys dangle from his fingertips. “Lily said I could drive you guys home.” He gives me a tentative smile, one dimple flashing for the briefest of moments before he ducks his gaze and adds softly: “I drove her home at lunchtime when Chris sent her home sick. Didn’t think she should be driving herself.”
“She was okay?” Liam asks, and Matty nods.
“Uh-huh. Just tired, you know.”
