Page 23 of The Mountain
“Okay.” That one word whispers against my hair, full of hopeful uncertainty.
I pull back, gripping his shoulders so I can see his face, meeting his eyes with my own. “And you’re okay with me dating the other guys?” I ask.
Eddie scrunches up his nose in a feral grimace that looks decidedly more adorable than it has any right to. “I mean… I guess.” The grimace turns into a crooked smile. “I’d rather have you all to myself.” He tilts his chin in Liam’s direction. “I mean, this fucker already has a boyfriend. He’s just being greedy.”
My stomach tightens, all my self-doubt flooding back at that word.Greedy. Am I being greedy, dating all of them? My hands drop from his shoulders to my lap as guilt trails its icy fingers down my spine.
Eddie’s face falls as he takes in my expression, and he shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.
“Shit. Missy. I didn’t mean that. I mean, Liam’s a greedy cunt, but you’re not. I don’t think you’re greedy. Not at fucking all.” He takes my hands in his, giving me an earnest, wide-eyed look that has him appearing almost cherubic. “If anything, you’re a fucking saint trying to date all these assholes. None of us deserve you. Well, Matty’s alright…” Eddie scrunches up his nose. “But the rest of them, they’re lucky to have you. I’m lucky to have you.”
Across from us, Liam grunts what sounds like an agreement.
Hopeful warmth blooms in my chest, and I bite the inside of my cheek. “So, we’re doing this?”
Eddie smiles, and it’s a real smile this time. Not a smirk, but a broad smile, like the ones he gave me when we were flying through powder in the backcountry. “We’re doing this,” he agrees.
I feel my whole body relax at his words, the uncertainty that had been weighing down on me for days lifting. I give him whatprobably looks like a maniacal grin as I bite back a squeal of excitement.This is happening. This is really happening.
I cast a glance in Liam’s direction, and see he’s shaking his head, a soft smile playing across his lips. “Looks like you’ve got yourself five boyfriends, love,” Liam teases. “Think you can handle it?”
Chapter 8
Lily
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
My student’s face is almost gray with terror as she stares down the gentle incline of the learner’s slope. A wisp of blonde hair peeks out from under her helmet, faint strands of silver catching in the morning light as she lifts her goggles to give me a pleading look.
“You can,” I tell her, giving her a reassuring smile, even as my stomach tightens with nerves.
Jackie Prescot. My first private lesson student—and the most timid, terrified student I’ve ever taught.
On paper, she should be an easy student to teach. A marathon runner in her forties with keen eyes that speak of sharp intelligence, and expensive-looking snowboard gear that speaks of wealth. Although, I guess that part was already a given, considering she’s forking out for a full-day private lesson with me.
A lesson that I’m totally messing up.
I lift my chin, pushing back that unhelpful inner monologue—the one that whispersyou’re not qualified to do this, you’re just a fake—and hold out my gloved hands. “Here,” I say. “Take my hands.”
She gives my gloves a dubious look.
“Come on,” I gently urge her. “You won’t pull me over, I promise.”
At least, I hope she won’t.
I’ve seen other instructors do this before though, and it was one of the more advanced techniques Liam showed me. Holding a student’s hands to give them a sense of security, of balance, even if it’s their own legs keeping them upright on their board. A way of making them focus on something other than their own fear.
“Okay…” She shoots me a grimace, placing her leather-mittened hands in my own. I can feel her trembling, can feel the way she’s practically vibrating with fear and I squeeze her hands.
“Now I want you to press down with your right toe,” I tell her, keeping my voice soft, even. “Just a little bit of pressure, like you’re lightly touching the gas pedal.”
She stares at me with raw panic, legs shaking with the effort of balancing on the heel edge of her board.
She doesn’t move an inch. Honestly, it’s quite the feat, and speaks volumes about her thigh muscles and her endurance.
It’s also not conducive to her learning to snowboard and is bound to have her exhausted within the hour.
“I… I don’t think I can,” she squeaks. “It feels like my board is going to slip out from under me. I’m going to fall.”
