Page 21 of The Christmas Playbook
We watch the people on the chair in front of us, but they’re both skiers. Then it’s our turn. Together, we hop off. I grab herwaist, keeping her steady on the short ramp. She’s way too stiff, her whole body locked up, but I navigate us away from some clusters of people to a quiet, flatter spot.
“That was good.” I focus on her face. “There are only blue and black runs up here. Blue will be our best bet, but we have a minute. Probably need to show our faces to your sister.”
Her cheeks are flushed, but she grimaces and nods. She slowly lowers the goggles back into place, shielding her eyes from view.
Not a moment too soon, because her evil sister gets off the lift a second later. I face Mira again then kneel to help get her foot in the binding.
I shouldn’t say evil. That’s cruel.
What Ishouldcall her is self-centered, spoiled, no-good?—
“Rhys?”
I jerk. “Sorry. What?”
My hands are on her calf and boot, and I think I might’ve just been frozen there.
“I said, I’m sorry?—”
I shake it off and finish getting her binding secured. “No. Don’t do that.”
I rise.
And then Cammie and the brother-in-law are in front of us, both smiling widely.
“We thought we lost you!” she coos. “That would’ve been a shame. We were eyeing the slope under the lift. It looked really fun. What do you think, Mira?”
My fake girlfriend squares her shoulders, suddenly smiling broadly.
Cammie is talking about the trail with the moguls—the one that is probably a double black diamond.
The one that we should avoid at all costs.
“Sounds great.”
Nope.
Bad.
Bad, bad, bad.
“Great!” Cammie’s husband says. “It’s decided.”
“No,” I blurt out.
They all pause.
Shit.
“I, um… I can’t do that one, guys. I had a health scare with an old knee injury”—Thank you, Thorne, for never shutting up about yours—”and all those moguls might aggravate it. It’s rehabbed, but with my future at stake…”
“Oh my God, Rhys, you’re so right.” Mira smacks my chest. “I’m sorry. We should pick something a little less… extreme.”
“Blue is more my speed these days,” I say.
Cammie and her husband, whose name I should really clarify, shift and nod.
“If you guys want to go for the other one, we can just meet you at the bottom.”
