“I’m thinking of your taste in men. Still dating the top-of-the-line superstars withGQwardrobes?”
Gregory was a casual dresser, tending toward jeans, T-shirts, and plaid flannel shirts that made him look a little like a lumberjack. But the shirts brought out the green in those hazel eyes of his. There was nothing wrong with the man himself either. Gregory was as kind and honest as he’d always been.
Once they reached the vehicle, she leaned against it and looked up at him. “I’m still greedy. I still want top-of-the-line. In character.”
“Yeah? Got anyone in mind?”
Did she ever. “What do you think?”
He showed her. He cupped her face with his hands and leaned in. He smelled like fresh air, and the tiniest hint of the hot chocolate they’d enjoyed at the lodge lingered on his lips. His kiss was better than any she’d ever received from the jocks she’d dated in high school or players she’d gone with in college—so much better, even, than the last loser she’d kissed in New York. Gregory’s kiss said commitment and happiness.
It had sure taken her long enough to figure out what was important. The kiss continued, and she slipped her hands up his chest and onto his shoulders. They felt amazingly solid. Itwas cold standing there in the ski resort parking lot, but with the fire he’d lit inside her, who cared?
“How was that?” he murmured as he gently pulled away.
“That was amazing,” she said, her eyes still closed. “You are a fabulous kisser.”
She opened her eyes to see that he, too, could master a superior smirk. “About time you gave me a chance to show you how good I am.”
“I bet you’ve always been good,” she said. “I’ve just been blind.”
But no more.
That night they went back to the Bird’s Nest. Ainsley was there with a date—Griff Moore—whom Darby had dated when she was a junior in high school. He’d dumped her right before her junior prom and had eventually gotten together with Ainsley, who’d been trying her best to steal him from Darby all along. That hadn’t lasted long, either, and after she and Ainsley made up, Darby had been quick to point out that she knew it wouldn’t.
Darby hadn’t seen him in years, and it felt a little like déjà vu seeing him with Ainsley. Maybe she was finally going to get him. He was still fine looking, but not as hot as when he’d been captain of the football team.
“I thought he’d be married by now,” she mused as she and Gregory waited for their server to take their order.
Gregory shrugged. “He married Marissa Fortunata.” Fellow cheerleader and Darby’s chief rival for queen of the hill way-back-when. “They got divorced a couple years ago.”
“Where’s Marissa now?”
“I hear she moved to Park City and married a ski instructor.” Tired of the subject, Gregory returned to perusing the menu. “Think I’ll have the prime rib,” he said.
Think I’ll have a good laugh,Darby thought, then corrected herself. She was no longer interested in revenge or taking delight in anyone else’s failure. Hopefully Griff would do better next time around... unless he wound up with Ainsley.
The restaurant’s lighting was low, but it wasn’t so low her former friend and boyfriend couldn’t see Darby. They both ignored her. Even when all four of them wound up leaving the restaurant at the same time.
As they walked out onto the sidewalk, a car zipped by and sent up a rooster tail of slush. “Look out,” Gregory said, trying to move Darby out of the way.
Too late. It caught her on the legs and splashed muddy water on her boots, leggings, and coat as well, bringing about a relapse of bad words. She looked down and gave her coat a helpless shake. Ugh. First blood and now mud. The thing was doomed.
She heard a giggle and looked to see Ainsley delighting in the moment.
Griff, too, was smiling. “Merry Christmas,” he called.
“Same to you,” she called back, then scowled down at her poor coat. Was it her imagination, or was she turning into a target for crap?
Well, she’d thrown enough mud other people’s way. It was about time she got some. She shook her head and chuckled.
“You’re laughing?” Gregory asked in surprise.
“Only at the irony of it all. With all the humbling I dished out over the years, it’s time I got a helping of it myself. Looks like I’m going to get several. Let’s go back to my place. I need to get into some dry clothes.”
Back at the Browns’ home, Mom’s eyes grew wide at the sight of Darby. “You are a magnet for mess this holiday season,” she said when Darby showed her the coat. “I think we can get it clean though.”
“I don’t know,” Darby said doubtfully. “Maybe I should just take it to the dry cleaners.”
