You must be asking yourself why Diego looks so devastated as he stares off at the mountains. You’d think he would already be leaving Blue Ridge Springs, but, in reality, he had to say goodbye to Lou about ten minutes ago.
Diego won’t admit it, but he somehow grew attached to the kid. The look of genuine pride as he watched Lou run down a green trail with the rest of the group is one I won’t ever forget. He waited for us at the bottom of the run, high-fiving each student, and when Lou stopped in front of him, his grin widened even further, and I almost fell in a freaking ditch.
As the lesson ended and each of our students left, Lou lingered by my side, telling me all about her plans for the weekend before she and her family headed back to California. Then, she looked up at me with those big doe eyes and hugged my legs tight enough to cut off my circulation. After that, she jumped into Diego’s arms, and, fuck, if the sight of this tall man hugging such a tiny human being didn’t make my heart burst at the seams. He held her tightly with his eyes closed before letting her down and setting her on her feet.
Lou thanked him for beingthe best ski instructor everrrrrand ran toward her parents. That was the exact moment Diego walked away to stare at the mountains, mumbling something about simply being an assistant.
I nudge his elbow, staring up at the way the sunlight streams down on him. He finally decides to look at me, and my breathcatches. In the light, his irises are the color of whiskey – I find myself drowning in them the more I stare and stare and stare.
I blink, trying to focus. “There will be other students like her,” I murmur. “That’s what’s so amazing about this job. We meet fun kids, some more stubborn than others, some we grow easily attached to. We meet teens and adults too, who are all amazing and cool to work with.”
Diego’s head drops forward, causing some rogue strands of hair to topple over his brows. He nods, staying loyal to his quiet self, and brushes past me.
“We should probably head back into town if we don’t want to be late for our shift,” is all he says.
I fall into step beside him after he gathers my skis – the same way he’s done all week long – and we walk toward my car in silence, listening to our synchronized steps, with the snow crunching beneath our boots.
“You’re a good assistant.” I’m not saying that just to make him feel better, but because it’s true. He’s helped me in more ways than he thinks. As much as I love the job, groups and loud noises can quickly overwhelm me, so the fact he was here to teach kids one-on-one and keep them focused while I tried to give instructions managed to lift a certain weight off my shoulders.
A muscle in his jaw twitches, and he gazes down at me. “And you’re a good instructor.”
“Did you just compliment me?”
He groans then. “With the way you’re so massively annoying today? I should be insulting you.”
I laugh, fumbling with my key fob and counting the number of times I saw his dimples today.Six times.There’s something about making this guarded man smile that gives me a rush of pride. It gives me a thrill, it’s exhilarating – like a challenge I need to win.
Maybe it’s selfish of me, but I hope that Lou and all the students he’ll meet over the next couple of weeks will change his mind about not coming back to Blue Ridge. He’s told both Gaby and Jordan, repeatedly, that he’s intent on leaving town as soon as possible, but I’m hoping that he’ll have a change of heart. I don’t think I’ll ever be the reason he reconsiders his choice, but maybe the people and the town will.
Either way, I don’t want him to leave because, as stupid as I sound, I’ve grown fond of this brooding guy.
Pleaaaaase,” I say for the millionth time. I swear, I’m usually not this desperate and pathetic.
“
Diego spins on his stool, clearly enjoying my state of hopelessness. He crosses his arms over his chest, drawing my attention to his biceps, and smirks before tossing the pencil he was holding down on the front desk. Rock Snow is currently empty – we’re closing in ten minutes – and from the way he’s checking the time every fifteen seconds, I know he’s eager to leave. I don’t blame him; it’s Friday, after all, but I’m not letting him go until he gives in and says yes.
“I don’t know,” he drawls. “The sound of you begging is music to my ears.”
Standing on the other side of the counter, I lean my palms on the wooden top and narrow my eyes. “I’d love to hear you beg too.”
He arches a brow. “Give me a reason to. I’m sure you’d enjoy it.”
“Undoubtedly,” I say dryly. My shoulders drop with the sigh I let out. I’m going to ask him one last time, because I’ve been running after him for three days, and something tells me he’s been having too much fun toying with me. I raise my pointer finger. “One video. I promise I won’t ask again after this one.”
Diego can be as subdued as he wants, he can be quiet and can keep his walls up, but his eyes constantly betray him. By the twinkle of amusement shining around his pupils, I think he’s about to agree to helping me.
I started managing the store’s social media during my first year of college. Despite enjoying the job, because it’s easy and fun, it was hard to stay consistent. I couldn’t find a balance between my classes and this side activity, but now that I can fully focus on the job, my goal is to grow our numbers and gain more visibility.
There’s no one better than Diego to help me check the boxes because not only is he a popular athlete who’s managed to attract hundreds of new customers to the store, he’s also a handsome man who will catch our target audience’s attention.
With a shake of his head, he lets a smile spread across his face. “Fine. I’ve got to say, though, that it’s been very fun to make you wait.”
The urge to squeal with delight is strong, but I stay composed. “Yeah, I’m sure you were having the time of your life.”
His soft chuckle follows after me like a melody as I fetch everything I need for the video. In the meantime, Diego is busy organizing the front desk, ready to log out of the system. For a Friday afternoon, it was quite slow, so we managed to start cleaning up early, which means we should be out of here quickly.
As promised, Diego has made some major effort. He asks for help when he needs it, even though it’s evident he’d rather figure everything out on his own rather than bother one of his colleagues. He takes pictures with fans and signs autographs – albeit reluctantly, but he still does it, even if it’s with a tight faux smile. How do I know it’s fake? Because his dimples don’t pop. He also enjoys working with my dad, and it makes me happy to know he trusts someone here. They always seem to cackle atridiculous jokes, and they often talk passionately about matters that don’t concern me.
