"Don't be," I say, gathering the cards. "Your mom's sweet."
We stand, and I find myself reaching for her hand without thinking. She hesitates for just a heartbeat before sliding her fingers through mine.
"For the audience," she says, but her voice wavers slightly.
I squeeze her hand gently. "Right. For the audience."
Chapter nineteen
Bash
The sunrise in Colorado is something else. Streaks of orange and pink paint the sky, the mountains silhouetted against the backdrop of light, their peaks catching the first golden rays. I wrap the blanket I grabbed from the living room tighter around my shoulders, steam rising from my freshly brewed coffee as I take a sip. The temperature's hovering around freezing, my breath visible in small clouds, but the view makes it worth it.
I check the time—just past 6:30 AM—before dialing Tyler. He answers on the fourth ring with a groan.
"This better be important, Montgomery. Some of us were still sleeping."
"The sun's been up for twenty minutes. Not my fault you're wasting daylight," I reply, grinning into the phone.
"Not all of us are mountain men who rise with the roosters." Rustling echoes through the line, followed by running water. "So, how's the fake-dating going? Turned real yet?"
I roll my eyes. "Funny."
"I'm serious. The sexual tension between you two could power a small city."
"It's... complicated," I admit, watching a large bird soar across the valley. "But we did talk last night. Really talk."
"Holy shit. You actually communicated? Like adults? I'm impressed."
"Don't sound so shocked," I mutter. "Anyway, yesterday was amazing. You should've seen her snowboarding—"
"Oh god, here we go."
"No, listen. She's never been on a board before, right? But she just kept getting back up. Every time she fell—and man, she fell a lot at first—but she'd just laugh it off and try again." I can't help the pride that creeps into my voice. "By the end of the afternoon, she was linking turns like she'd been doing it for months, not hours."
"Sounds like you've found yourself a natural."
"Not exactly. She worked for it. That's what made it impressive. She didn't give up." I pause, smiling at the memory of her triumphant expression when she completed her first full run. "You should have seen her face when she realized she'd made it all the way down without eating snow. It was like watching a kid on Christmas morning."
"Meanwhile, her ex was probably off doing what? Perfecting his polo swing?"
I snort. "Close. Ethan's your typical finance bro. Wears designer ski clothes but barely leaves the bunny slope. Pretty sure he spent most of yesterday in the lodge bragging about some hedge fund bullshit."
"Sounds like a real winner."
"The best part is watching him try to be all alpha male when I'm around Charlie." I shake my head, remembering dinner and the game last night. What Charlie ever saw in that pretentious asshole I'll never understand.
"His fiancée seems miserable too. Kept checking her phone during the game we were playing last night like she'd rather be anywhere else."
"Speaking of games, tell me more about how the fake boyfriend charade's holding up."
I pause moving around the snow with my boot. "That's the thing," I finally say. "It doesn't feel like a charade anymore. At least not for me."
He's quiet for a moment. "Well, that was fast."
"Fuck, I know."
"I mean you two work together, you had that dinner planning your fake relationship backstory. Plus," he adds with a hint of teasing, "you've seen her naked already."
