The hour flew by and by the end of the lesson, all the teens were racing down the hill, and I was with them. That time, things felt different. Part of that was due to Tara cheering me on and giving me helpful tips with zero criticism. The other part was admitting I was starting at zero and learning the basics. When all was said and done, I had a good time. Before we went inside, my cheeks hurt. It took a fewminutes for me to realize it was from smiling so hard.Thank you, Lord, for the unexpected.
“Claire, wait up!” Tara shouted before gracefully gliding over to me on her skis and unclipping them from her boots in a fluid motion. “Great job, today. You have some good movements. I want you to really prepare for when you do a turn; you lift one ski up, ever so slightly.”
“Thanks, Tara. I will think about that. Looking forward to our next lesson.”
She reached over and opened the door and we both walked inside, taking off our helmets. My teeth were chattering.
“You’re welcome. I know it’s hard; there’s going to be a lot we cram into the week, but I hope you walk away with confidence to practice.”
“I’m so glad I did this and that you are my instructor. You have such a gentle way of teaching with no negativity or criticism, and I really appreciate that.”
“Aww, you’re so welcome. I know what you’re saying… know the type all too well. Some people can be quite harsh, taking their frustrations out on others. But for me, my passion in life is skiing, and I want other people to find away to enjoy it. That’s more important than always being perfect.”
I agreed with her sentiment as she spoke. “Do you want to get lunch?” I asked her, while skimming the room. All the teens were with family or friends. I was riding solo.
“Oh, I’d love to, but my boyfriend is coming to meet me. He should be here any second.”
I realized when she brought him up, that I’d gone one hour without thinking of Theo. Instantly, he was back at the top of my mind. “That’s okay. Maybe another day, I’ll be here until New Year’s.”
“Absolutely, Claire. I would love to get to know you more. Now that the ski resort is open, I feel like I see my boyfriend all the time. He likes to spend as much time as he can up here.”
“I know the type.”That’s just like Theo, I thought.
“Yeah. I feel the same, mostly, but since I also work here, I enjoy some time away. It’s a very new relationship, though. We only just started dating like two weeks ago. He is supposed to be leaving for the entire winter in just a few days. Now, he tells me he’s ready to get serious in our relationship. What girl doesn’t want to hear that? I mean, he’s so, sogorgeous. He’s the perfect guy: kind, tall, wants to settle down. I just don’t know if it all seems way too fast.”
Another employee walked by, and she stopped talking as he smiled and waved at her.
“Is that him?” I whispered, playfully elbowing her in the ribs. “He’s totally adorable.”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “No.”
I could sense some hesitancy in her voice.
“Oh, there’s my boyfriend. I better go. I’ll see you in a bit, Claire.”
She winked at me while pointing to a group of people, and I waved her goodbye. My eyes followed her as she went into the cluster of people in ski gear. I took off my gloves and felt my face. My sunscreen had crusted up in a few spots, so I started towards the restroom when I stopped dead in my tracks. Tara and her boyfriend were walking right towards me. Tara’s boyfriend wasTheo—as in, Theo McCain, who had just dumped me less than three weeks ago on his way to Canada to be repped by SkySki. According to Tara’s timeline, they began dating immediately after, and suddenly he was ready to settle down.
Sweat broke out on my hairline. I needed to escape. I was confident that Theo hadn’t seen me yet, so I quickly spun around, but found myself awkwardly facing three people who were right in the middle of a conversation that halted the moment I joined them.
“Hey… Hi, umm, I’m sorry to interrupt. Please let me just stand here for a moment because that’s my ex-boyfriend with his new girlfriend and…”
I rambled off into silence while two of the men laughed and said it was okay. I looked at the third man in horror. It was the man from the piano bar, becauseof course it was—Blake, the hunk who I also saw Thursday night when he picked me up after I slipped. Apparently, he was making his rounds whenever I was in need. His smile was just as dazzling as I remembered. In his hands he held a blue neck gaiter and metallic goggles. Wait…Hewas the mystery man who’d helped me up on the bunny hill an hour ago? Was he an angel undercover who appeared every time I took a spill? My knees felt so weak with anxiety knowing that Theo was behind me, that I felt like I could topple over just to test the theory.
“Well, if it isn’t Claire Riley,” Blake announced.
He winked at me as my knees felt an aftershock of embarrassment. His voice had been a touch too loud, and I heard a familiar set of feet clunking up behind me. All of this was just so overwhelming. It was then that I remembered the sunscreen on my face as a piece flaked off and went past my eyes like paper thrown out of a window. I squeezed my eyes shut and regained composure. He had a girlfriend anyway. What was the harm in having a conversation?
“It’s Blake, right? From the piano bar and The Barn Door last night…”
“Don’t forget the bunny hill,” he winked at me.
I felt my knees turn to putty.
“Blake Walker, at your service.”
As we conversed, something caught his eye just past me. By the time I realized all three men were looking at someone who’d walked up, it was too late.
“Claire? Is that you?” Theo was speaking to me.
