Joel.
Had it really been a year since she’d seen him? It seemed like yesterday, or at least her feelings were the same as back then. Despite what Izzy claimed, he couldn’t possibly still hold feelings for her.
His gaze met hers, and he nodded. “Cassandra.” His gaze pierced to her marrow.
Cassandra?He hadn’t called her that in years. Not since they’d first met when Iz brought her home to hang out in junior high. Cassie. For one wonderful and frightening year, she’d beenhisCassie. But not anymore.
She settled in her seat, and before she had her headset in place, the copter lifted off, rising in the air. She longed to reach for Joel’s hand as she had so many times before. Instead, she balled her hands in her lap.
Joel’s gaze bounced over them, then he directed his attentionforward. She could practically feel the warmth of his body, his thigh inadvertently brushing hers as they hit turbulence, but he kept his focus on the windshield.
She, on the other hand, couldn’t keep herself from staring. It’d been a year since she’d seen his strong shoulders, his chiseled arms visible under his pushed-up sleeves, the hunter green Henley shirt bringing out the green undertones in his blue eyes. His jacket lay across his lap.
His gaze flashed to her. She glanced down but not fast enough. He’d caught her staring. Heat rushed to her cheeks. She braved a glance back up, meeting his gaze head on.
Deep emotion filled his eyes.
But which emotion?
Two
“ALLRIGHT,FOLKS.Here you go,” the pilot said, hovering just over the snow.
Joel leaned forward, taking in the pristine powder beyond Heath’s shoulders. “Where’s the other copter?” he asked.
“We do two separate areas,” the pilot said, “but don’t worry, they’re just on a parallel run on the other side of that thin tree line. You’ll all end up at the same place, or they can cross over.”
The excitement of untouched slopes raced adrenaline through Joel’s limbs—new slopes he’d never been on. He bounced his knee, raring to go, but everyone had climbed up to the door before him, save Cassie.
His chest squeezed.Cassie. He swallowed, aching for a distraction.
Any distraction,Lord.
“Have a blast,” the pilot hollered over the thwacking blades. “Be at our pickup point by four, or you’ll be tempting the blizzard blowing in tonight.”
“Roger that,” Heath, the first jumper, said, followed by Iz, Talbot, and Talbot’s extreme sports buddy, Brady, then Jayce and Mia, leaving Cassie and Joel alone.
“After you,” he gestured for her to go. He’d bring up the rear.
“Thanks.” A soft smile graced her lips. One that sliced right through him. How could he still love her after she’d left him with zero compassion?
She jumped, and shoving the consternation from his thoughts, he followed, hitting the powder, then rocking his snowboard and digging in sideways to a stop beside Cassie, who’d done the same based on her position.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. No. I just wanted to say how sorry I am.”
He arched a brow. “For?” He knew darn well what for, but he wanted to hear it. Wanted to know why. The question had plagued him for three hundred sixty-seven days.
She dropped her gaze, then met his. “For leaving you at the altar with no word.”
“Why’d you do it?”
“I can’t explain.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
She bit her lip—pink lips he used to kiss. Lips he’d thought he’d kiss forever.
