"Avery!" one of the other women calls. "We're heading for cocktails! Want to join?"
The spell breaks. Avery blinks, steps back. "Yes. I'll—yes."
She walks away without looking back, and I'm left standing by the snowmobiles, wondering what the hell just happened.
One of the other guides, Matthew, appears at my elbow. "Dude. The Ice Queen?"
"Don't call her that."
"You called her that yesterday."
"Yeah, well. I was wrong."
Matthew grins. "Oh man. You're into her."
"I'm not—"
"You are. This is amazing. You've been emotionally unavailable, and now you're falling for the most uptight woman to visit Evergreen Lakes."
"She's not uptight. She's scared."
"Of what?"
Good question. "I don't know yet. But I'm going to find out."
He claps my shoulder. "Good luck, man. Something tells me Ice Queen melting is going to be a hell of a show."
“Don’t call her that.” But he's not wrong.
And that should terrify me.
But all I am is curious. And maybe a bit hopeful.
Which is the most dangerous feeling of all.
Chapter 3
Avery
I wake up to my phone buzzing with a weather alert: WINTER STORM WARNING. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION EXPECTED. TRAVEL NOT ADVISED.
Perfect. Because what this retreat needs is more chaos.
I check my schedule—second snowmobile tour, advanced backcountry route with Brennan. The tour I signed up for to prove I can handle spontaneity.
The tour that's probably cancelled.
Except when I get to the staging area, Brennan's there, checking equipment with practiced efficiency.
"We're still going?" I ask.
He looks up, and something crosses his face when he sees me. Something warm. "The storm's not supposed to hit until this afternoon. We'll do a shorter route and be back by noon. Should be fine."
"Should be?" I stutter.
"Nothing's guaranteed in the mountains, counselor. That's what makes it interesting." Brennan smiles and shrugs his shoulders.
I should say no. Should invoke the detailed safety protocols I researched. Should be the responsible one.
