"Do you know what that means?"
"...nope."
He laughs—a genuine, surprised sound. "Okay. Honest answer. I respect that." He glances at the slope behind me, which from this angle looks less like a ski run and more like a vertical wall of death. "Are you planning to go down in this weather?"
"That's generally how skiing works, right? Up, then down?"
He nods. "Sure, except this is a blue run. Intermediate. And you—no offense—are not intermediate."
"None taken. I’m more of a dry land in Arizona, or sandy beach kind of girl."
He laughs. "Well, you’re a long way from Arizona… or a sandy beach, for that matter. What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Work…" I say. Not wanting to divulge any more than that.
He tilts his head, considering me. "Tell you what. I'm an instructor here. My schedule is booked up tomorrow after ten a.m. but my first slot is open if you’re interested. I could meet you at eight-thirty, give you an hour on the bunny slope. We can go through the basics at least, so you don’t hurt yourself. Free of charge."
I should say no. I should figure this out myself. I should not accept help from a stranger just because he has dimples, and nice smile, and pulled me out of the path of an oncoming ski lift.
But I'm also not an idiot, and I need the help if I’m going to chase down Luka, limiting his options to avoid me.
"Why free?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Because if you try to go down this mountain right now, I'll have to fill out an incident report, and I hate paperwork. Consider it preventive care. Plus, I grew up in Arizona too. Flagstaff… we have to take care of each other."
"Scottsdale," I tell him.
"I figured as much since you don’t like the cold."
"I’m practically a lizard."
He smirks. "So, what do you say?"
"Okay," I say. "Eight-thirty tomorrow. Where?"
"Base of the bunny slope. You'll see the sign. It has a cartoon rabbit." He grins. "You can't miss it. It's designed for children and beginners."
"Perfect," I say dryly. "Exactly my speed."
He laughs again, then glances past me at the lift, where more skiers are unloading, without taking in a mouthful of snow. "You need help to get down from here? I can ski with you and talk you through it. I have to meet my next lesson back at the lodge, anyway. I can get you back there."
I glance down the slope. Then back at Zack. Then back at the slope again.
Pride versus survival.
Survival wins. Especially since trying to chase Luka all around this village is going to be pretty damn tough if I end up in a full body cast.
"Yes," I admit. "I absolutely need help."
"Cool. Let's get you down in one piece."
Chapter Seven
LUKA
My phone buzzes in my jacket pocket just as I'm about to push off for another run after shaking off the last woman who tried to keep up with me on the slopes.
Maybe I should have let up. Let her think that she could keep up with me. But it’s just not how I do things. If you can’t keep up… you can’t. It’s as easy as that. I’m here to ski. The extracurriculars come second or not at all, and that’s fine with me.
