Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17473 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17473 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
She turns her head but not before I see the pain in her eyes. She’s definitely been hurt, and as the couples and families around us are laughing and having a good time, it breaks my heart to see her sad like she is. I put my glove-covered hand up to her chin and pull her to look at me. “We don’t have to talk about it.”
She swallows hard, blinks twice, and nods. “I really just need to be alone.”
I sigh. I’ve never been a quitter, but seeing how upset she is, I’m wondering if I need to let her be. I try to hide the disappointment on my face because I don’t want her to feel guilty. “Gina, I—”
She gasps.
I look around and back at her, wondering what the gasp is about. “What? What is it?”
“Gina. You called me Gina.” She smiles at me, and I swear it lights me up, making me feel like I may just have a chance yet.
I hold on to her arm. “Yeah. I like Georgina but”—I shrug—“I wanted to shorten it. I like Gina.”
She nods. “I do too. And it’s way better than Georgie; that’s what my ex-fiancé calls me.”
“Ex-fiancé? You were engaged?” I ask, hating the thought of her with another man.
And just like that, her smile drops, but in its place is determination. She draws her shoulders up and straightens her back, looking at the slope in front of us. “Uh, yeah. And you know what, I think I would like you to teach me how to ski.”
I don’t even question why she had a change of heart. I grab her hand and start going through the movements. I do everything to take her mind off things. We ski for the rest of the afternoon. The longer we’re out here, the better she is. She’s giggly and laughing and having fun. I want to savor this moment and keep it with me always. “Race me.”
She laughs and smacks me on the chest. It’s the first time she’s touched me, and I grab her hand and hold it to me. “Race me,” I tell her again. I don’t want this to be over, but I know she’s about to tell me she’s done for the day.
“Why would I race you? You’re going to win.”
I lift my shoulders. I’d lose if it meant I could spend more time with her. “Okay, we won’t race. Down the slopes one more time.” We haven’t made it to the big slopes yet, but she’s doing well on the intermediate one.
She nods. “One more time. Then I’m going to have to go in.”
I don’t argue with her. We go down the slope, and I pull my phone from my zippered pocket. I take pictures of her smiling and laughing as she goes down, and I can’t help but smile with her.
On the ski lift to the top of the mountain, she’s staring off into the distance. “You had fun, didn’t you?” I ask her.
She nods and looks at me with surprise. “I did. I really did.”
I reach for her hand because I can’t go any longer without touching her. “Have dinner with me.”
Before I even get the question out, she’s shaking her head.
“Why not?” I ask her.
She points between the two of us. “Because we don’t make sense, Levi. You’re... you. And well, I’m me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”
She blows out a breath. “Look, you don’t know how much I appreciated today. You were able to get my mind off... everything, and I haven’t been able to do that, so thank you. I’ll leave you a tip at the check-in station. You’ve definitely earned it today.”
My jaw grits. “I didn’t do this for a tip. I’m not charging you for a lesson. I wanted to spend time with you,” I tell her. We’re getting to the top, and I’m anxious because I know she’s going to escape as soon as she gets off.
When we’re finally on our feet, she pulls off her skis, and I do the same. I’m done before her, but something tells me not to help her, that she doesn’t want my help. As soon as she stands up, though, I crowd her, trying to get close to her. “Look, Gina. I don’t know what it is, but I feel something when I’m with you. I had fun today, and I don’t want it to end. Just dinner. Just have a meal with me.”
She wants to. I can see it in her eyes that she wants to. But she shakes her head. “I can’t, Levi. Look, I caught my ex cheating. He hurt me and I know, I know,” she says, holding her hands up when I start to cuss, “he’s not worth it. But this trip was supposed to be our honeymoon, so see, I just need time. I can’t get involved with someone else right now.”