Page 84 of The Breakaway

I laughed. “Did you think I wouldn’t come out if you weren’t an expert?”

“I knew you wouldn’t.” He pointed to my death grip. Fair enough. Rob glanced ahead. “Okay, just remember to stand up when the chair slows.”

I turned my head just as Rob started lifting the bar. “Rob?—”

“You’ll be fine. I’ve got you.”

I tried to stand, but my muscles went into lockdown. My skis wobbled, but Rob clamped a hand around my waist and basically carried me down the small slope, stopping again at the top of the bunny hill.

"Thanks." I tried to ignore the fact that my heart was still in my throat.

Rob turned to me. "Alright, let's do it again."

I nodded, trying to remember everything he'd told me the first time. Snowplow. Knees bent. Weight forward. I pushed off with my poles and followed him.

We went up and down the hill a few more times, and by the end of the day, I was able to get off the lift with only mild cartwheeling arms and make it down the hill behind Rob without stopping. I was sore and exhausted, but I felt a sense of accomplishment that I hadn't experienced in a long time.

"How are you feeling?" Rob grinned as we reached the bottom of the hill.

"Tired." I laughed, pulling up my goggles and looking at him superpositioned between the snowy pine trees and the ski lift.Happy. Grateful.

He patted my head with his glove. “Now you get to experience the best part.” Rob unclipped his skis and set them aside, then got down on his knees to help me out of mine. I stepped out and he showed me how to snap them together, then carried them for me anyway. I grabbed my poles and followed him to the lodge.

We returned the skis, poles, and boots to the rental shop, and I sighed audibly when I put my shoes back on.

Rob watched me. I grinned up at him. “Okay. That’s incredible.”

He chuckled, then motioned for me to follow him up the stairs. The air inside was warm and smelled like cinnamon and hot chocolate. We found a table near the window and ordered two steaming mugs of cocoa with whipped cream.

I wrapped my hands around the mug, letting the warmth seep into my fingers. "This is perfect."

"Yeah, it is." Rob took a sip of his drink, then looked at me over the rim of his cup. "Just don’t tell any of the guys we came out today."

My eyes narrowed. “Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”

He pulled off the top to his cup. “More like Coach told us if we skied or snowboarded over the holidays, he’d kick our ass.”

I gaped at him. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

Rob laughed. “Because I knew I wouldn’t get injured on the bunny hill.”

I leaned in. “You knew Logan wasn’t going to take me skiing.” If Coach gave him an order, Logan would never disobey it. Staying in his good graces was too important to him.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he would’ve done the same thing.”

We both knew it wasn’t true. I took a tentative sip of my hot chocolate. “Your secret’s safe with me.” My stomach swooped. How many secrets did Rob and I share at this point? I was starting to lose count.

We sat in comfortable silence, watching the snow fall outside the window. When we finished our drinks, we walked back to the truck and headed home.

We pulled into the driveway, and I trudged up the walkway. It wasn’t until I got out of the car that I realized the full extent of my workout. Rob unlocked the door, then I kicked off my boots and hung up my coat. I felt like a puppet without strings, my muscles deciding to go on strike after the day I'd put them through.

"Shower."

"Good plan." Rob yawned. "I'll get dinner going."

I stumbled to my room and turned on the water to let it heat up, then stripped out of my layers and stepped under the spray. The hot water felt like heaven, and I stood there for a solid ten minutes, letting it wash over me. When I finally got out, I changed into my favourite pair of sweats and an oversized hoodie.

I returned to the living room and found Rob sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV. I turned on the computer and started the dial up, then plopped down next to him, my body sinking into the cushions. "I don't think I've ever been this sore in my life."

---