Page 7 of Snowbody

I smiled weakly at her and slid out of the booth. I posed for a photo with the girls, waiting patiently as they each took turns snapping a selfie with me.

And, of course, that attracted more attention.

I gave Maddy another apologetic look.

She deserved my full attention, not this.

I stood for a while, letting people come and take photos. Some of them were guests at the lodge; others were locals. Most of them were polite, although there were always guys who wanted to act tough.

Sometimes, I wished I carried my medals around to show off. Maybe these guys could do better than me now, but they never would have stood a chance when I was at my prime.

At last, the crowd dispersed. Our waiter brought out the burgers Maddy and I had ordered, along with fresh beers. I slid back into the booth across from her with a sigh.

“I hate when that happens. I’m sorry.”

She tilted her head, looking at me curiously. “Really?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I mean… it just gets old. I don’t mind when people recognize me, say hi or whatever, but I hate the photos and the dickhead guys who want to talk trash.”

Maddy nodded slowly. “I see. That’s good to know, actually.”

“Yeah?”

She smiled. “Yeah. Just… something for me to think about.”

I smiled at her.

She was definitely going to be trouble.

After dinner, we walked outside into a thick snowfall. The roads were quiet already, and I didn’t even need to look to know that going up the mountain was a bad idea.

“Do we need to get a hotel?” Maddy asked, frowning.

I shook my head. “Nah. I have an apartment in town for the off season. We can just crash there tonight. You take the bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. No worries.”

Chapter Four

Maddy

We got back in the cold truck. The apartment was only a few blocks from McAdams’, but Jacob were slow getting there. Winter weather was nothing to mess around with, and I was glad he didn’t rush.

He unlocked the door of his second-floor apartment and let me inside. He flicked on a few light switches.

The living room was full of memorabilia from his career. His Olympic medals hung in display boxes on the wall; other awards were scattered around the room. There were framed photos of him with other pro athletes, and a few posters that were blown-up magazine covers.

I felt a little silly for not really knowing who he was until today.

Jacob moved around the apartment, hanging his winter gear before going into the kitchen. “You want another beer?” he called.

“That sounds great.” I shed my own coat, hanging it with Jacob’s stuff on a coat rack. While he got our drinks, I moved to the couch, sitting down to look around again.

He returned with two open bottles, handing me one. I took a sip immediately.

Jacob wasn’t even trying, and he had me turned on.

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