Page 59 of One Last Run

“You think the others would ever forgive us for just spending the next 24 hours right here?” Danica joked, her fingertips trailing over the bare skin of Pete’s upper back.

“Oh? Just the next 24? I say we buy Aunt Jade’s condo and never leave,” Pete said, pushing up onto her elbow to get a better look at Danica.

Danica grinned. “I don’t know if even your crypto-bro money could afford this place.”

“The really sad part is that I bet she bought it in the 80s for a nickel and a handshake,” Pete said, glancing around the room. It was far too modern to be built in the 80s, but she couldn’t imagine what a giant ski in/ski out condo in Telluride would actually cost.

Danica’s smile was infectious as she gazed up at Pete, a playful glint in her eyes. “That lucky bitch.”

“What about you? Do you own a house?” Pete asked. “In Denver?”

“I have a condo,” Danica said, shrugging. “Eddie owned a house but I kept my place and rented to travel nurses until last month, when I moved back in.” She grimaced and added, “Sorry, I bet it’s weird to hear about him.”

Pete shook her head. “No, he’s a part of your past.” She watched Danica’s expression turn to one of contemplation, her mouth turning into a small frown. “What is it?”

“I’d have said the same thing about you just last week,” Danica whispered.

Pete’s stomach flipped in a bout of nerves. “Oh yeah?” Her voice softened. “And what do you say now?”

Danica studied her face for a moment, reaching up to trace a thumb over Pete’s cheekbone. She spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. “I’d say this trip has been a fun surprise.”

Hope bloomed inside of Pete. “It has,” she agreed, pressing a kiss to Danica’s nose. “And... tomorrow?”

“What about tomorrow?” Danica asked, her eyes searching Pete’s.

Pete’s voice was strained as she uttered, “We’re leaving,” the statement a battleground of emotions: one impulse pushing her to steer clear of the scary discussion and distract Danica, the other yearning to bravely explore the possibility of a future with her.

Danica’s forehead furrowed. “We are,” she said slowly, drawing out the words. “And you’ll go back to Seattle and I’ll go back to Denver.”

Pete plastered a smile on her face and nodded. She instinctively wanted to cradle her feelings like a wounded limb. “We will.” She matched Danica’s slow, reveal-nothing tone.

They stayed in silence for a few more moments, looking at one another, nearly daring the other to continue down that path. Danica broke the spell first, the picture of unbothered nonchalance as she turned away. “We should shower.”

“Aren’t we just going to work up a sweat again?” Pete asked.

Danica sat on the edge of the bed, glancing down at the place where she’d just been lying beside Pete. “Oh?” She sounded intrigued.

“You know, skiing.”

Danica shook her head, her chestnut hair falling around her shoulders. “You can think about skiing today? My shins would revolt.”

“Come on, Wendell. It could be one of our last runs together. We can take Galloping Goose and just enjoy it,” Pete suggested, knowing that Galloping Goose was a long, long run, out on the far boundary of the resort that could easily take up the rest of the afternoon.

Danica pursed her lips, considering it. “One last run?”

Pete emphatically shook her head no, her tousled curls bouncing around her head. “You can’t say that.”

Danica angled her head. “Why?”

“It’s a superstition. If you call it yourlastrun, you will always make a dumb mistake and get injured. You have to say that you’ll take two more runs but then actually skip the last one, or say that you’ll see how you feel at the bottom.”

Danica squinted at Pete. “You really believe that?”

“Absolutely.”

A grin tugged at the edge of Danica’s mouth. “That’s adorable.”

“Do you tell actors they’re adorable for saying break a leg instead of good luck?” Pete crossed her arms with mock-affront.

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