Page 97 of Sweet Ruin

Her comparisons only grew more outlandish as the afternoon wore on. And I really struggled not to laugh when she asked me if I was ready for dessert because she’d just seen a “droolworthy piece of caramel-bottomed Guinness chocolate pie” walking past. I had no idea how she came up with this stuff.

It did make me feel better though, and by the time we got back to the chalet, the anxiety that had set up shop in my chest after watching Noah and Wes’s confrontation had mostly eased.

Wes seemed to have enjoyed his afternoon skiing with Sawyer, but I worried he hadn’t completely forgotten the morning’s events. I couldn’t tell whether he was embarrassed about what had happened or still irritated. Either way, something felt slightly off with him.

I was glad to see Cress when she also returned to the house later that afternoon. She’d spent the day with Kaden, and I was beginning to worry we might not see her at all this trip. I felt bad because it was my fault she was forced to choose between hanging out with her boyfriend and hanging out with us. But given the tension between Wes, Noah, and me, there was no way we could all spend time together.

We decided to go tobogganing that evening on a small hill behind the twins’ house. We’d been planning to get in the hot tub and soak our tired muscles after our day on the slopes, but when Sawyer turned it on, it let out a harsh choking sound before abruptly going quiet. No matter what he and Wes tried, they couldn’t get the jets to work or the water to heat up. So, tobogganing it was.

There was enough light from the chalet that the hill behind the house was lit in a soft amber glow, and we took turns trudging up the small slope before whizzing back down on the two wooden toboggans Sawyer had brought up from the basement. It was surprisingly fast, and after a couple of turns, I decided to quit while I was ahead. My body had started aching in places I didn’t know existed after my rough morning on the ski slopes, and I didn’t want to injure myself more.

Cress and Anna didn’t last much longer than me, and the twins soon turned it into a competition. I hung out with the girls at the bottom of the slope as we watched the two boys race. They were very evenly matched, and so each time there was a winner, the loser would propose an immediate rematch. We’d probably be out here all night.

“So, Cress, did you get the dirt from Kaden on how the boys conveniently ended up in the house next door?” Anna asked as she took a sip of hot chocolate from the thermos she’d brought along.

“We didn’t really talk about it,” Cress said.

“Come on, he must have said something,” Anna insisted.

Cress let out a sigh. “I guess it kind of sounds like Luther was trying to do something to help get Noah and Isobel back together.”

“I knew it,” Anna gasped. Luther hadn’t exactly been subtle when he’d arrived yesterday. It was obvious he was up to something. But I’d hoped Anna’s prediction would turn out to be wrong. I still didn’t understand what Kaden’s and Noah’s roles in all this were though.

“Did Kaden know that’s what Luther was up to?” I asked Cress. “What about Noah?”

“Kaden said he and Noah were both unsure when Luther suggested a trip to Aspen, but apparently, he convinced them.” A smile crept onto her face, and her eyes seemed to glaze over. “Kaden said he couldn’t resist the thought of surprising me,” she sighed.

“I’m sure Noah didn’t take much convincing,” Anna said. “He still has feelings for you, Isobel. And lots of kids from Weybridge come to Aspen this time of year. It’s not exactly unusual.”

“Yeah, but did they really have to be our neighbors?” I questioned.

“Kaden told me that was a genuine surprise for both him and Noah,” Cress added. “That was all Luther.”

“Of course, it was.” I shook my head. “I don’t know why Luther thought that would do anything other than piss me off.”

“He probably assumed you’d take one look at Noah in his ski gear and drop down at his feet to worship him.” Anna’s voice was playful, and she nudged her elbow into my side.

“Anna,” I groaned.

“What? Noah looked hot today. Way better than the other guys we were checking out.”

“Other guysyouwere checking out,” I said. “And Wes looked hot in his ski gear too.”

“They all looked hot.” Anna let out a breath and stared off into the night, mimicking the face Cress had made when she’d been talking about Kaden earlier.

“Well, whatever Luther planned, it’s not working. All Noah’s done so far is be a thorn in my side.”

“Except for the part where he rescued you today,” Anna said. “That wasn’t very thorny of him.”

“I probably would have preferred to hit the warning sign,” I grumbled.

Anna raised her eyebrows at me like she didn’t believe me.

“How’s Wes handling it all?” Cress asked.

“Not so well,” I said. “I thought he was going to fight Noah after he saved me on the ski slope today.”

Anna nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never seen him act like that before. It’s not like Wes.”

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