Page 19 of Love in the Details

“Looks like we’re going through,” Easton yelled.

Kassidy looked both ways, grateful that the road wasn’t busy or they’d crash.

They flew through and caught some air in the process, heading down the next hill, the momentum carrying them up to the crest of the next one with ease. It was shorter than the initial hill they’d come down, but Kassidy had never made it this far in one run. The sled still had plenty of speed when she turned and saw a dark car coming in their direction.

“Is he going to stop?” Kassidy yelled, hoping it would somehow alert the driver to them.

A few feet before the intersection, she felt the sled tilt to the side, sliding them off into the ditch instead of continuing on their path forward into the intersecting road.

A screech of tires sounded, and Kassidy knew it would’ve been too late if her brother hadn’t veered them off course.

A car door opened and shut as Kassidy worked to step through the hip-high snow, trying to get back to the road.

“Are you all right?” a familiar voice called down.

She didn’t have to look up to know it was Dustin Wakefield. Why did he keep showing up everywhere she was?

“We’re fine. Just went a little farther than we thought.” Easton had already managed to get back to the snow-packed road, the long sled under his arm.

Kassidy made it almost to the edge and then tripped, falling face-first into the powder. The cold of it took her breath away, and when she resurfaced, she took large gulps, swiping at the snow on her face with her already covered gloves, making it even worse.

By the time she could see, a hand was reaching out to her.

She glanced up to see Dustin squatted down in a nice peacoat and expensive shoes. She stared at his hand for several seconds before taking it. He was going to get wet and snowed on, but at this point, she just wanted out of the ditch.

“Thank you,” she said, brushing off the rest of the snow so she didn’t have to make eye contact.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled, looking between her and Easton. “What are you up to?”

“We’re just sledding.” She hoped her quick answer would give him the hint to get back into his car and move on. Her twin brothers hadn’t stopped giving her a hard time about working for her former crush, and she didn’t need them to see him rescuing her now.

“That hill over there is where we start. One of us drives the rest to the top and then we slide down,” Easton said.

Dustin turned in the direction Easton pointed, where their family stood waiting by the truck. His surprise was only slight, but it was there all the same. “Looks like you went a distance farther than normal, huh?”

Easton chuckled, and Kassidy forced a smile. She had hoped to have at least one day free of this guy, or of the thought of this guy and the job she was supposed to perform for him.

“You should join us,” Easton said, ever the party crasher. “We’ve got a few extra snow clothes up there if you want to try it out. You’re Dustin Wakefield, Kassidy’s boss, right? I’m Easton, Kassidy’s oldest brother.” He reached out his hand. “I think you were a couple years younger in school. You probably know Walker, our brother.”

At the mention of his boss title, Kassidy could feel her already bright pink cheeks heat up, probably more of a bright red at this point.

“Nice to meet you, but I should probably be going,” he said, locking eyes with Kassidy.

“Oh, yeah. You’re always working. I’m sure you’ve got another conference call or something coming up.” She bit the end of her tongue, feeling guilty that she’d been sharp to her boss. But then again, that was kind of how they’d met for this whole adventure, with her telling him off.

He glanced in the direction of the hill again and then at her, his smile widening as he stared at her. “Looks like fun. If you’ve got some extra clothes, I’ll give it a try.” A challenge in his eyes caused a strange twist in her stomach.

“Sweet! Just meet us on the next road. You can park down at the bottom where our truck is sitting right now.” Easton waved and started trekking back up the hill.

Kassidy did what she could to catch up to him, her snow boots heavy and slipping on the snowy road.“We already don’t have enough sleds, and you invite him?” Why couldn’t he have just let him move on?

“Why not? Like you said, he works a lot. Sometimes a break can help people chill out.” Easton flashed her a smile. “I did it to help you, sis.”

Kassidy punched him in the shoulder with all the strength she had. “Yeah, right. You just like to see me squirm.”

She was breathing heavily once they made it back to the truck. Everyone else had loaded their sleds and were waiting for them to come.

“We need some of the extra gear. We’ve got a new addition to the fun,” Easton said, laughing when Kassidy shot him a look of disgust again.

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