Page 120 of Snow, Ice, and Spice
She turns and smiles at me. “Thanks so much for being such a good sport about flying to Phoenix two days after you landed in San Diego.”
“It’s my job, remember?” I try and smile again, but my face muscles feel tense. Probably because I haven’t cracked more than a couple of genuine smiles since I broke up with Theo.
It’s the right thing to do
I’ve been repeating that silent mantra to myself constantly. It hasn’t done much to comfort me though.
That familiar tightness hits my throat. I swallow it back and quickly pull up the notes on my phone to distract myself from the urge to cry.
“We’ve got dinner in two hours at the resort restaurant Terras. The chef wants to do a private tasting and asked that you take some photos so you can post them on TikTok and Instagram,” I say. “Oh, and that sunglasses line emailed this morning asking if you’d take some photos with the pairs they sent while you’re here at Civana. They’re hoping for some majestic desert shots of you wearing their shades. That should be super easy, I can take those for you after breakfast tomorrow. After that, we’ve got a couples’ hot stone massage at the spa before that sound bath class.”
Through the sepia-tinted lenses of her sunglasses, I see Ingrid close her eyes as she relaxes into the chair. “You’re seriously the best, Maya.”
I glance over at her, my stomach in a knot. I still haven’t told Ingrid about me and Theo. It’s not that I think she’d be mad or anything. Just that I don’t see the point since we’re not even together anymore.
Just the thought of that feels like a knife in my heart. I press my eyes shut, willing the pain to fade.
“You okay?” Ingrid asks.
I open my eyes and see Ingrid frowning at me in concern. She pushes her sunglasses on top of her head.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, um, fine. Just not used to this warmth at the end of February.”
“Don’t tell me you miss the snow and cold?”
I think of Theo and how he joked about being hot-blooded and loving the cold.
“Maybe a little,” I say quietly. “I’m a Denver girl, born and raised in the mountains. Can’t help it.”
“Speaking of Denver and the mountains.” Ingrid reaches over and grabs my hand. “I owe you big time, Maya. For how you stayed with Theo and made sure he didn’t destroy my place.”
That ache inside of me intensifies at just the mention of his name.
“It was no problem. Really.” I fuss with a button on the long cover-up I’m wearing.
“I’m serious.” She gently tugs on my hand to get me to look at her. “You were an incredible influence on my cousin. While he was living with you, he coached a kids’ hockey campandhe got back on his team. And most importantly, you didn’t kill him. Seriously, I can’t thank you enough.”
I smile at her. “I was happy to do it.”
She sips her drink. “Speaking of Theo, I FaceTimed him this morning, and holy crap, he looked terrible.”
My chest tightens with worry. “Is he okay?”
Ingrid frowns at the sharpness of my tone. I sound like I’m freaking out.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” she says. “He just got into a fight at his last game.”
“Are you sure though? Like, you’re positive he’s okay?”
Ingrid just looks at me. “Yeah. He’s just a bit bruised and cut up. Occupational hazard.”
My heart, which was racing a second ago, eases back to a steady beat.
I take a breath and rest my hand over my chest. “Thank goodness,” I say before chugging from my water bottle.
Ingrid narrows her gaze at me, like she’s studying me.
“Maya babes, are you alright?” she asks after a quiet moment.
