Page 5 of Merry on the Mountain
The dad and daughter I’ve been giving private lessons to are back today, and I’ll be taking them onto the mountain instead of the bunny slopes. He’s athletic and has taken to the sport easily. His daughter is adorably smart and wicked and has no problem keeping up. I’m sure it’ll be a great time with them.
“Willa,” Izzy yells my name excitedly as she attempts to run to me. Her ski boots make it challenging, but she gets to me before Drew. “Guess what?”
I crouch down to get eye level with her. “What?”
“They’re gonna sell my daddy for dogs.” Her little chest rises and falls quickly beneath her coat from the exertion of running in all her gear.
My eyebrows shoot up at her proclamation as Drew joins us. I look up and lock eyes with him, momentarily startled by the bright blue color. He’s usually wearing sunglasses or goggles,so I haven’t gotten a good look at them. His lips lift in an exasperated smile.
“Izzy, you have to stop saying it like that.” His attention turns to me. “My friend asked me to be in a charity date auction for the animal shelter. It’s not a dowry paid in dogs.”
I return his smile, thoroughly entertained by her interpretation of the situation. “I mean a dowry of dogs sounds delightful.”
The sound of his laughter dances in the air around us. Its deep, rich timbre vibrates through my soul. Why is this man so attractive? Especially the crinkles that form at the corner of his eyes when he smiles.
“Do you like dogs?” Izzy breaks the moment with her question.
“I love dogs. I actually have one.”
“What kind?” Her eyes go wide.
“She’s a black lab. Her name is Maya.”
“Maya.” She rolls the name around. “I love dogs. I’m asking Santa for a puppy.”
“Oh yeah?”
My eyes find Drew’s before I say anything in response. I don’t want to overstep his parenting by giving her hope if he’s not. But the love I see in his gaze as he looks at his daughter makes me think that she probably gets everything she wants. Which I get, she’s adorable. I’d have trouble telling her no, too.
“Dogs are a lot of fun, but they’re also a big responsibility. You have to take care of them since they can’t take care of themselves,” I add. “But I hope you get your puppy.”
He nods from behind her, just the slightest bit. “What’s on the agenda for today?” he asks.
I gesture over my shoulder. “You two are ready for the mountain.”
“Are we going in that?” Izzy points at the gondola.
“No, that takes people to the very top of the mountain where the slopes are steeper. We’re going to take that lift,” I point toward the chair lift. “Think you’re ready to graduate from the magic carpet?”
“Yeah,” she answers excitedly.
“How about you?” I look up at Drew.
“I think I can handle it. Is there a safety bar for her on those?”
“Yeah. She’ll be fine. It’s a three-person lift, so we can set her between us, too.”
He relaxes.
We get our skis on and make our way over to the line. I take the time to observe them both as we make small talk. They listen intently as I explain the procedure for getting on the lift. The entire process goes smoothly with Izzy giggling about getting scooped up by the lift like ice cream.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Izzy asks me abruptly.
“I don’t. Do you?” I whisper conspiratorially.
Her cheeks flush pink as she shakes her head. “My daddy doesn’t have a girlfriend, either. You should buy him at the auction.”
“Isabel,” Drew admonishes, rubbing his gloved hand over his eyes. “You can’t ask people to buy me like that.”
