Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
JAX
“ H ey, man. Merry Christmas Eve,” Cody greets me when I take a seat next to him at brunch the next morning.
“Morning,” I mutter, pouring myself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table.
“Ready to ski today?”
Before I can answer, the woman who has taken up residence in my brain for the past twelve hours, who made an appearance in my dreams last night, walks into the dining room, and I forget how to breathe. She’s beautiful, dressed in dark wash jeans and a navy turtleneck.
“Morning. Merry Christmas Eve.” She greets her brother and his wife before turning her attention to me. “Hey, you,” she whispers, taking the seat next to me.
“Hi.” I grin, meeting her gaze.
We stare at each other for who knows how long before a clearing of a throat behind me has me blinking and her blushing.
“So. . .” Cody mutters, glancing between us. “Something you want to share with the class?”
“No.” I glare at him.
He raises an eyebrow. “You sure? Because you two look like there’s something going on between you.”
“Cody,” Maddy hisses.
“What? I’m just asking. She’s my sister, and he’s my best friend. I have a right to know.”
I cringe internally. He’s right. What the hell was I thinking last night? She’s not some random woman I met on vacation and decided to have some fun with. She’s my best friend’s little sister. Someone who will always be in my life because of Cody.
Maddy shakes her head at him, giving him a pointed look. Before he can say anything else, Maddy’s parents walk into the dining room and join our table. I breathe out a sigh of relief that that conversation is over. At least for now.
“You coming skiing?” I ask Holly as we finish our breakfast a little while later.
She tucks her hair behind her ear. “I think so. I need to check that Maddy doesn’t need me to cover the front desk first.”
“No working for you,” Maddy says, leaning over the table to look at Holly. “Go have fun with Jax.” She winks at Holly, who blushes. I glance between the two women. What am I missing?
“Holy shit, I am so out of shape.” I brace my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.
Holly and I spent the past few hours skiing. Well, she spent it skiing, and I spent most of it alternating between trying to remember how to ski again and picking myself up out of the snow. I told her so many times that she didn’t have to hang around with me on the bunny slopes, but she wasn’t having any of it.
She giggles, and I want to bottle up the sound so I can take it home with me.
“Okay, old man, how about we return your skis and go inside and get warm?” She pats me on the shoulder.
“I’m not old,” I grumble, standing to my full height. “Just out of practice. I haven’t skied in years.”
She shakes her head at me, smirking. “Whose fault is that?”
“I live in Florida now. There’s no place to ski.”
She rolls her eyes and holds out her hand, which I take, and we walk over to return my skis.
“I’ll meet you at the lodge if you want. I need to take my skis back and walk Huck,” she says when we reach the fork in the sidewalk, one way leading to the main resort and the other toward her cottage.
“How about I come with you?”
She’s silent for a beat, and I wonder if she’s going to tell me no, but instead she rewards me with one of her brilliant smiles. “I’d like that.”
“Hey Huck,” she greets her rambunctious dog at the door a few minutes later, his tail going a mile a minute.
I pet him while she slips past and puts her skis in the small closet off the entrance to her cottage.
“Ready to go for a walk?” she asks her dog, holding his leash up.
To my surprise, he sits immediately and waits while she puts his leash on. Although he does squirm around a little, he stays mostly in one spot.
I huff out a laugh, watching the pair of them. “Is he always this excited?”
She picks up a tennis ball from the floor and tucks it into her pocket before pulling the door open. “Yep,” she says, popping the p
I chuckle, following them out of the cottage and down the sidewalk.
“So.” I bump Holly’s shoulder with my own when we come to a stop in front of some snow-covered bushes that Huck decides he wants to sniff.
“So.” She bumps me back, grinning at me. When she goes to move away, I snake my arm around her, keeping her body close to my own.
“What’s the plan for the afternoon?”
She shrugs. “Do you have any suggestions? Dinner is at six.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and turns it on before looking back at me. “Gosh, it’s already after two. No wonder I’m starving.” She pats her stomach before turning her attention to Huck.
“How about we scrounge up a snack and watch a movie? Or nap?” I stifle a yawn.
“Sounds good to me.”
We amble down the sidewalk, a little awkwardly since I still have my arm wrapped around her, for a few more minutes before turning toward her house. Once we’re back at her place, we take turns throwing the ball for Huck.
“We should go inside,” she says a few minutes later, shivering against me.
She takes my hand and calls for her dog who ambles up to us, the ball in his mouth, his tail going a mile a minute.
Once inside, she dries Huck and gives him a treat while I peel my boots and jacket off. She does the same, and I follow her into the small cozy kitchen and take a seat on one of the two barstools at the counter.
“What do you want for a snack?” she asks, peering into her fridge.
“You.”
She giggles, closing the fridge door and turning to face me. “I’m not sure that I would be that filling.”
I smirk. “Oh, I’m sure you would be.” I bounce my eyebrows.
She shakes her head and goes back to perusing the fridge. “I have an idea,” she says before pulling out a bunch of different ingredients.
She whips us up a charcuterie board of sorts, with salami, cheddar cheese, a few different types of crackers, some pickle slices, and a handful of chocolate covered almonds, that we eat while watching The Holiday .
It’s nice to hang out with her like this. To just be in each other’s company. Relaxed.