Chapter 5
5
Silas
My parents had left for Mount Sunapee an hour ago with our skis and snowboards, leaving Britt, Cash, and me to drive up there together. I was still packing when my sister peeked her head into my room.
She let out a sigh. “Can you move any slower?”
I grabbed my favorite hoodie. “Calm down. I’m almost ready.”
“You were almost ready a half-hour ago.” She rolled her eyes as I finally found what I was looking for. “Cash and I are going to wait in the car.”
I zipped up my suitcase. “Done. Happy now?”
She snorted. “Thrilled. Now, let’s go before Mom calls and gets annoyed that we aren’t on the road yet.”
We tossed our bags into the back of Dad’s SUV, and I climbed into the backseat while Britt and Cash slid into the front. I was happy to let my sister drive so I could just chill and scroll through my phone.
“So, when exactly does your album drop?” Cash asked, turning a bit so he could look my way .
“A week after I get back to LA.” I couldn’t help but grin. We had worked our asses off on Neon Nights , and deep down in my gut, I had a feeling it was going to be a huge success.
“I’ll make sure to check it out. I usually listen to country music, but Britt’s played a couple of your songs for me, and they sounded great.”
“Thanks. Music is the only thing I really love, so it’s cool that I’ve been able to make a career out of it.”
“And you’re damn good at it.” Britt beamed. “Mom mentioned your tour is ending in New York, but where’s your first concert going to be? I don’t want to wait until the summer to see you.”
I tilted my head to the side. “You’re going to come to one of our shows?”
She glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Of course I am. The last time I saw you play in person was when you won The Band Showdown .”
“It’d be really cool to have you there, and it’s going to be way more epic than the reality competition or the local shows you saw back in the day. We’re starting in Toronto and then playing in Montreal. Do you think you’d be able to get the time off from your new job to come up?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s worth a try.” She turned to Cash. “Would you want to go?”
“For sure. We could make a weekend out of it. Although it will depend on whether I have a client at the time or not,” he replied.
“Well, let me know once you decide if you can make it, and I’ll add you guys to the VIP list.”
Cash reached over and linked his fingers with Britt’s. “Sounds like a good time to me.”
I looked at my sister’s boyfriend. “So you’re a Texas guy. Have you ever been skiing before?”
He laughed. “Not skiing, but I snowboarded once. Although, I’ll admit I wasn’t very good at it.”
“You told me you were excited to go snowboarding again,” Britt accused playfully.
“Let’s just say I’ll probably spend more time on my ass than on my feet, but I thought seeing you in your little ski bunny outfit would be hot as hell.” He smirked.
“Gross.” I pretended to gag. “But I’ll snowboard with you. I like it better than skiing anyway.”
“Only because you think it makes you look cooler,” Britt teased. “It doesn’t by the way.”
The two of us were adults, but there was something about hanging out together that had us acting like kids who couldn’t help but give each other a hard time.
“Rock star versus doctor. I think I get to claim all of the cool points in this family,” I shot back.
Cash shook his head with a grin. “You guys are ridiculous.”
The banter continued as we recalled stories of past ski trips.
When the vacation rental came into view, Britt smiled. “We’re here. Let’s eat some lunch, then find out if Cash can stay upright on the slopes.”
We had just finished lunch when I saw Britt resting her elbows on the counter and rubbing her temples. Cash must have noticed too, because he walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I have a massive headache,” she admitted. “Probably just dehydrated or something.”
“You should rest,” Mom chimed in. “Why don’t you lie down for a bit?”
Britt shook her head. “No. I promised Cash we’d go to the resort.”
Cash looked down at her. “You’re not feeling good. I’ll stay back with you.”
“No way.” She waved him off. “You’ve been looking forward to this trip just as much as I have.”
“I know, but you really should lie down. We can go out tomorrow. ”
“Laying down actually sounds good,” Britt agreed. “But you should go with Silas and have fun.”
He glanced my way, and I shrugged. “It’s cool with me.”
“But I don’t want to leave you alone,” he said to Britt.
“Melissa and I weren’t planning on skiing today,” my dad explained. “We’ll stay here with her.”
Cash hesitated. “Are you sure?”
Britt nodded. “I’m sure. Go hang out with Silas. Maybe when you get back, I’ll be feeling better, and we can check out the hot tub together.”
“Okay. Sounds like a plan.” He gave her a quick kiss before turning to me. “We can leave whenever you want.”
The cold-as-fuck air felt like tiny needles pricking my face as Cash and I made our way to the chairlift. “Ready to show off those snowboarding skills you mentioned on the drive up here?” I teased.
Cash chuckled. “If by ‘show off’ you mean try not to wipe out, then sure, I’m ready.”
I grinned. “Don’t worry, we’ll stick to the smaller trails. I wouldn’t want Britt pissed off at me if you break something.”
We hit a few runs, and it turned out Cash wasn’t lying about his skill level. He spent more time on his ass than shredding down the hills. Still, he seemed to have a good time, laughing at himself every time he ate shit.
After a while, we decided to call it an afternoon and headed toward the lodge. Once we stripped out of our gear and grabbed some coffee, we found a table near a window to sit.
“You didn’t do too bad out there.” I took a sip of my drink, desperate for a jolt of caffeine. “By that last run, you were getting the hang of it.”
Cash barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I only fell five times instead of ten.”
“Progress is progress, my man.”
He pulled out his phone, and I assumed he was texting my sister.
“Is Britt feeling better?”
He grinned, but when his phone pinged, his lips turned into a frown. “She said her head still hurts.”
“Let’s finish our drinks, and then we’ll head back,” I suggested.
As we started gathering our trash, three women approached our table. The one at the front of the group caught my eye. She was blonde, with bright blue eyes and a ski jacket that hugged her curvy figure.
“Are you Silas Hale from Surrender?”
I glanced around, hoping no one else heard her. It wasn’t uncommon to be recognized in public, but I didn’t necessarily want to draw attention to myself in the crowded lodge. “That’s me.”
Her lips curved into a flirtatious smile. “Oh my god, I love your music!”
“Thanks. It’s always nice to meet fans of our band,” I replied. I never knew what to say when people complimented our music. I didn’t want to come across like an arrogant asshole, but I was also damn proud of what the other members and I had accomplished so far.
“What are you doing here?” one of the other women asked, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders stepped closer to us.
“Just enjoying a day on the slopes with a friend.” I nodded toward Cash.
“Well, we’re heading to a party at a cabin nearby later,” the blonde said. “You should drop by. Both of you.”
She was smoking hot and exactly the kind of woman I would likely hook up with in LA. But something kept me from accepting her invitation.
“I appreciate the offer, but I think we’re going to pass.”
Her face fell briefly, but then she regained her composure. “Okay, but if you change your mind …” She handed me a piece of paper with a phone number scribbled on it. “Give me a call.”
Cash waited until they were out of earshot before turning back to me. “You could have gone with them if you wanted.”
“Not every party’s worth going to.”
He lifted a brow. “Really? ”
He seemed surprised by my answer, and to be honest, so was I. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have hesitated to join them, but something about being with Cash kept me from saying yes. Maybe it was because of his job. The guy spent his days helping people stay sober, and the last thing I needed was for him to run back to Britt, telling her how I ditched him to go party. Or maybe I didn’t want him to think that part of my lifestyle was the only thing I was interested in. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t too bummed about not going out.
“It might come as a shock, but sometimes, I enjoy a quiet night at home.”
Later that night, I slid open the glass door leading to the back deck. Steam rose from the hot tub, and I couldn’t think of a better way to end the day than a quick soak. As I stepped outside, I noticed someone else had the same idea.
“Mind some company?” I asked, dropping my towel on the table next to the tub.
“Not at all.” Cash scooted over so I could climb in.
“How’s Britt doing?”
“About the same.” When we had returned to the rental, he’d gone straight to their room to check on my sister and I’d only seen him briefly when he came downstairs to grab some food for both of them. “She fell asleep about thirty minutes ago, so I figured I’d hang out here for a bit. I’m a little sore from those falls today.”
I sank into the hot water and let out a small groan as one of the jets pounded against my back. “Damn, this is nice.”
“No kidding.” He stretched his arms along the edge of the hot tub. “I didn’t pay attention when we went apartment hunting, but I hope our new place has one of these on the property.”
“That’d be nice. Are you excited for your upcoming move?” A couple of days ago, he and Britt had announced that he’d decided he was going to leave Texas and move to Boston with Britt.
Cash nodded. “I am. It’s going to be a huge change, but your sister is worth it. When she got the job at St. Thomas, I knew I would have to make a decision about our future, but wherever Britt is, that’s where I want to be.”
He sounded a lot like how Jesse talked about Olivia, and it made me realize just how much he must love my sister. “I’m sure she feels the same way. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this happy before.”
His gaze met mine. “That’s nice to hear.”
We sat in silence for a few more minutes, and as I stared up at the stars, I couldn’t help but think about how lucky Britt was to have someone like Cash, who was willing to uproot his entire life for her.