Chapter 3
THREE
STERLING
The chalet might look like a damn mini-castle from the outside, but being stuck here with Maisy makes it feel more like I’m trapped in an elevator with nowhere to run. And for some fucking reason, this palace only has one bathroom.
We’re standing across from each other, both of us gripping towels, the bathroom door between us.
“There’s a million bedrooms in this place,” I say, baffled, “but only one bathroom? Explain that math to me.”
“A design flaw,” she mutters, eyes narrowed. “But you’re more than welcome to shower at the resort if it’s a problem.” Her hand lands on her hip, that little tilt of attitude making her glare more menacing.
“You want me to take a cab up the mountain just to take a shower?” I ask, incredulous.
She shrugs, already reaching for the knob. “By all means. Stay there, too. I hear the café benches are very supportive. Might be cozy enough for you to survive a whole month.”
“So much for being an adult about this living situation,” I mutter.
She tries to swing the door shut in my face, but I slip past her shoulder and push my way inside before she can.
Her head snaps toward me, glare dialed up to lethal. “Out.” She points toward the door behind me like she’s commanding a dog.
I grin and peel my hoodie over my head, my T-shirt riding up with it before settling back down. “Nah, I think I’ll stay.”
When I look at her again, her lips are parted, her glare faltering for a split second too long, and I catch exactly where her eyes are focused.
My smirk widens. “Careful, Hart. You’re drooling.”
Her nose wrinkles as she shoots me a glare, wiping at the corners of her mouth. “Please. You wish.”
“Mhm.” I chuckle, tossing my hoodie onto the counter. “If you say so.”
Her cheeks flush as she brushes past me, deliberately bumping my shoulder on her way out, and I let out a quiet laugh once the door slams behind her.
She’s still sexy as hell when she’s mad.
I start the shower, the water hissing to life, and steam fills the room within minutes.
I quickly undress and hop under the scalding water, letting it beat down on my back while I bask in the heat.
After such a long time in a surf-town that rarely gets snow, my body forgot how to handle the extreme cold of a mountain.
I grab the bodywash that sits on the tiled floor, spray some out, and begin lathering it into my skin to wash away the day. It doesn’t take long for my thoughts to find their way back to Maisy.
Surprise, surprise.
It’s been three years since we ended things and yet here she is, still affecting me the same, as if nothing’s changed.
I drag a hand through my wet curls, cursing under my breath. Living here with her? For a month? Alone? No Levi running interference? It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
She’s off-limits ever since that night everything blew up between us.
The night she admitted she blames me for her accident.
And if the wreckage of that ending wasn’t enough reason to keep my distance, there’s the fact that Levi would snap my board in half, and then my neck right after if he even suspected I was looking at his little sister the wrong way.
Hell, he’d kill me twice if he thought I was touching her again.
I shut my eyes, letting the water pound over my face as I turn around, and force the thought out. Maisy Hart is history. She’s a complication I don’t need, in a place I came to have fun for the season. Whatever spark still flickers between us doesn’t matter. Not anymore.
Once I’ve rinsed my body and my hair clean, I shut off the water and towel dry myself while repeating a mantra to myself.
Maisy is off-limits.
Maisy is Untouchable.
Maisy is Dangerous.
But deep down, I already know I’m lying to myself. Because in reality, I came here with the hopes of seeing her again, even if it was just from a distance.
“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Maisy growls from behind me just as I turn off the stove.
“I’ve been told,” I mutter, glancing at her over my shoulder.
Her dark hair looks even darker when wet, making her milky complexion and bright blue eyes stand out. She’s still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I catch myself staring too long and force my gaze back to the pot, focusing on plating the pasta I made.
“You used all the hot water,” she continues, stepping closer. “Do you know how cold the cold water is on a mountain?”
“You’re telling me a place this size doesn’t have an endless tank of hot water?” I finish plating and turn just as she reaches my side. “Here.”
She blinks at the plate I hold out, her irritation softening into surprise. “What is that?”
“Dinner, Einstein.”
“You can cook cook now?” She blinks. “I mean, you cooked for me?”
“I cooked for us,” I correct, sliding the plate into her hand before turning back to make my own.
Maisy lingers for a moment, speechless, before quietly heading for the island. I grab my plate and drop onto the stool beside her. She’s already twirling the pasta with her fork, chewing slowly, like she’s suspicious I might’ve poisoned it.
“Well?” I ask, stabbing into my own pile.
Her brows jump up. “Not bad.”
“Not bad? That’s the highest compliment I think I’ve ever gotten out of you.”
She smirks faintly but doesn’t retort, choosing to go back to eating.
I guess she really does like the food. The knowledge of that warms my chest, but I do my best to ignore it.
For a moment, there’s only the sound of forks scraping against the ceramic plates while the wind rattles outside the chalet.
“So,” I start, leaning an elbow on the counter, “why do you want to learn snowboarding all of a sudden?”
She blinks at me. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a two-time Olympic skier, Maisy.” I gesture at her with my fork. “People pay money to watch you glide down mountains like you’ve got invisible wings. Why torture yourself learning something you’ll just…suck at for a while?”
Her smile fades as she sets her fork down carefully, eyes fixed on the steam rising from her plate. “Because skiing doesn’t feel the same anymore. I can’t compete at the same level that I used to.”
Her admission tightens my chest. It’s not like her to get real this quick, she’s always been the type that makes it feel like pulling teeth, but I keep my voice even. “Because of the accident.”
Her blue eyes slide to mine. “Yes, because of the accident.” She looks down again.
“That day changed everything. My body, my confidence…me. I can’t go back to who I was, no matter how much everyone wishes I could.
And I’m tired of trying. So I decided that maybe it’s time to figure out who I am now. ”
I swallow, my throat suddenly dry.
“And snowboarding is supposed to help with that?”
Her lips twitch, almost a smile but not quite. “It’s different enough to challenge me. But it’s still on the snow, still a mountain. It feels…familiar. Just not the same.”
I study her profile, the curve of her jaw, the stubborn set of her mouth. There’s something different about her that wasn’t there three years ago. It makes me want to reach for her, to say something—anything—that might ease the heaviness between us, but I grip my fork tighter instead.
Because no matter how much she’s changed, she’s still Maisy.
And Maisy will always be off-limits.