After a few hours spent shopping and wandering the village with Anna, my sad attempts at skiing felt like a distant memory. She was an expert in the art of distraction and spent most of our outing pointing out cute guys. She was hardly subtle, and she really seemed to be leaning into her hot guy buffet analogy.
‘Check out that slice of pizza,” she gushed at one point. “Uh, is it just me, or does that cut of sirloin look delicious?” she added, as another guy walked past.
Her comparisons only grew more outlandish as the afternoon wore on. And I really struggled not to laugh when she asked me if I was ready for dessert because she’d just seen a “droolworthy piece of caramel-bottomed Guinness chocolate pie” walking past. I had no idea how she came up with this stuff.
It did make me feel better though, and by the time we got back to the chalet, the anxiety that had set up shop in my chest after watching Noah and Wes’s confrontation had mostly eased.
Wes seemed to have enjoyed his afternoon skiing with Sawyer, but I worried he hadn’t completely forgotten the morning’s events. I couldn’t tell whether he was embarrassed about what had happened or still irritated. Either way, something felt slightly off with him.
I was glad to see Cress when she also returned to the house later that afternoon. She’d spent the day with Kaden, and I was beginning to worry we might not see her at all this trip. I felt bad because it was my fault she was forced to choose between hanging out with her boyfriend and hanging out with us. But given the tension between Wes, Noah, and me, there was no way we could all spend time together.
We decided to go tobogganing that evening on a small hill behind the twins’ house. We’d been planning to get in the hot tub and soak our tired muscles after our day on the slopes, but when Sawyer turned it on, it let out a harsh choking sound before abruptly going quiet. No matter what he and Wes tried, they couldn’t get the jets to work or the water to heat up. So, tobogganing it was.
There was enough light from the chalet that the hill behind the house was lit in a soft amber glow, and we took turns trudging up the small slope before whizzing back down on the two wooden toboggans Sawyer had brought up from the basement. It was surprisingly fast, and after a couple of turns, I decided to quit while I was ahead. My body had started aching in places I didn’t know existed after my rough morning on the ski slopes, and I didn’t want to injure myself more.
Cress and Anna didn’t last much longer than me, and the twins soon turned it into a competition. I hung out with the girls at the bottom of the slope as we watched the two boys race. They were very evenly matched, and so each time there was a winner, the loser would propose an immediate rematch. We’d probably be out here all night.
“So, Cress, did you get the dirt from Kaden on how the boys conveniently ended up in the house next door?” Anna asked as she took a sip of hot chocolate from the thermos she’d brought along.
“We didn’t really talk about it,” Cress said.
“Come on, he must have said something,” Anna insisted.
Cress let out a sigh. “I guess it kind of sounds like Luther was trying to do something to help get Noah and Isobel back together.”
“I knew it,” Anna gasped. Luther hadn’t exactly been subtle when he’d arrived yesterday. It was obvious he was up to something. But I’d hoped Anna’s prediction would turn out to be wrong. I still didn’t understand what Kaden’s and Noah’s roles in all this were though.
“Did Kaden know that’s what Luther was up to?” I asked Cress. “What about Noah?”
“Kaden said he and Noah were both unsure when Luther suggested a trip to Aspen, but apparently, he convinced them.” A smile crept onto her face, and her eyes seemed to glaze over. “Kaden said he couldn’t resist the thought of surprising me,” she sighed.
“I’m sure Noah didn’t take much convincing,” Anna said. “He still has feelings for you, Isobel. And lots of kids from Weybridge come to Aspen this time of year. It’s not exactly unusual.”
“Yeah, but did they really have to be our neighbors?” I questioned.
“Kaden told me that was a genuine surprise for both him and Noah,” Cress added. “That was all Luther.”
“Of course, it was.” I shook my head. “I don’t know why Luther thought that would do anything other than piss me off.”
“He probably assumed you’d take one look at Noah in his ski gear and drop down at his feet to worship him.” Anna’s voice was playful, and she nudged her elbow into my side.
“Anna,” I groaned.
“What? Noah looked hot today. Way better than the other guys we were checking out.”
“Other guys you were checking out,” I said. “And Wes looked hot in his ski gear too.”
“They all looked hot.” Anna let out a breath and stared off into the night, mimicking the face Cress had made when she’d been talking about Kaden earlier.
“Well, whatever Luther planned, it’s not working. All Noah’s done so far is be a thorn in my side.”
“Except for the part where he rescued you today,” Anna said. “That wasn’t very thorny of him.”
“I probably would have preferred to hit the warning sign,” I grumbled.
Anna raised her eyebrows at me like she didn’t believe me.
“How’s Wes handling it all?” Cress asked.
“Not so well,” I said. “I thought he was going to fight Noah after he saved me on the ski slope today.”
Anna nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never seen him act like that before. It’s not like Wes.”
“I know,” I agreed. “I’m not sure what else I can do to put his mind at ease though.”
“I’m not sure there’s much you can do. Just keep being understanding and reassuring him,” Cress suggested. “I’m sure he’ll work his way through it.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “But I’ve been having that conversation with him for weeks. He still doesn’t seem to trust me. And if this morning is any indication, it’s getting worse. What if he can’t get past it?”
The two girls looked lost for answers, and it was clear they didn’t know what else to say.
“I guess you’ll have to cross that bridge if it comes to it,” Cress said.
“I guess,” I agreed. “It’s not just about Wes though. Do I really want to be in a relationship where I’m always worrying about whether my boyfriend trusts me or not, and I constantly have to reassure him that he can?”
We all fell silent. I was surprised I’d said that out loud. I didn’t even know I was thinking it, but I realized that was truly how I felt. I loved being with Wes, but I didn’t know how long I could handle the constant cloud of anxiety that seemed to have enveloped our relationship.
Cress and Anna were watching me with concerned looks, but they stayed quiet as Wes jogged over to us. Sawyer was slowly trailing behind him.
“He finally got tired of losing,” Wes said, nodding at his brother. His cheeks were pink with exertion, and his eyes were bright with mischief.
“We got tired of watching by the time you went for round five,” Anna replied.
“Right.” He chuckled. “Everything okay here?”
He must have noticed we were all sitting in silence as he approached.
“Of course,” I said quickly. “Everything okay with you? You look a little out of breath.”
Wes laughed. “It’s hard work going up that hill time after time.”
“Well, at least you won,” I said as Wes slumped down to sit next to me. “What did you guys bet this time?”
“Who says there was a bet?” he asked.
“Because it’s you guys. There’s always a bet.”
“True.” He grinned.
“And…”
“Geez, Sawyer, put it away!” Anna screamed.
I looked up and saw Sawyer streaking toward the house. I immediately buried my head in Wes’s shoulder.
“Why does it always have to be streaking with you?” Anna called after him.
Wes was grinning brightly, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t really enjoy seeing Sawyer’s pasty butt once again, but it was hard not to find the funny side of it. It was nice to laugh after the day we’d had, and for a moment, it felt like everything was back to normal.
THE BOYS HIT the slopes again the following morning while Cress, Anna, and I stayed back at the chalet. The weather wasn’t as nice as it had been the day before, and the idea of sitting on the balcony drinking hot chocolates and admiring the view was a lot more appealing than skiing. If anything, I felt like the boys were the ones missing out.
I was curled up under a blanket reading a book, and Cress was on her phone, probably texting Kaden, when Anna opened the sliding doors and came out to the terrace.
“We’ve got a visitor,” she said, her voice dry and unenthused.
“Don’t pretend you’re not delighted to see me, London,” Luther said as he eased his way past her. Anna scowled at the sound of her nickname, but Luther simply grinned back before turning his attention to Cress and me. “How are we this morning, ladies?”
“What are you doing here, Luther,” I said, ignoring his question.
“I just came to hang out with my favorite people.”
“And I suppose that was your motivation for coming to Aspen too,” I added, putting down my book and folding my arms.
“Of course,” Luther said, dropping himself onto the couch beside me. “You made it sound so appealing when we talked about it in math. Why wouldn’t I want to come?”
I knew talking to Luther in math was a bad idea—and not just for my education.
“Come on, Luther,” Anna said. “We know you’re only here to get Isobel and Noah back together. It’s not going to happen. She’s with Wes.”
Luther let out an overly dramatic gasp. “I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing.”
All three of us raised our eyebrows at him.
“Okay, fine,” he admitted. “I just liked it when we were all hanging out together like one big happy family. It was fun.”
“Go home, Luther,” I said, picking my book up off the couch.
“Aw, don’t be like that, newbie,” he groaned. “I’m bored over there. Kaden and Noah are on the mountain, so I’m in the house all on my own.”
“Why didn’t you join them?” I asked.
“Because they’re crazy,” he replied. “They keep trying to kill themselves by going off-piste, and I happen to have a healthy respect for my life. Besides, I much prefer snowboarding when it serves a real purpose. Like picking up girls.”
“That sounds about right,” Anna said.
“Jealous, London?”
“Of what?” she fired back at him. “I’m not sure which you’re worse at—snowboarding or picking up girls.”
“Touché,” Luther replied. “So, what are we doing today?”
“We”—Anna waved between him and the rest of us—“are doing nothing. Us girls are having a quiet morning in.”
Luther scoffed. “Well, now I just feel sorry for you. That’s even more boring than what I was doing. I guess it’s lucky I’m here to save you from yourselves. Why don’t you all come back to my place and jump in the hot tub?”
I put down my book again and turned to Luther. What was he playing at? If this was all part of his little plan to get me and Noah back together, I wasn’t game.
“I don’t think that’s the best idea.” I responded before Anna or Cress could consider his suggestion. I did not want to get in a hot tub in Noah territory.
“Why not?” Luther asked.
“Probably because she doesn’t want to see her ex-boyfriend,” Anna replied.
Luther rolled his eyes. “Like I said, Noah and Kaden are up the mountain all day trying to kill themselves on some terrifying ski run. They’ll be gone for hours.”
‘He’s not lying,” Cress said. “Kaden did tell me there’s some double black diamond run they wanted to check out today. It sounded like they’d be gone all day.”
“Of course, I’m not lying.” Luther sounded appalled by the mere suggestion he might not be being truthful, but after the stunt he pulled organizing the boys’ surprise trip to Aspen, I wouldn’t put anything past him.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he continued. “Our hot tub has an even better view than this.” He gestured out toward the mountains. “And I have tequila…”
Cress, Anna, and I shared an uncertain look.
“You know I’m only going to hang around here and bug you all day if you don’t come,” Luther added.
“I knew I shouldn’t have opened the door.” Anna groaned.
“It did kind of suck we couldn’t get our hot tub to work last night,” Cress said, sounding as though she was coming on board with Luther’s idea. “It’s always one of my favorite parts of the trip.”
“Hmm. Yeah, that did suck,” Anna agreed. “And my muscles are sore.” She paused as she glanced at Luther who was grinning back at her. “And if we’re putting up with Luther either way, I will be needing tequila.”
“I’m going to pretend that’s a compliment,” he said.
“Oh, it’s definitely not,” Anna replied.
“So, you guys want to go?” I asked.
“It might be nice,” Cress shrugged. “But only if you feel comfortable going.”
“It does seem like the lesser of two evils,” Anna suggested. “Luther really will bug us all day.”
The girls had given in quickly, so I knew they must be keen to accept Luther’s invitation. I didn’t like the idea of going to the boys’ house when there was a risk I’d see Noah, but the thought of dipping my aching muscles in the warm hot tub was hard to resist. I also didn’t want to let the girls down, and I knew they would only go if I did.
“Come on, newbie,” Luther pleaded. There was a hopeful look on his face, which was reflected in Anna’s and Cress’s eyes.
“Okay, fine.” I let out a sigh. “I guess we’re going in the hot tub.”
Luther clapped his hands together and jumped up from the couch. “Brilliant. You grab your bikinis while I go get the hot tub ready.”
He was gone before I could reconsider.
Anna shook her head as she watched him leave. “All I can say is he better have good tequila.”
“And there better be no sign of Noah,” I added.
