She nodded. “Me, too. I spent all my time trying to please my folks, because I believed if I did well enough at something, at anything, maybe they’d love me enough to let me return home to Boston.” She laughed, a painful sound. “Pretty silly, wasn’t I? Because they never did. Instead, they viewed each success as validation they were doing the right thing, that I belonged in Switzerland. By the time I realized I’d been knocking myself out for nothing, I was about to graduate. I felt like such a fool.”
“No.” This time he reached out and covered her hand with his. “You weren’t. And I felt the same way as a kid.” He took a deep breath and then forced himself to remove his hand. “What did you do after graduation?”
She shrugged. “Though I toyed with the idea of taking a year off, I didn’t. In keeping with their plan to have me as far away from them as possible, my parents wanted me to go to university in London. This time, rather than falling in with what they wanted, I refused.” Her chin came up and she smiled, though a touch of sadness remained in her pretty blue eyes. “I had my own plans, you see.”
Intrigued, he waited.
“In Switzerland, I learned to ski. And it turned out I was pretty darn good at it.” Her smile widened, inviting him to take part in her joy. “While all the other kids were partying and living it up, I was on the slopes. I spent all my spare time perfecting my skill.”
“You must have truly enjoyed it,” he commented.
Just like that, her expression turned serious. “Yes. I did. Skiing was the only thing that gave me pleasure.”
More than anything, he wanted her to look happy again. “Does that mean you became a ski bum?” he teased. “Can’t say I blame you. We get more than a few of those here in Roaring Springs.”
“I wanted to, but I’m too ambitious to just drift along, spending all my time in pursuit of pleasure.”
Her self-conscious half smile made his chest ache. “Me, too,” he said. “That’s why I work so much.”
Gaze faraway, she nodded. Remy let his own eyes roam her features while she sat lost in thought. He was amazed once more at how beautiful he found her, even though her features weren’t classically perfect.
When she didn’t speak again, he prodded her, just a little. “If you didn’t become a professional skier, then what did you do?”
“I decided to go to the University of Colorado in Boulder, mostly due to the proximity to the slopes. I had vague dreams of competing.”
“Did you?” Intrigued again, he watched her.
“No. My parents would have been appalled. I think they were relieved I hadn’t chosen a school closer to home. Once I graduated, I decided to stay in Boulder. End of story.”
Except he sensed there might be more. “Now that you’re an adult, why haven’t you pursued your dream of competing? If you’re that good, it seems like a waste of talent not to.”
Sorrow darkened her eyes. “Thank you for saying that. Actually, I’d reached the same realization myself. I started skiing a lot—that’s how I met Seth, you know. He seemed to understand my drive. Oh, I was fiercely intent on getting ready for my first competition. I’d entered and had my number and everything.”
“Did you win?”
She shook her head. “I never even made it to the competition. Instead of spending every waking moment on the slopes, I truly wish I’d have made a trip home to Boston. The day before the big competition, both my parents were killed in a car wreck. I got the news in a phone call.”
Aching to comfort her, he tightened his hand around hers. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” She lifted her face and met his gaze. The pain and grief in her eyes made him long to take her into his arms. Luckily, the table separated them so he settled for holding on to her hand. She didn’t pull away.
“Everything was a blur after that,” she admitted. “Since my parents and I never managed to have a close relationship, I felt cheated. And was beyond devastated. I went back east to plan their funeral and begin settling their estate. I’m still dealing with all that. Through it all, Seth was there for me, without question. That’s partly why I felt like I owed it to him to explain.”
Seth. She’d managed to effectively remind him of his brother. Yet he still couldn’t bring himself to let go of her hand. A second later, she did it for him, as she gently pulled her fingers free and wrapped them around her cup.
Lump in his throat, he took out his phone and made a show of checking his emails. Nothing work-related or even slightly important.
Once he’d placed his phone back in his pocket, he looked up to find her watching him. “I’m glad you came here,” he said gruffly. “It takes a big heart to try and make things right after a breakup.”
Taking another sip of her cider, she sighed. “I don’t know. Clearly, I messed that up, too. It would have been better if I’d never contacted him. I should have just stayed away.”
He wanted to tell her again he was glad she hadn’t. Because then, he never would have met her. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing. Flirtation, even if heartfelt, was the last thing either of them needed right now. Plus, as long as his brother still had feelings for her, Vanessa would be strictly off-limits as far as Remy was concerned.
Maybe forever.
Damn, how that possibility burned.
“Seth will be fine,” he assured her. “It’s likely he just needs a little more time.”
“I hope so.” She drank more of her cider. “I really hope he’s able to move past this and everything else. Conquering demons is never easy. Believe me, I know.”
“I do, too,” he admitted, enjoying this feeling of camaraderie that was developing between them. This woman made him feel a lot of things, and he barely knew her. He could only imagine how it would be if they had the luxury of time to get acquainted without complications.
“I’d like to go skiing with you once they reopen the slopes,” he blurted, inwardly wincing as soon as he said it.
Her eyes widened, letting him know he’d been right to question his timing. “I’d like that,” she finally replied. “As long as it doesn’t cause problems between you and your brother.”
Before he could reply, her phone rang. Pulling it out of her jacket pocket, she stared. “It’s Seth. I’m not sure I should answer it.”
Leaving that choice up to her, he simply drank his coffee and said nothing.
She ended up letting the call go to voicemail. A moment later, her phone chirped.
“He’s texting now,” she commented, glancing at her screen. “He wants to know if we can talk. I just don’t know. Part of me feels I’ve said all I had to say. I don’t want to stir things up again.”
Once more, Remy held his tongue. That would be her decision. He couldn’t let himself get involved in whatever was between her and his brother. Even if it really was over, he wouldn’t interfere.
Shaking her head, she shoved the phone back into her pocket. “I’ll deal with him later. And sure, I’d love to ski with you. If you can keep up with me, that is.” A quick flash of a smile. “I’m going to guess that you’re pretty skilled, since you live up here.”
“I’m not too bad,” he admitted. “I’ve skied the black diamonds.”
Black diamonds were for advanced skiers.
“Double or triple?” Which should only be skied by experts.
That made him laugh. “I’ve done a