Home > Second Start (Holiday Springs Resort #5)(3)

Second Start (Holiday Springs Resort #5)(3)
Author: S.E. Rose

“I’ll run in and grab the key,” he says as he opens the car door.

I nod and stare out the window. I can still see Ty skiing down the nearby mountain. He was so amazing, so perfect. He had been born to ski.

“OK, all set,” he says, breaking from my thoughts as he climbs back inside.

He drives us to our cabin, number four, and parks out front. It’s a small two-bedroom, one-bathroom cabin. Nothing fancy, but cozy, nonetheless.

Niko barks excitedly as he runs around sniffing every square inch of the building. There’s one small bedroom that’s a converted loft and another on the main floor.

“You take the downstairs,” I insist to my dad.

He doesn’t put up much of a fight as he tosses his bags on the queen bed.

Niko jumps up next to his luggage.

“Niko, down boy!” Dad yells.

“Come on, you can sleep with me,” I console him as I pull his dog bed out of the car and bring it upstairs with me. Niko groans but plops down on the bed, his head going to the floor, giving me the most pitiful look ever. I pat his head and start unpacking, again.

Dad unloads the groceries we brought as we settle into a comfortable rhythm. Dad and I have lived together on our own for so long, it’s like we sense each other’s moods and needs.

Niko parks himself in front of the fireplace as we scurry around the kitchen putting things away. He likes to be in the middle of everything. I also know he’s playing the guilt card super hard. He wants a walk. I get those sad puppy eyes every time I pass him.

Finally, I give in and put my hands on my hips.

“Niko, do you want to go for a walk?”

Niko barks excitedly and makes circles on the floor. I grab his leash.

“Dad, I’m gonna walk Niko. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“OK, I gotta go meet a client at the gallery. I shouldn’t be long,” he says. “I’ll grab us some pizzas for dinner tonight.”

“Sounds good,” I reply as I walk out the door with Niko leading the way.

I find a trail that I vaguely remember taking with Harley a long time ago. There is a fair amount of snow on the ground, and I curse myself for not getting out my snowshoes for this walk. Niko is oblivious to my struggle in my boots. He jumps and tunnels in the snow. It’s hard not to laugh at his silliness and excitement.

We make it about a half mile when I spot a boulder to the side of the trail. I sit on it, letting myself fall back. I stare up at the sky. It’s a nice day out, cold, but nice. It’s quite a change from the warm weather of southern California. I wonder if it’s warm where Ty is. My mind drifts back to him. I bitterly curse under my breath. Why do I keep thinking about him? I sigh. The air around here is so thick with memories that it’s nearly impossible not to think about him.

I’m deep in thought when Niko starts barking like crazy.

I start to sit up. “What’s wrong ... ” I trail off and stare at the person in front of us. I blink a few times, unsure if what I’m seeing is some kind of mirage conjured up by my brain.

“Brit?” he asks, leaning forward as though to confirm that I, too, am not a mirage. Those eyes, they haven’t changed at all. His gaze penetrates my soul as he stares at me. But his body has changed. His arms are thicker, his shoulders broader, even his well-defined thighs look larger in his snow pants than they did when we were teenagers. He’s still gorgeous with his square jawline and five o’clock shadow. His lips still look just as kissable as they did the last time that I saw him.

“Uh... yeah,” I finally squeak as I find my voice.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were back.”

“Yep, I’m back.” I look around in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Ty laughs, and I’m immediately transported back to all the times he laughed with me. I shake my head. No. No. No. I can’t think about that. We are over, so, so over. Him being here is like some sort of evil trick the universe is playing on me. How am I supposed to concentrate and figure out my next career move with Ty here? How am I supposed to get over him if he’s here? I stop myself from sighing at my new predicament.

“I work here now. I’m teaching some skiing lessons.”

“You work here? As in the lodge. As in here?”

He laughs again. “Yeah, Wyatt hired me a few weeks ago.”

“Oh.” I mentally note to kill Harley for not mentioning this to me.

“When did you get back?”

“Just this week.”

“You just staying for the holidays?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m back for a while,” I admit.

He frowns. “I thought things were going well in LA.”

I look down and make little lines in the snow with the toe of my boot. “I’m between gigs and had some time. I thought I’d come stay with Dad for a bit and work on some songwriting. It’s expensive in LA, so I’ll save a ton of money staying here for a little while.”

“I’m sure. I’ve only been there a few times, but it is really expensive.”

“You staying here long or just for a season?” I ask.

“Not sure yet. Guess I’m kinda between gigs right now, too.”

I feel like there’s more to his story, but at the moment, I don’t want to be in front of my ex-boyfriend. It’s overwhelming enough to be back in the Poconos. And now I have the joy of admitting to my super successful ex that I am a total loser who didn’t make it.

I want to ask more, but I know asking more will make us talk longer and I’ll start feeling things that are better left unfelt.

Niko suddenly recognizes Ty. Niko was still pretty young when we dated, but clearly, his memory of smell is powerful because after smelling Ty this entire time, a lightbulb goes off in his doggie brain, and he goes spastic.

“Whoa! Niko!” Ty yells and laughs as my dog practically mauls him to the ground in his total excitement of seeing an old friend.

I pull on Niko’s lead. “Niko!” I yell.

Niko lies down, but his tail thumps excitedly, and he pants and looks between us.

“I guess he remembers me.” Ty brushes snow off his pants.

“I guess he does. I should probably get him back to the cabin,” I reply as I get up from the boulder and shake the snow off my clothes.

“The cabin?” Ty asks.

I smile and nod. “Our house had a termite issue and apparently that takes like two weeks to get fixed, so Harley hooked us up with a cabin.” Every fiber of my body screams to kiss this man in front of me, and every neuron in my brain is yelling at me to leave now. My brain wins.

“I should get going,” I repeat as I turn to head back down the path.

“Good to see you, Brit. I guess I’ll see you again soon,” he says as he turns to watch me walk away.

I force myself to not look back. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing I still care about him. What am I saying? I don’t care about him. I sigh. I’m losing it. Maybe I just need to find some new guy. I nod to myself. Yep, I’m going to get a new boyfriend and forget about Tyson Mitchell.

 

 

Three

 

 

Tyson

 

 

I watch as Brittany and Niko walk down the trail. I can’t believe she’s here. She looks… good, better than good. Her hair is sun-kissed, and the freckles that always dotted her cheeks and nose in the summer are prominent. Her plump lips still look ready for me to kiss them. And even in her winter coat, her body still looks perfect. Fuck! I needed to be prepared for this encounter. She’s caught me off guard, and I hate when that happens. I like to be in control, and for the last year, I’ve been anything but in control. My life has been one giant, messed up, not-as-planned situation. Maybe that’s why I’m so irritated at the moment.

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