Why had Parker not warned me? Parker was old friends with Harley. It was how I first became friends with Brittany. My mind drifts to the party at Harley’s house. Fine, it’s a mansion. She lives in a motherfucking, huge-ass mansion. Parker had talked me into going. We had been competing together and against each other in skiing events since we were kids. He was my brother from another mother.
Few days passed without me thinking of Brittany Evans. She haunted my dreams. She was the one that got away. The one I pushed away. Breaking up with her was the only thing I regretted in life, other than making a mistake on a mogul.
I head straight back to the office. My anger increases with each step. Why was I the last one to know that Brittany was home? Parker would answer to me first. And then Harley. And then Wyatt, in that order.
As I come in from the cold, Parker is there, getting someone fitted for a ski rental. I lean against the wall and watch him. He is oblivious to my anger.
“That should do it,” he says as he hands the woman some ski poles. “Classes start at nine tomorrow.”
“Thanks, see you then,” she replies as she heads out of the ski rental office.
It’s then that Parker looks my way. His eyes widen slightly at my glare.
“Did I forget to lock last night?” He looks around as though the answer will hit him in the face.
“Try again.”
“I scratched your car when I pulled Old Betty off the roof?” Old Betty was his ridiculous nickname for his favorite snowboard.
“Nope.”
“Oh, shit. Are you pissed because I was flirting with Melina again?” Parker needs to stop flirting with the fellow staff at the resort. I may remind him of this daily.
“Brittany. Does that ring a bell?”
His face pales, and he runs his hand through his perfectly sculpted hair.
“Shit. I was gonna tell you. I... Harley said something about that the other day... I wasn’t sure when... and... fuck, I’m sorry, man,” he stumbles over his words as he gives me an apologetic look.
“Well, she’s staying here.”
“Wait. What? Here, here.”
“Yeah, fuckknob. Here, here.”
“But why? I mean, why not at her dad’s place?” he asks.
“I guess there was a termite issue, so Harley got them a cabin.”
“Damn. I didn’t know that. I swear. If I’d known she was staying here, I’d have told you that, like, pronto.”
“Parker, next time, just fucking text me information like this, so I’m not blindsided by my ex. OK?”
“Yeah, definitely. Sorry about that, Ty.”
I glance up at the clock on the wall. “I gotta go. I have a private lesson in twenty minutes. You think you can hold down the fort for a bit?”
“Yep. No worries. I got it.”
I grab my stuff and head up to the bunny slope, where two teenage sisters are waiting for their lesson.
I try to focus on the lesson, but my mind keeps wandering back to Brittany. I wonder what she’s been doing. Why she’s really here. Does she have a boyfriend? Did she have a boyfriend?
“Earth to Ty?” Sydney, the older sister, says. I glance over at her.
“Well, did I do that right?” she prods, rolling her eyes in a way that only fifteen-year-old girls are capable of doing.
“Uh, do it one more time,” I urge, forcing myself to pay attention.
She messes up, and I dive into my ski instructor mode for a few minutes. It keeps me from thinking about things that are probably better left in the past.
Brittany
I let Niko inside and sit down on the front steps of the cabin. What. Was. That? I can’t believe I just saw Tyson. I groan. Why does he have to look so good? Why was that so incredibly awkward? Why did Harley not warn me?
I pull my phone out of my pocket and text Harley.
Me: What in the actual fuck? (angry emoji)
Harley: Squeeze me? (confused emoji)
Me: Squeeze yourself. Why didn’t I know Ty was here? (angry cursing emoji)
Harley:...
My phone rings.
“You have a lot of explaining to do,” I say to Harley before she can even start talking.
“I’m sorry! I should have told you.”
“That’s it? That’s all you got?” I ask.
“I... is it bad that a small part of me hoped you two would see each other and fall madly back in love?”
I groan. “Yes. Yes, it is. We are through. We’ve been through. We aren’t getting back together. And you should have told me!”
“I know. I suck. You can put me in friend jail.”
“You are on friend probation. No more keeping secrets from me!”
“OK. But what if it’s a good secret?”
“No secrets.”
“Not even like a little secret?”
“No!”
“Like a baby, mini, tiny secret?”
“Harley! NO SECRETS!” I yell.
She giggles. “Fine, then I may have mentioned to a friend who is working on Lark’s album that you have some news songs written.”
“You what?”
“I mean, it was just a name drop moment. Felicity is working for the producer who’s working with Lark.”
I sigh. “How is it that you’ve been out here on the East Coast for your whole life, and you still have more LA connections than I do after almost four years!”
“Friends of friends. I don’t know?”
“That was rhetorical, Har.”
“You need a drink. Let’s meet at the Bear Claw Lounge for happy hour.”
“Fine. But I’m still annoyed with you, for the record.”
“Noted, see you later!”
Harley hangs up, and I put my phone in my pocket.
Dad pulls up to the cabin.
“Hey, Brittle-cakes. How are you doing?” he asks as he shuts the car door.
“I’m OK. Har and I are going to get a drink later.”
He holds up a pizza box.
“After you and I have pizza and catch up, of course.”
“That’s my girl.” He walks around the passenger side of the car and opens the door, pulling out a six-pack of beer.
I giggle. “And, of course, a drink, because all good father-daughter chats are held over a meal of pizza and beer.”
“Clearly, you were raised by a very wise parent.”
I shake my head and take the beer from him as we walk inside.
We sit at the large wooden table, and Dad opens the box. The smell of cheese pizza wafts through the air.
“Rizzo’s?” I ask.
“Yep, had to drop off a painting nearby,” he says as he sets some paper towels on the table.
I reach inside and grab a slice, taking a bite. “God, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I missed this pizza.”
Dad laughs. “Joe’s secret recipe is one of the great treasures of the Poconos.” He grabs a slice and takes a bite as he sits down.
I open two cans of beer and push one toward him. It’s from a local brewery that we both like.
“So, tell me about the songs you are working on.”
“Just the same old. I’ve sort of been in a writing slump. It’s part of the reason that I thought I’d come home. Maybe I can get inspired here in a way that I couldn’t out in LA.”