Daring to Love: A Contemporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 3) (4 page)

Charlene and Darcy reached the employee morning meeting just in time. After the usual weather updates, slope conditions, and their assignments for the day, their boss Carter informed them about a scheduled technical training later in the week.

She whispered to Darcy, “Crap. I thought he’d forgotten about the technical training this year.”

Darcy nodded, “Yes. Not one of my favorite things to do.”

Carter glared at them, “Darcy, Charlene. Do you have anything to say?”

Charlene felt herself blush, “No. Sir. I just mentioned that it’s good the World Cup event hosted in Eagle Mountain is over and we can return to business as usual.”

She couldn’t tell if Carter bought her excuse or not. He probably knew how much she hated the technical training, even though she’d been careful not to show her aversion when her boss was around.

He didn’t reply, but continued to pair up two of the instructors with one trainer. “... Charlene and Darcy, with Dustin Keller ....”

Why me? Is this the bad luck week or what?
As if the technical training itself wasn’t enough to get her worked up, she’d hit the jackpot. Dustin Keller was the one trainer everyone despised. He prided himself to rehearse each and every of the safety and other rules to the letter and after that awful theoretical part was done, he took the instructors out to the bunny slopes for boring hours of practicing the basics of skiing. His favorite sentence was, “If you don’t learn it on the flat, you can’t do it on the steep slope.”

Charlene shivered when thinking back to another technical training a few years ago, where she had first met her friend Graham. They’d liked each other from the first moment and had been best friends for years. Now he was dead. And it was her fault!

But the training wasn’t something she had a choice about, if she wanted to keep her instructor’s license.
Suck it up and go through it!
It’s only once a year. You can do that!

After the meeting, she went to meet her new group of students.  Carter hat classified them as intermediate skier according to their self-assessment. But she always wanted to check out their level herself. She figured that taking them up to the red slopes, would give her plenty of time to assess their skills and help them with any deficiencies they might be dealing with. Then they could decide together what they’d work on during the week’s course.

Up on the mountain, she tried hard to focus on the beautiful day and the people she was working with, but her mind kept returning to Evan. With no signs of getting fixed on something else in the near future!

When she thought of him, she was both confused and angry.
How can I be thinking about repeating that kiss, and close to hating him at the same time?

Her only salvation was the child in her group. They all knew each other and for some strange reason they’d decided to bring a 7-year old boy with them on the skiing class.
These people are insane! Can’t they see that he’s quickly getting frustrated, because he’s so much behind the others?

While the adults had everything well under control, she focused her instructional time on the boy. He’d been bored and frustrated with the class, but after just a few minutes of her undivided attention, his attitude changed 180-degrees and he eagerly performed the creative games and tasks she’d given him. The rest of the group quickly noticed Allan’s delight and joined in the fun. Soon all of them were playing “pizza and fries” and other silly games.

Charlene had designed those games to teach young kids the basics of skiing. Pizza was just another word for the snowplow, an elementary turn where the tips of the skis are closer than the tails. Fries was her name for keeping the skis parallel. She was amazed at how much the attitude could change by giving those technical moves easy to remember names, that also conveyed their meaning.

At the end of the day, she was more convinced than ever that a school focused only on teaching kids was the solution. She’d been planning to take on kids as young as age four, and already had ideas on how to create a special area just for them. It would be almost like a winter playground, and involve more fun and success than failure and frustration. And everything would be safe!

She’d discussed this idea with her boss several times, hoping that it was something that could be worked on during the summer months. But he hadn’t been interested, saying it was too expensive. He tended to shy away from any investment that didn’t clearly show it could recoup the money in short order. And he didn’t see a big playground area bringing in enough money to justify the expense.

That was the very reason why she wanted to open her own school.
I need a lot more money before that can happen. 
She had done her research, and making the playground area would require a six-figure investment. Of course, she figured she could get a loan from the bank, but she needed to have some equity to put down first. And then came other expenses, such as employees, insurance…. What she was dreaming about was a huge project. It might even be too big for one woman alone to take on.
Perhaps I should look for a partner.

***

Darcy had spent the entire night throwing up, so Charlene faced the dreaded technical training all alone.
God, this is going to be so awful. A very long, boring, awful day!

She was up on the mountain by 8:30, in the place where she was supposed to meet Dustin. He was already there waiting for her. Off course! Dustin was never unpunctual. She nervously checked her watch, but she was still one minute early. No need to worry.

With a fake smile plastered on her face, she skied up to him.
He doesn’t have to know I’m hating that technical training so much.
But as she drew nearer, there was something about him that didn’t fit.

When he turned to watch her approach, her heart dropped into her stomach.
Evan?
She blinked and then looked again.
It’s him. No way! I must be hallucinating.

"What are you doing here?" she fumed, all of her anger and disappointment coming back full force.

"I'm your trainer for the day."  When he followed up his statement with a crooked smile, she wanted to stamp her foot, but they were currently attached to her skis!

Why does he have to smile? And why would he want to see me again after what happened?
She felt her anger grow and then a bolt of worry flashed through her mind.
What if he’s here to play another trick on me? Is he out to humiliate me even more?
Not that he could! She mentally girded herself with an armor of steel against his charms.
He won’t play the same trick on me again! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!

She took a calming breath and asked, "Why? How? Where’s Dustin?”

He flashed a mischievous smile, obviously pleased with himself. That damn smile that set her traitorous feminine parts on fire and had her almost ready to forgive him. Almost!

"I had to pull a few strings, but I wanted to see again. And apologize."

He wants to apologize? For real? Or is this another joke?
She was still wary, and asked, "Why not just meet me in town and apologize?"

"Because I fucked up big, so I needed to make it up to you in an even bigger way."

She relaxed a bit; just a bit. Her heart softened to the sincerity in his eyes, but could she trust him? One million questions were burning on her lips, but she decided to keep quiet. At least for a while. Should he do the talking.

But he didn’t. The seconds trickled away in silence. He’d moved closer to her and was now standing close enough to touch her. She inhaled his spicy scent, becoming overly aware of his insanely handsome face and rock-hard body. Remembering the kiss they had shared… Her eyes tracked back to his lips.
God, I want to repeat that kiss!
And to feel his body against mine again…To immerse myself in the passion and desire.

Her knees weakened, and she steeled herself against falling into his arms.
Remember how things ended the last time?
He said no. No need to make yourself look anymore foolish than you already have.
She wouldn’t go down that sorry path again. She’d already been burnt. It was his turn now.

His expression, when she met his eyes, was soft and inquiring. But rather than asking her what she thought about him wanting to apologize, he said, "We should get started. What do you want to do?"

Why would he ask her what she wanted to do? He was the trainer. Not her!  “You’re asking me?“

"Yes, I told you. I'm here to apologize. So I’m letting you chose. We can do anything you wish…” There it was again. That sexy smile of his that was capable of setting her entire body on fire! Damn it!
It was all she could do to not throw herself into his arms.

Evan continued, "…as long as it has to do with skiing."

This man is too dangerous for me. And is it just wishful thinking, or did he just insinuate that we could make out?

When she still didn't say anything, but gaped at him with pure lust in her eyes, he said, "You know, I am more than just a sex object."

How embarrassing!
He'd caught her ogling him. She quickly turned her face so that he wouldn’t see the blush suffusing her face.

Evan asked, "What do you want to learn the most?"

I know what I should learn, but I'm not going to tell you
. She hadn’t come up with the courage to tackle Devil’s Nose since her friend Graham’s accident. That was the reason she only taught beginner’s classes.
Even though they bore me to tears.
With beginners, there was absolutely no risk that they would beg her to take them down that hill. No risk at all.

Every skier worth his salt wanted to do the infamous double black diamond run at least once.  The champions slope. Evan had won there at least five times. Just last week again. He’d be able to give her back the confidence she needed. With his help she could tackle that dreaded slope.

But she opted for the safe way out and said, “Let’s go to the Powder Balls.” It was a difficult slope on the back side of the mountain, but it didn’t intimidate her like Devil’s Nose did.

Evan raised his eyebrows and said, “And here I thought everyone wanted to speed down the Devil’s Nose.”

Before she could stop herself, she snapped at him, “No. Not everyone.”

Evan didn’t question her choice, and in fact, they had a ton of fun. Charlene was a great skier. And as they began their final ascent of the day, he realized he’d never enjoyed a day more.
It’s because of the company, you dolt!

When they sat down on the lift together, she was so near, his body ached to touch her. In a desperate attempt to keep his hands at bay, he reached out and gripped the safety bar. It was  so tempting to caress her knees, move his fingers up her thigh. Hold hands. But he wasn’t there yet. Even though she had relaxed and was at ease with him, he didn’t take it further, afraid she might shut down again.

He was determined to do things right this time. That meant he needed to get to know her, and allow her to do the same. Earn her trust.

“You’re an excellent skier,” he complimented her. 

“Thanks. So, what’s it like being a competitive skier?”

“Hard work. The media makes it appear easy and glamorous, but it isn’t. During the last year I trained or competed every single day. I get up every morning at six and practice 6 to 8 hours. Strength training. Endurance training. Technical Training. Mental training. Every single day.“

He usually didn’t like to tell about his daily life. For one he considered his routine boring, and then he didn’t want to give the impression that he was complaining.

“And during race days?“ Charlene asked with honest interest.

“No training on race days.“ He flashed her a smile. “Do you really want to know the boring truth?“

He felt a rush of heat pulse through him when she answered with her sweet voice, “Yes. Please. I’m sure it’s anything but boring.“

  “A race day is a million times more demanding. From the moment I wake up adrenaline is rushing through my veins. It starts in the morning with a walk down of the run. The psychological war games played between the competitors. The waiting. The dreadful waiting until it’s my turn to race.

That was my biggest problem when younger and my coach often says that races are won in the waiting zone. I have learnt to quiet my thoughts and calm my nerves with meditation. Then I race and even though it takes only a few minutes from start to finish, I’m exhausted to death. I barely can keep myself standing up after the finishing line. Now the worst part comes: staying behind the finishing lines, watching the TV when my competitors race down. When I’ve given my best and all I can do is wait how the others score. That’s awful! ...“ his voice trailed off.

“Wow. Not at all how I imagined it! What is your least favorite discipline? And why?“

He had to grin, now it got personal. His likings and dislikings of the different disciplines gave away a lot about his personality. His first impulse was to balk, but his inner critique Bob raised his voice and said,
Trying to impress again, stupid?
He hated Bob, but then, he was right. Like always.

“Slalom. It’s much too slow and technical for my liking. I love the speed, the challenge, the adrenaline push when racing down the mountain. I’ve never been able to score high in a slalom, let alone win a race. A few years back I outright hated it. But when I set my mind on winning the overall World Cup I knew I had to conquer the slalom. So I trained extra hard. At first I hated every minute, but I’ve made my peace with it and now it’s ok. And it has paid off. I won the combination this year.“

He turned to face her and gave her a glimpse into his soul, “You know, when I’m determined to get something, I do everything to pursue that goal.“

Her cheeks showed a deep red blush. A damn cute blush that heated up his body. He wanted to kiss that cute face of hers, taste her warm and soft lips again. But she wasn’t ready yet, and quickly turned the subject back to skiing.

“So how do you train during the summers?” she asked.

“Well, I usually head home to Chestnut Mountain for a large portion of the summer, and then spend several weeks at some altitude training camps.

“Where is Chestnut Mountain and home?” she asked.

“About three hours from Chicago,” he answered, releasing his grip on the safety bar as they neared their destination. Suddenly, the lift stopped and he looked up ahead to see that it was not major, just the attendants helping a skier with a disability get off the lift.

“They’ll get it going again in a moment,” she told him.

“So, what do you want to do? Do you always want to be a ski instructor?”

She shook her head and her eyes took on this light he hadn’t seen before. “I want to open up a ski school for kids. Everything designed to help kids learn to love the sport, in a safe and fun way.”

“You sure have big dreams. From what age onwards would you take the kids?“

“Three. Off course it wouldn’t be the whole day with three year olds.“ She said it in an almost apologetic tone.

“Three? Most everyone thinks that’s too young.” Not him, though, but he wanted to hear her reasoning. If it were up to Evan he’d teach kids to ski the minute they could walk.

“Three is the perfect age. They are so trusting and don’t have any fear of falling.” With every word, she became more excited.

Evan watched her talk about her dream and began to see her vision. He loved kids and had already planned to teach his niece Happy to ski next winter – if he had the time, that was. But what worried him to the bone, was that he saw her teaching their common kids in the not too distant future.
You’re much too irresponsible for a  family, remember?
Bob reminded him.
Shut up!

They exchanged ideas, and were so wrapped up in their discussion and brainstorming session, they didn’t even realize the lift had begun moving once again.

“Hey, are you two getting off the lift?” the attendant hollered at them when he saw the safety bar was still in the down position.

“Oh, crap. Yes! We’re getting off,” she hollered back, trying to lift the bar in a hurry and not lose her poles in the process. Evan helped her and they got the bar up with just a few seconds left to put their feet down and exit the lift.

She was so flustered and in a hurry, she accidentally crossed her skis, bumping into and sending them both sliding down the small slope to land in a puddle at the bottom like a couple of newbies.

They both began laughing so hard, there was no thought of trying to get up.

“Can I help you up?” came a request from an elderly man.

Evan was so perplexed, he could only nod. The man reached down for Charlene first, and both of them helped him back to his feet.

Just as he wanted to politely thank the man, Evan saw the recognition in his eyes, “Hey, aren’t you Evan Armstrong? I saw your race last week, you were terrific, how you pulverized the competition.“

The man couldn’t believe his good look when Evan nodded. “That’s my lucky day today! Could I get a picture and an autograph for my grandson? He idolizes you. He’ll be over the moon if I tell him what happened.”

Evan agreed, and Charlene quickly snapped a picture with the man’s phone. “What’s the name of your grandson?“

“William,“ the man answered and then Evan scrawled “Happy Skiing, William“ and his signature across the back of the man’s ski glove.

“Thanks so much. He’s going to love this.”

Evan smiled at the man and then glanced around at the crowd that had begun to form.
Great! Now everyone will want a photo and an autograph.

Evan sighed, chalking it up to the price of fame. Normally, he would handle it with grace and even enjoy it, but not today! He glanced over at Charlene and could see how uncomfortable she was with the situation.
I need to get her out of here!

He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "We have to get rid of them. Follow me!"

Without looking back, he raced down the slope, taking the first crossing he came to. He looked back once to make sure she was behind him, but he wasn’t worried about her keeping up. She was a good skier and he had no doubts that she was capable of handling the runs on this side of the mountain.

***

Charlene was so caught up in following his speedy retreat, and admiring his elegant and powerful style, that she didn’t pay much attention to where they were headed.

When they came to the second crossing, she saw him waiting for her. She stopped besides him, still breathing heavily. That had been a fast get away and…suddenly she knew where they were and her body responded immediately. Her already jazzed heartbeat, kicked up again and she felt all of the blood drain from her head.

Her whole body trembled, and her breathing grew erratic as the panic she’d been keeping at bay for so long threatened to burst free. They were standing at the top of the Devil's Nose run. Her nemesis.

“No! I can't!" She realized she was shouting in her panic, and must look and sound like a lunatic. That mountain freaked her out!

He looked at her, incredulous over her outburst, "Charlene, you’re good. It's not that difficult.”

"You don't understand! I can't go down there." She removed her skis and started climbing up the hill, until she realized how ridiculous her attempt was. There was no way out on this side of the mountain. Once a skier reached this particular crossing, it was either ski down the Devil’s Nose, or take a long cat track down to the next village. Once there, they’d face a three plus mile walk back to Eagle Mountain village.

Evan came after her. When he was almost within reaching distance, he called to her, "Charlene, stop."

Keep it together, Charlene. You don’t want him to see you like this. Of all the people on this mountain to witness you falling apart, you don’t want it to be him.
But no amount of self-talk worked. She had lost control over her trembling body. The panic sucked the breath out of her lungs and the last thing she saw where whirling stars.