Exposed: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 5) (5 page)

“That sounds like a smart way to do it. I know you struggled with the business side last time. Is this partner someone I know?” The sound of a teakettle whistling comes through the phone, and I envision her on an overstuffed sofa with thick socks and her e-reader.

“You probably don’t know him personally, but I bet you’ve heard of him. His name is Neal Morgan; he owns Stone Soup and The Wine and Cheese Shop.”

“Oh, yeah. I do know who he is. He also owns Down Under and The Fish Bowl, right?”

“Uh-huh. He’s good friends with Nika and Christian, and the idea is to create a sister store attached to Rhinestone Cowgirl with just my clothes.” My phone buzzes with a text coming in, but I don’t look to see who it is.

“That sounds wonderful. Do you need any startup money? I’ve been doing well lately and could float you a loan.”

The warm sensation of love floods me. My mom bailed me out last time by holing up in my apartment with me to sew for hours and paid my bills until I got back on my feet. “Mom, I love you for offering, but this time I want to do it on my own.”

“I raised a good girl, you make me proud. But think of me as your safety net, okay?”

“I always do.”

“Can I convince you to have lunch next week? I want to hear all about your plans and see your newest sketches.” A clinking sound makes me picture her stirring honey into her tea.

“That would be wonderful. I’m free on Thursday and will come to you.”

“Great. I’ll make us something delicious. I can’t wait to see you.” While my mother is an extrovert who loves to go out to lunch, she knows I’m not, and I smile at the way she puts me first.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Ruby. See you soon.”

Frozen dirt crackles under my tires as I pull into my driveway. When I get out of my car I take a moment to look out over the mountain range that is a black silhouette against the charcoal sky. I can’t stop smiling, thinking about how I’m going to give my dream another chance.

When I get inside I check my phone to see who texted me when I was talking to my mother. It’s Nika, reminding me about girls’ night tomorrow, and inviting me to sleep over instead of driving home late at night. While I used to be anxious about going, I’m not any longer, as the women have become my friends. I’m actually looking forward to it because I have something fun to share.

***

Girls’ night usually consists of a sweet drink, a random collection of favorite foods, cards or pool, and lots of laughing. Ice rattles in a metal shaker as Casey mixes up what she calls a winter cranberry and vodka cocktail for me. I’m not sure what that means, but my first taste of the frothy pink drink makes me not care. A sweet flavor hits my tongue, and when I swallow it’s followed by a tart finish.

She tucks a strand of strawberry blond hair behind her ear as she waits for my reaction. I say, “Oh, you’re right, this is yummy.”

Lori’s warm brown eyes glow. “Casey does make awesome drinks, and they’re never too strong, so you can have more than one.”

Megan says, “You guys have to try these.” She’s referring to the appetizer I brought. It’s goat cheese mixed with honey and lemon, placed in little pastry cups with a balsamic-glaze-marinated blackberry on top. Heated up in the oven so the goat cheese is soft, they’re a delicious combination of flavors.

I smile as Megan and Nika moan in pleasure too. Casey is pouring vodka over ice cubes to make Lori’s drink, so Megan pops one in her mouth.

She says, “Oh, man, these are my new crack. You’ll have to bring these every time now.”

Lori snorts. “Does this mean I can make something other than my avocado and tomato salad now?”

Casey answers, “Well, I suppose you can have a few nights off. But I reserve the right to demand it again.”

Lori grins. “Deal.”

Nika glances over at me and raises her eyebrows. She’s terrible with surprises, and I know she wants me to share my news. I say, “Before Nika explodes, I have something fun to tell you.”

Casey says, “You mean she’s kept something from us for a whole half hour?”

Nika hits her lightly on the arm.

I reach for the bowl of Lori’s salad and spoon some onto my plate. “I’m going to give Ruby Raines another shot. The space next to Rhinestone Cowgirl is open, and we’re going to knock down a wall and make my boutique a sister store.”

They all squeal, and Megan says, “Oh, that’s so awesome! I love your clothes. Between you and Nika, I may have to stop teaching skiing so I can work for both of you.”

Nika says, “Wait, she forgot one very important piece of information.” She looks expectantly at me.

“Yeah, um… I have a business partner. Neal Morgan.”

Casey gasps. “No. Way!”

I notice Megan glare at Casey in what I guess is a warning look. I say, “I know his reputation. But this is strictly professional.”

Megan squints a little and says, “Nika, you approve of this?”

Nika answers, “Yes. I do. I know you guys think he’s a player, but if you spent time around him the way I have, you’d know that’s no longer true.”

I pipe in. “Besides, the guy is crazy successful. He’s not going to let me fail.”

Casey sits back with her arms crossed. “What does Christian think about this?”

I say, “He supports it, and I trust him.”

Lori reaches over and touches my arm. “We’ve so got your back, babe. If you and Nika think this is the right thing to do, then I trust him too.”

Casey sighs, “You know I’m behind you. But if he screws you over, I can’t be responsible for my actions.”

I smile because Casey’s thin body is far from intimidating. Petite Lori chimes in. “Me, too. I’m pretty handy with my ninja moves.” She gets up to demonstrate and we all laugh.

Casey takes a sip from her martini glass, and after she swallows, she says, “I think the solution is to find you a boyfriend that can keep you safe from Neal. We’ve got some hot new instructors this year.”

I have no intention of chasing after some guy, but I humor my friend. “Tell me all about them.”

Megan sighs. “There’s one that’s blond and has the snowboard bad boy thing going on.” She looks at Lori. “What’s his name? I forgot because I was lost in his eyes.”

She shakes her head with a smile. “Kyle, I think. I don’t know, blue eyes get me too.”

Nika chuckles, and Casey says, “You two are worthless. The one I think would be perfect for you is the ex-racer from Maine.” My stomach lurches, and my blood turns to ice when she adds, “Trevor Sullivan.”

The father of my child is in Breckenridge. I shouldn’t be so shocked. The ski world isn’t very big, and having gone to a private school for competitive skiers and snowboarders, I’ve seen more than one of my high school classmates in Breck. But I haven’t talked to Trevor since he cheated on me and set my world into a death spiral. What the hell am I going to do?

Chapter 7

Th
e sixteen-year-old me was stupid. In love with Trevor, I believed him when he promised I wouldn’t get pregnant. He promised that skipping the condom just one time so he could feel me without a barrier would be fine. He said he’d pull out. Then apologized when he didn’t.

Bright sun is shining and practically blinds me as it reflects off the fresh snow that fell last night. My plastic sunglasses are cold on my nose and fog up when I put them on. I pull out of the driveway, and my engine revs as I step on the gas with frustration. When I realized I was pregnant, I still believed everything would be okay. Maybe I would miscarry—it happens, and the Internet said it wasn’t uncommon. But as the weeks went by I got more and more scared.

Then I placated myself with the idea that Trevor would be okay with us having a baby. We loved each other. If my mother could raise me on my own, surely Trevor and I could do it together.

I didn’t smarten up until he cheated on me with another racer instead of coming over when I said we needed to talk. Apparently he thought I was going to break up with him. Devastated by his betrayal and emotional with pregnancy hormones, I turned to my mom. A month later she moved me to Colorado without anyone finding out I was pregnant.

I’m about to turn to her again. At my mother’s for lunch, I’m going to share more than my new business plan. My stomach rolls as I imagine seeing Trevor again after all these years. But the one thing that has my heart racing knows I need to tell him he’s a father.

I glance at the speedometer and immediately lift my foot off the gas when I notice I’m well over the speed limit. I don’t do this kind of stress well. Even when my business fell down around me I was even-keeled about the whole thing. But today, I’m an anxiety-ridden mess.

Driving into the parking lot of a condo development, I spot my mother’s shiny Lexus. She’s doing more than well, and I’m not surprised. My mom is the kind of person everyone loves when they meet her. The way she listens to you, as if you’re the most interesting person she’s ever met, endears her to even the curmudgeons of the world.

When the version of what I’ll look like in sixteen years opens the door I burst into tears. Big, heaving sobs wrack my body as my mother pulls me inside and her arms squeeze tight. She coos to me and pets my hair, and her floral scent makes its way to my heart.

Sniffing, I pull away and walk to the table by her couch for a tissue. My big inhale is shaky as I gather myself to speak. “Trevor moved to Breckenridge.”

“Oh, sweetie. Tell me everything.” Mom leads me to the couch, and I plop down on cushions that wrap around my thighs as I sink into them.

“There’s not much to tell. I heard through a friend he’s teaching at the ski school.”

“So you haven’t seen him yet? What’s going through your head, baby girl?”

“What we both know I’ve needed to do for years. I have to tell him he’s a father.”

She purses her lips. We’ve had this discussion before, and there never seemed to be a good way to tell him. Now that I can do it face to face, it’s time. Mom says, “Yes and no. Sure, he has a right to know. But what purpose will that serve?”

“Don’t you think he might ask me why I moved away so quickly without ever taking his calls or returning his texts? I mean, people must have suspected something was up.”

While my mother told everyone we were moving to be closer to her dying cousin, I’m not sure the gossip mills were satisfied with the explanation. Especially by the odd looks old acquaintances have given me when we see each other again after all these years.

Mom gets up and says, “I’m going to put on the kettle.” She busies herself in the kitchen, but I think she’s really trying to figure out what to do.

When she comes back, she sits in a chair across from me. “You do need to tell him. But he broke my baby’s heart, and I’m worried for you.”

“You know that closure thing you love to preach about? I think telling him is my closure for what happened.”

Mom gets up and sits next to me again. Her arm wraps around my shoulders, and she kisses the top of my head. “You’re wise beyond your years, you know that?”

I lean into my favorite person and say, “I had a good teacher.”

My mother is amazing. I can imagine it’s been hard for her to watch me swear off men for the past few years the way she did when I was growing up. But not once has she ever bugged me to get a boyfriend, even though I can read her like a book, and recognize the glimmer of hope that flashes on her face whenever I mention some guy. I pull away and gaze into her pale blue eyes. I want to twist a strand of curly hair that has fallen out of her messy updo that mimics mine.

“Mom, I think I might be ready to try dating.”

A smile forms on her face just as the teapot starts to whistle. “Hold that thought, I’ll be right back.”

I know she’s excited by the way she rushes to get our tea ready, and I hold back my laugh when she swears because she scalds herself spilling hot water. Two mugs clunk on the coffee table as she asks, “Have you met someone?”

“Maybe. It might be nothing, but I’m actually attracted to someone, and it feels good.”

“Honey, that’s so exciting. Tell me about him.”

I take a moment to think about Neal. “He’s tall, with light brown hair and grayish blue eyes that make me melt. Oh, and he’s also going to be my business partner.”

My mother’s eyes widen, and her tea bag dangles in mid-air a moment before she recovers. “Your business partner? Neal Morgan?”

“Before you freak out, remember it’s only a crush. I haven’t kissed a guy since I was sixteen, and I doubt this will go anywhere. I’m just happy I actually like someone. I was beginning to think I’d turn into a crazy cat lady.” The bottle of honey spurts as I squeeze some into my hot drink.

She chuckles and then says, “Okay, I’m thrilled for you. Is that good?”

“That’s great.”

“Now, where are your sketches?”

After my mother gushes over my new designs I tell her all about the plans for Ruby Raines. When I share that the long-term plan is to open a store in Vail and Aspen, she gets excited and is already insisting I let her work at the Vail store a few shifts a week.

I leave my mom’s with enough food to last me a week and the warm glow of her love. While I’m still anxious about seeing Trevor and what his reaction will be when he finds out he has a daughter, I’ve needed to do this for a long time. I have faith it will work out the way it’s supposed to.