Love on the Lifts (15 page)

Leaving me and Joe to once again guard the table.

“If you want to go play darts, I can hobble back there and watch,” Joe said.

“I like being right where I am,” I said.

“It doesn't bother you seeing Brad—”

I pressed my fingers against his mouth. “I'm totally over Brad.”

I moved my hand away and shook my head. “That's not entirely accurate, because there was really nothing to get over. I thought he was cute. I wanted him to notice me. But it wasn't like I had any sort of real emotional attachment to him. So read my lips. He is so not on my radar anymore.”

“Think I'd rather kiss those lips.”

And he did just that.

G
irls Night Out.

It was Leah's idea, because quite frankly, we'd come here together for winter break and we really weren't seeing much of each other. And there was a football game tonight so we wouldn't have the guys' attention anyway.

And of course, where better to have a girls' night out than at Aunt Sue's.

We were all sitting cross-legged on a large mat on the floor. Aunt Sue had decided to go international on us, cooking us a traditional Ethiopian dinner, which meant serving yourself from a large community dish.

“How many countries do you think you've visited?” Allie asked.

“I stopped counting at twenty-five,” Aunt
Sue said. “But I do have a map of the world on my computer, and I color in a country when I visit it.”

“What do you do when a country disappears or boundaries change to form new countries?” I asked.

“I don't worry about it, Kate. The map is simply a tool to help me decide where to go next. It's not my life's goal to get it accurate.”

“Well, after I move here, I'll be happy to take an occasional vacation with you,” Leah said.

“You really think you're going to move here?” I asked.

Leah glanced around, then nodded. “Other than the fact that I absolutely adore Ian, there's the snow factor to consider. I love it. I love the cold and the sports. Ian is teaching me to snow-board now. It's awesome.”

“So how'd a guy from Australia end up here?” Allie asked.

Leah shrugged. “How does anyone end up here? He came on vacation and didn't want to leave.”

“He's legal, though, right?” Allie asked. “Isn't
he supposed to have some sort of permission to stay?”

“Yeah, he has a green card, but when I move here, I'm going to help him prepare to become a citizen.”

“Cool,” I said.

“I think so. I mean, that he wants to be a citizen.”

“Who would have thought you'd hook up with a foreigner?” I asked.

“Could have hooked you up with one—but no, you weren't interested.” She smiled. “So how are things with you and Joe?”

“Terrific.” I couldn't stop myself from grinning. I figured I was probably blushing, too. “I can't believe that I spent so much time crushing over Brad and didn't immediately move on to Joe. I just love being with him.”

“For a while Paige was totally bummed out that she didn't have a chance to hook up with him,” Aunt Sue said.

“She had a chance at the party at the lodge. She was all over him.”

Aunt Sue gave me this knowing smile. “According to Paige, she didn't have a chance.
Apparently, Joe told her that he was keeping his options open, not planning to hook up with anyone.”

“Kate changed his mind. Good going, Kate,” Allie said.

I scooped up some food. “You wouldn't happen to know Paige's real name, would you, Aunt Sue?”

“Delilah Delfino. Her friends call her Dee-Dee.”

I was a little disappointed. I was expecting something to make me cringe or gag.

“I thought it would be something…worse,” I said.

“She just never liked it, so when she came to work for me, she decided it would be fun to change her name to something that would work in a bookstore.”

“Oh,” Allie exclaimed. “I just got it! Like a good book is called a page-turner.” She shook her head. “I can't believe I was that dense.”

“You had your mind on other things,” I said. “Like my brother.”

Allie nodded. “Yeah. I definitely had my mind on Sam. I figure you and I can go see him
at the university sometime.”

“You can see him,” I told her. “I'll go see Joe.”

“Is that where you'll go to school next year?” she asked.

“I was always planning to. I don't see a reason to change those plans.”

“So what are his kisses like?” Leah asked.

I felt myself blush again. “Can't share descriptions, because I don't want to hear about Sam's kisses.”

A secretive kind of smile spread over Allie's face. I really didn't want to think about it, but I thought maybe my brother did have some moves after all.

“I'm not sure I'll ever get used to you liking him,” I said.

“I more than like him,” she said.

“Yeah, well, just so you'll know…he's allergic to saying the L-word out loud.”

Her smile grew. “Not with me.”

I was stunned. “You're kidding me. He told you that he loves you?”

She looked like someone who had just scaled a mountain.

“Wow,” I said. “You and Sam are just full of surprises.”

“What about Joe? Has he told you that he loves you?”

“Right now, we're still in the seriously
like
stage.”

“Seriously
like
is good,” Aunt Sue said.

Yeah, I thought. Seriously
like
was very good.

 

The football game was over by the time Allie and I returned to the condo. Joe was stretched out on the couch, Sam in the recliner. Without a word, Sam got up, took Allie's hand, and led her down to the basement.

Which left me alone with Joe. I hung my jacket in the closet.

“Do you need anything?” I asked.

With a little moan, he swung his legs off the couch, making room for me. “I would say just you but that sounds way too corny.”

“I like corny,” I said, as I sat on the couch beside him.

“How was girls' night out?” he asked.

“Nothing spectacular. We ate Ethiopian—
oh! I just remembered. You don't have to marry Paige after all.”

“Didn't know I was even considering marrying her.”

“You were going to marry her so we could learn her real name.”

“No, I wasn't.”

“Well, anyway, you're off the hook. I know her real name.”

He gave me a wide grin. “Oh, yeah? What is it?”

I grinned back. He was in his sleeping clothes: sweats and a T-shirt. While I was still in my going-out clothes. I reached down and pulled off my boots so I could bring my feet up to the couch cushion. I snuggled up a little closer to Joe.

He put his arm around me. “What's her name?”

“What are you willing to pay me to find out?”

“What did you have in mind?”

I pressed a kiss to his T-shirt–clad shoulder. “I'm not real good at being seductive.”

“Kate, you don't have to try so hard with me.
Just relax. Everything will happen when it's supposed to.”

I wondered what he meant by
everything
. And if I wanted everything with Joe.

“Delilah Delfino,” I announced.

He made a face of disgust. “You're kidding.”

“I didn't think it was
that
bad. Aunt Sue said her friends called her Dee-Dee.”

“But she changed her name, because she didn't like it?”

I shrugged. “Apparently. Thought it would be fun to be someone else I guess.”

“Man, I can't see me with a Delilah or a Dee-Dee.”

“How 'bout with a Kate?” I dared to ask, my heart pounding as I waited for his answer.

Sometimes when you're trying to tease or be flirtatious you say something and as soon as the words leave your mouth, you wish you could draw them all back in. Or that you could back up a few minutes and stop the words from coming out to begin with.

That was how I felt at that moment. Like I was suddenly insecure in his feelings toward me. That I was seeking confirmation that he
cared for me. Even though he'd shown it in so many ways, always being there for me when I needed someone. Standing up for me when I was laying out rules. Telling my brother he was being a jerk when he was a jerk. Helping out at the shop. Talking with me. Not blaming me for his wrenched knee, which definitely, no matter how I looked at it, was my fault.

Joe took hold of my hips and drew me onto his lap. He threaded his fingers into my hair, looked into my eyes.

“Yeah,” he said. “I can see me with a Kate.”

Then we were kissing. He was so good at it. He'd kiss me for a while, then pull back, look at me, smile, and kiss me again.

It was during one of those moments when he seemed to take as much delight in looking at me as kissing me that I said, “I really think you should sleep in my bed tonight.”

“Kate, I'm not going to kick you out of your bed.”

I nipped his chin and gave him a daring smile.

“Who said anything about kicking me out of it?” I asked.

 

“What do you want to do today?” Joe asked.

I was sitting on his lap, on the deck, a quilt wrapped around us. The cocoon of warmth was heavenly.

Snuggling up against Joe was heavenly, too.

We were watching the sun come up. We always got up really early and came out here to watch the sunrise. I loved starting the day in Joe's arms.

And okay, part of it, too, was because I didn't want Sam to discover us in bed when he came upstairs for breakfast. After all, Sam still thought I was clueless about who was sleeping in his bed. He didn't need to know who was sleeping in mine.

And truly, who a girl is sleeping with is no one's business except hers and the guy she's sleeping with.

And Joe was totally okay with how I felt. He knew I wasn't ashamed of him or us. It's just that some things should be private.

I'd actually gained respect for my brother because he was keeping things private as well. Especially since it involved my best friend.

So now I was sitting here, snuggled up
against Joe, trying not to think about how few days we had left to be together.

We'd already started making plans to get together over spring break. But that sounded so incredibly far away—another time. Definitely another place.

“I don't know,” I said. “Whatever you want to do.”

“My knee's feeling better. Maybe we could just go walking. Do a little shopping.”

“Shopping? A guy who likes shopping? You're a girl's dream guy come true.”

“I was thinking you need a bathing suit.”

“A bathing suit?”

“Yeah. I really want to take a dip in the hot tub before we leave.”

I nuzzled my cold nose against his warm throat. “I don't need a bathing suit for that.”

“No?”

I shook my head and nestled my face in the crook of his shoulder. “How 'bout tonight after everyone else goes to bed?”

“I'm there.”

I sat up and kissed him.

“And until tonight?” I asked.

He gave me a devilish grin. “We'll think of something.”

And I knew that we would. We'd ride the gondola up to the highest peak and have lunch at the restaurant at the top. We'd visit with Aunt Sue and sip hot chocolate.

Maybe we'd even go snowmobiling again.

We'd tap life on the shoulder.

And fall a little more in love.