Winter Interlude (42 page)

A lifetime later
, the Lexus pulled
up in front of her building
.

“Thanks for the ride,”
Kate
said to Andrea before climbing out
.
“You’re a lifesaver
.”

Mike followed and helped her undo her skis
.
“I’ll help you carry your equipment upstairs,” he said, sporting a smile that most women would swoon over
.

But not her
.
Great smile or not, he wasn’t Paul
.
She shook
off
the thought and offered a smile, going for cheerful
.
“Thanks. I appreciate the help.”

At her door
,
he leaned the skis against the wall while she reached for her keys.

“There you go, all safe and sound
.”

“Thanks for the company
.”
She tried to sound upbeat.
He really was nice, but he wasn’t Paul
.
“I enjoyed skiing with you
.”
She forced
a quick laugh
,
then
inser
ted
the key into the door
and glanced over her shoulder
.

“It was my pleasure
.”
Mike winked
.
“Besides
,
you’re the one who put up with me trying to keep up with you all day
.
It was like taking advanced lessons
.”
The width of his smile
increased
,
if that w
ere
possible
.
“Any time you want a repeat performance, let me know
.
I’m game even if my body won’t forget the beating for weeks.”

A bit of remorse filled her remembering the
advanced
terrain they’d skied
.
None of the others wanted to stay on the intermediate runs, preferring fresh powder
.
Mike
had eagerly gone along
with the group
, but had admitted to a few reservations on the lift
.
At that point, she’d taken pity on him and had given him
some
pointers
.
He had a few problems keeping up, but he stuck with them and improved, never quitting, which made him a winner in her book
.

While standing there, she realized something else
.
Mike was good for her ego, and looking into his amused eyes,
her smile felt more natural
.
He really was a nice guy and attractive, too
.

But he wasn’t Paul
.
No
!
You’re not going to start doing that
.

She’d always compared every guy she had ever met with James and now she was doing it with Paul
.
It was time to make some changes
.

“Well, thanks again
.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders
.
When
Kate
looked at him with a question in her eyes, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and added, “Mind if I give you a call sometime?”

“I’d like that,” she said honestly
.
She opened her door and turned back
.
“You have my number.”

She headed inside, thinking for the first time in weeks that Paul was right
.

Everything would work out.

K
ate
walked
the length of her apartment
in
long strides
, dreading Jame
s’
arrival
.
She stopped
at the window to look out
.
N
oting an empty driveway below, she continued pacing.

T
he
y’d only spoken briefly after her return from
Tahoe
.
So mu
ch had happened since then that her entire mindset had taken a one
-
eighty
.
How much easier it would
ha
ve been, if
she could just ignore
James,
like he
’d always ignored her,
and hope he’d quit calling
.
E
ven as
the thought registered
, she knew
closing the door properly was the only
way
to end
this episode in her life.

The doorbell’s shrill buzz
er
jerked
her out of her thoughts.

She hit the intercom button
.
“I’ll be right down
.”

“Okay.”

As s
he grabbed her jacket
,
she wished
Paul
waited
below rather than
James
.
She missed him
.
Tons
.
She’d gone back and forth a million times over whether she’d done the right thing by abandoning him at the ski resort
when he’d
been so nice
.

It had taken
every ounce of willpower she
’d
possessed to keep her from reaching for the phone
to apologize
.
Part of her knew self-preservation was paramount, but the other part knew that
deserting him was a coward’s way out
.
What if she’d misread things
between them
?

She hurried down the stairs, hating the roller coaster of emotions she’d
ridden ever since stepping
foot in
Paul’s
car
.

At the
door, James
stood
on the other side
and
help
ed
her open it
.
Finally
out
,
s
he headed to the
passenger
door
and
hopped in
the car at the same time he did
, as was their habit
.
He hadn’t given her a hug or a kiss
.
Kate
also
noticed his reticence at making eye contact
.
I
nstead of her usual annoyance, all she felt was relief
.

He backed out of the driveway and onto the street
.
Kate
snapped her seatbelt into place and glanced over, studying his capable movements
.

What’s changed
?
Why didn’t she find him as attractive or as exciting as she once had
?

He still has the same eye-catching looks
.
Blond hair, startling blue eyes
,
and
a
ready smile
.
So
,
what’s different
?
She never thought in a million years she’d be anxiously working up the nerve to break up with him
.

“I though
t we could go over to Sausalito
.”
He tu
r
ned left on Marina Boulevard
,
driving
toward the Presidio
.
“
It’s
midweek and
the Walter Street Grille
shouldn’t
have
a
long
wait.”

“Sausalito
and the Grille are
fine
,
”
she said, sinking into her seat
.
He looked so much like Paul but he was nothing like Paul
.
He’
d been her obsession for so long that it seemed weird to think of life without him
.
Curiously
,
the thought of life without him
no longer
bother
ed
her, which led her to
question
every facet of
their
relationship
.
Ha
d
she really loved him all those years
?
Or had she been in love with the idea of being in love
?
She wrung her hands and closed her eyes, not wanting to believe either scenario
.

“So, how was the weekend with my brother?” James asked after a long pause.