Page 141 of Hard to Get

We pull on our outerwear again and head down to the village. It’s totally dark now, but the village is illuminated with countless bulbs strung in trees, draped along railings of buildings, wrapped around potted evergreens. It’s magical as we walk arm in arm along the stone paved walkway. Restaurants and bars are hopping, even the patios are busy since it’s relatively mild, and shoppers move in and out of the various stores.

The ski slopes are quiet and dark now and activity has moved to the après-ski scene. Music spills from some of the establishments. I pull in a deep breath of cold air, loving the mountain freshness of it.

“I wish we could ski tomorrow,” I say.

“Well. You could.”

“Except I can’t ski.” I make a face.

“You’ve never skied?”

“Well, my parents did take us skiing a couple of times when we were really young. I don’t think that counts. Then life became hockey.”

“Do you want to ski? You could learn now.”

“I guess I could. Sometime. I never thought about it until just now. It’s just… such a vibe here. I love it.” Surrounded by snow and mountains, skis and snowboards standing in racks outside restaurants and bars, it feels so inviting and atmospheric.

There’s an empty table on a patio so we stop there to have a drink. A server arrives immediately. “Our après-ski special cocktail is a White Bear,” she announces cheerfully. “It’s spiced rum, Frangelico, and cream.”

“Oooh, that sounds good. I’ll have one.”

Jayden scrunches up his face. “I’ll have a Caesar, please.”

“Of course!”

There’s something enchanting about sitting outside in the snow with incredible scenery all around us, sipping a cocktail and listening to music. I smile at Jayden. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

“You’re welcome.”

I hear, “Jayden Wood,” spoken somewhere near us. I lift my eyebrows at him. He nods and gives a tiny eye-roll.

Please don’t let this turn out like that night at the arcade.

But if they recognize him, they don’t approach him or insult him, so that’s good.

After a drink, we wander again until it’s time for dinner. The restaurant is back toward our hotel. It’s sophisticated and modern, with all neutral colours, white tablecloths, and low lighting. The wine list is huge, so we let the sommelier recommend something for us.

“How about the warm olives?” I ask, looking at the dinner menu.

Jayden makes a choking noise.

I grin. “That’s a no, then?”

There are more wine than food options, but everything sounds amazing. Jayden requests a steak and I almost go for the same thing, then decide on the roasted duck breast to try something different.

With our glasses of wine in our hands, I look at Jayden across the table. I want to talk about something but I’m nervous about bringing it up in the wrong way. I nibble the corner of my mouth briefly, about to open my mouth when Jayden says, “What?”

I blink.

“What’s wrong?” he asks quietly.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“What’s on your mind, then?”

He already knows me so well. “Can we talk about the age-difference thing again?”

His forehead pinches in the middle. “Why?”