Crazy Love

by Highley, Kendra C.

  He nodded. “I’ll be practicing up here several times a week. If you’re interested, I can give you a schedule.” Luke paused. “I was going to go grab some coffee. Any chance you’d join me?”

  Charlotte held a breath. She needed to study, badly. Coming out here had put her behind a few hours, but would she forgive herself if she missed out on a date with a hot, athletic, surprisingly normal guy?

  Her brain was still sorting everything out when her mouth made the decision for her.

  “Sure.”

  Date it was.

  “So what made you decide to take up snowboarding?” Charlotte stirred her tea—which, blessedly, had come from a coffee shop downtown rather than up at the resort. She needed a break from the snow bunnies staring murder at her for walking to the gondola with Luke. He had more of a following than she’d realized.

  He sipped his coffee. “My parents own a ski-outfitting business. Goggles, apparel, boots, accessories, stuff like that. I grew up here. I was on skis by the time I was three, and on a snowboard at five. It’s all I’ve known, really. My parents are good skiers, so I had the opportunity.”

  Charlotte frowned at the patch on Luke’s jacket. “Wait—Madison’s? That’s your family?”

  Luke’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “Yeah, that’s us.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. Okay, she might be no ski expert, but Madison’s gear was everywhere out here. Hell, Charlotte’s borrowed jacket was from Madison’s. “Things make a little more sense now. Are you planning to go into the family business after school?”

  A shadow passed over his features.

  Her stomach dropped. Shit, what did I say?

  “Um,” she said, to fill the silence, “I’m studying for my MCAT, planning on medical school. I’m up here to work until I go back home for school.”

  “Where’s home?” He sounded interested, but his eyes were still far away.

  “Arizona. I’m hoping to be accepted to ASU medical school. My parents live in Phoenix, so I’m going to be a loser and live at home the first year to save money.”

  Luke let out a surprised laugh. “Wait—ASU? That’s where I’ve been going.”

  “For real?” How had she missed him on campus?

  He smiled. “For real. Funny that we never saw each other.”

  “Well, I finished in August. I bombed my first MCAT. And my second.” Now it was her turn to blush. “So I’m prepping to try again. What about you? What are you majoring in?”

  “Business.” He drank more coffee, and Charlotte had the feeling he was stalling. “Or I was until I withdrew.”

  “For snowboarding?” That would be the reason, right? Because he’d smoked the guy who’d knocked Kit over. Evangeline had been screaming for the D-bag’s blood and, for the second time in one day, Luke had avenged someone’s honor.

  Charlotte suppressed a shiver. That had been so hot. Evangeline had urged Charlotte to marry him. She wasn’t willing to go that far, but a date had seemed like a decent compromise.

  “Yeah, for the snowboarding.” He smiled, and there was something tired in it. “I want to make the U.S. team and go to the World Cup, then on to the Olympics, but…”

  “But what? You’re damn good,” Charlotte said. “I know a lot about self-doubt, but you have the stuff.”

  “It’s not that.” Luke laughed then. “I’ve been accused of too much self-confidence, truthfully. It’s…God, I can’t believe I’m telling someone this.”

  “I’ve been accused of being a good listener,” Charlotte said, winking.

  “Okay, then. My parents want me to go into the business with them. I haven’t told my mother that I dropped out, but I told Dad. After he told me that he’d nearly had a massive heart attack last year, and they needed me to step into my job as soon as possible…just in case.” He sighed, and drummed his fingers on the table. “Dad seemed to accept my plans, but I could tell it stressed him out some. My mom? She might disown me when she finds out.”

  “Oh, surely not,” Charlotte said. “She might be disappointed for a few minutes, but she’ll be proud of you reaching for your goals.”

  “I don’t know about that. She’s protective of all of us, but she has this ‘we’re in it together’ mentality about the business. My brother and I have interned there every summer since we were sixteen. It’s expected.” He frowned and tapped the handle of his mug. “And it’s not even that I don’t want to go into the family business. I just want to do this one thing first.”

  “I can see that, but family’s important,” she murmured.

  Luke’s face tightened even more. “I know.”

  Charlotte swallowed hard. “Thing is, I understand what you’re going through. My mom’s sick, too. I get the struggle. I need to be here to earn money for school, but I want to be home with my family, especially my little sister. I have this other dream, though, and this is where I start making it happen.”

  “How’d you end up in Aspen? You could’ve found a job in Phoenix.”

  A pit opened up in Charlotte’s stomach. She stared out the window at the snowy road, shifting in her seat. She was pretty far from home. “Evangeline was my roommate in school, and she gave me this job and a place to live, away from home so I could concentrate.” Which she was most certainly not doing right now.

  He nodded, wearing a faint smile. “Sometimes a break from the normal is what you need to bust a slump.”

  She wasn’t sure if Luke was talking about her or him. Either way, it was getting late, and going out instead of studying was triggering some serious guilt. Luke’s charm had gotten the better of her discipline. “Maybe. Um, I probably better head home.”

  Luke checked his watch. “It’s only five. Sure you don’t want to grab dinner first?”

  She shook her head. “I wake up at four every morning that I work. My bedtime is eight thirty, so my day’s almost over. Thanks for the tea, but I have to get some studying in before I go to bed.”

  “If you ever need a study partner, I’m good at reading flashcards.” He smiled, some of his swagger and charm returning. “Among other things.”

  She groaned and rolled her eyes. “It was just coffee, slick. Not an offer to ‘study’ with me in my bedroom.” She didn’t owe Luke an overnighter, but he had bailed her out more than once today. Plus, she wouldn’t mind seeing him in action again.

  And now I’m blushing. Awesome.

  “Thanks again for your help this morning,” she blurted out, standing a little too quickly. “Oh! Mr. Bzdyl, Evangeline’s dad, said you can eat at the café for free until New Year’s for defending my honor this morning. Your barstool will be open anytime.”

  That earned her a quick, brilliant smile that she felt in her knees. This was his real smile, she decided. Sexy, but sincere. God, she really needed to get some air before she blew off studying for the night.

  “Excellent,” he said. “I’m hitting the gym with my trainer at eight, and I’ll be looking for a good meal after that. See you then.”

  “Great.” She waved at him and hurried through the snow to her car. How should she feel about all this? Luke seemed to be a decent guy, but Charlotte knew if she gave in, she’d probably become his “flavor of the month.”

  She snorted. Maybe “flavor of the afternoon.”

  Would it matter? Luke probably knew how to make a woman happy. But her heart was still a tiny bit bruised from her last relationship, and with everything else going on, she didn’t think it could take more.

  Shaking her head, she started her car and pulled out of her parking space. The roads were becoming slick, and as evening set in, it was hard to see. Charlotte’s hands were damp on the steering wheel. She hated driving in snow.

  Two slip and slides and one “Oh my God, I can’t stop!” later, she made it back to the café, weak-kneed and shaking. Maybe she should ask Luke for snow-driving lessons rather than snowboarding.

  She bet he’d be good at both, because dangerous activities sounded like his thing. No, not jus
t sounded—they were his thing. Watching Luke take his turn at the practice course was enough proof of that.

  God, he was hot.

  Charlotte let herself into the café and locked the door behind her. She was shivering, but she had no idea if it was from the cold or the thought of Luke on his board.

  Chapter Nine

  Luke

  The Millers were at his house by the time Luke came home. There wasn’t anything unusual about that—they came over for dinner all the time when they were in town. The unusual part was that Zoey and Parker weren’t there.

  “Where are the kids?” Luke asked, accepting a beer from his dad.

  His mother rolled her eyes. “They’re nineteen and in college. ‘Kids’ is no longer an appropriate term, especially from someone barely old enough to drink legally.”

  “Zoey and Parker went out for dinner and a sleigh ride.” Mr. Miller shrugged. “I’d rather have a home-cooked meal, but whatever.”

  Luke took a big swallow of his beer, hiding a smirk. Maybe they did go on a sleigh ride, but if Luke had to guess, based on the green Jeep parked at the far end of the street, they’d really snuck over to Zoey’s house to be alone.

  His brother had moves. Who knew?

  It was a foreign thought, though. In his mind, Parker was still twelve, gangly, and wearing braces. What was it like to settle down so young? The idea had never crossed Luke’s mind—too many gorgeous ladies, too little time—but a little pang caught him in the chest.

  Envy.

  He had no idea where that came from, but for some reason, Charlotte’s face was the one he saw when he pictured a more domesticated life. He barely knew her, so that was a huge presumption on his part, but most of the women he usually hooked up with weren’t the permanent type. Something about Charlotte opened up a dark, locked part of him. It wasn’t every day a girl played hard to get with him.

  Luke wandered to the window to look outside. Charlotte wasn’t playing. Not at all. The sight of her parted lips and flushed cheeks at the SBX course had him convinced she was interested, but at the coffee shop she’d put up all these walls. If he wanted to know her better, he was going to have to work for it. Zoey had put him though some paces, but it hadn’t been real, not exactly. The thing with Charlotte felt frighteningly so—somehow, he knew if he let himself fall, he’d keep falling.

  “You okay, there?” Dad asked.

  “Uh, yeah, fine.” Luke smiled, wishing he could tell everyone about his day. About smoking Tucker and meeting Kit. About his chances and his dream. But he couldn’t. Mom didn’t know, and this wasn’t the time. “Good shred today.”

  “What’s up with your knuckles?” Mr. Miller nodded at Luke’s hand, on full display holding the beer. “You look like you’ve been brawling. Hit a tree?”

  “No, um.” Luke chuckled. “I’ve been brawling.”

  “What?” Luke’s mother came out of the kitchen, a pink polka-dot apron on over her black pants and green silk shirt. “You’ve been in a fight?”

  Luke tried to swallow the laugh about to burst out over the fifties-style kitchen wear and only mostly succeeded. “I was defending the honor of a cute and very harassed server at that new café.”

  After he told them the story, glad to have something to talk about other than the SBX course, his mother nodded in approval. “I don’t like you fighting, but I’m proud of you for helping that young lady out.” A shrewd smile spread across her face. “Any chance you’ll be seeing her again?”

  Luke bit back a grin. Busted. “Yeah. Her boss is giving me meals on the house until New Year’s for helping Charlotte out.”

  “Charlotte…what a pretty name.” Mrs. Miller’s smile was as catlike as Luke’s mother’s. “Definitely need to meet her now.”

  Luke groaned, and his dad laughed. “Give it up, son. They aren’t going to let this go.”

  Yeah, he was definitely cornered. “I hardly know Charlotte, but I promise to bring her by if it goes past three or four—or seventeen—dates.”

  “Good.” His mother nodded, then shooed them into the kitchen to eat.

  Once they were seated and passing around pork chops and glazed carrots, Mr. Miller asked, “So, how’s school going, Luke? Three semesters to go—that must feel good.”

  “Two semesters to go,” his mother said, practically bursting with pride. “He tested out of a full semester on AP exams. This time next year, he’ll be taking a short break before starting at Madison’s.”

  Luke and his dad exchanged a tense look. “It, uh, might take three semesters.”

  Mom frowned. “Why? Did you miss some elective?”

  Oh, here we go. “No, not exactly.” Luke put his fork down. This was a terrible time and place, but he wouldn’t lie. He couldn’t, not to his mother. Plus, he couldn’t keep acting like a coward. She had to find out soon, because telling her the day before he was supposed to go back to school was a shit thing to do. “Mom, I’m taking the spring semester off.”

  She froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. “What?”

  “I have a shot at the SBX nationals. The biggest qualifying race is at Buttermilk in early January. That will take me to nationals and improve my chances of making the USASA team. If I make it onto the men’s team, I could eventually go to the Olympics. I still want to work at Madison’s, but I need to try this first, while I’m on my game.”

  To Luke’s horror, Mom’s eyes filled with tears. “But…but we need you.” She glanced at Dad. “Right, Jason?”

  “I’ve already told him, but we’ve come to an understanding. It’ll be fine, Tina. He needs to take his shot now, so he’ll know whether or not he can make it.”

  “And if he does?” Mom took a shaking breath. “Luke, if you make it, is it just for the next year or so?”

  His shoulders slumped. “If I make it…I don’t know.”

  At that, the Millers got up. Mrs. Miller kissed his mom’s cheek, and they slipped out quietly. Luke fought a wild urge to laugh—Zoey and Parker weren’t expecting company this soon. What would the Millers do when they came home and found more than they were expecting?

  Luke hoped they’d take the surprise better than his mom. A knot settled in Luke’s stomach, and he stared at his half-eaten plate of pork chops. Parker’s sin wouldn’t come close to outweighing his, though.

  Tears ran down his mother’s cheeks. “If you knew about Dad’s…heart condition, about how we’re counting on you learning what you need to so he can retire, why would you do this anyway?”

  “Tina—” Dad started, but Mom slashed a hand through the air, cutting him off.

  “No.” Mom’s voice had gone shrill and sharp. “We gave these boys so much. Life in Aspen, summer jobs they didn’t have to search for that didn’t involve making fries, a college education free from student loans…and this is how he repays us?” She turned on Luke, her hazel eyes, so like his own, flashing with anger. “You didn’t think to tell us what you were considering ahead of time? Because I’m assuming this isn’t the first time this has crossed your mind.”

  “No. I’ve been thinking about it since I won the U14 development championship.” Anger was surging up in his chest, too. Goddammit, he hadn’t wanted to argue about this now. “But you pushed me into college. When Parker was approached by the scout about entering training for the X Games after the slopestyle contest last year, you two were so proud. The expectations have never been the same for him. I’m the one with the business on my shoulders. He gets to major in architecture and design resorts, while I’m expected to major in business so I can run some office until I’m old and can foist it onto my own kid!”

  His parents stared at him with their mouths open. Mom was still pissed, but Dad looked…heartbroken.

  Luke stood so fast, his chair knocked over. Fuck this. “I’ll move out in the morning if that’s what you want. And don’t worry about the money anymore. I’ll make my own way.”

  With that, he turned and stomped off to his room, wishing he didn’t care so m
uch. Wishing he could be selfish enough to forget about Dad’s shocked expression, about Mom’s tears.

  Instead, he was going to do what he wanted and hate himself for it every minute.

  Chapter Ten

  Charlotte

  The next morning came so early. Charlotte groaned as she slapped her alarm into submission. The soft hiss-hiss of snow hadn’t stopped all night. Good for the resort, she supposed, but being a desert girl in the mountains seemed ridiculous sometimes. For instance, she had to sleep in thermal leggings, a waffle-print long-sleeve tee, and thick socks under four blankets, even with the heater at seventy. The little apartment just couldn’t stay warm, especially with a north wind battering it.

  She shivered, and climbing out of bed required psyching up, because the cold seeping up through the wooden floor, into her socks, froze her toes. Evangeline had laughed for five straight minutes the first time she’d spent the night with Charlotte, watching her shriek and scurry to the bathroom, with its overhead heater and warm shower.

  Other than that, the apartment was pretty great. There was a spectacular view out of both the big windows. The one behind her bed was of the mountains, with its snowy peaks and pine trees, and the other of the bright buildings dotting the Snowmass resort. Maybe the apartment was only a six-hundred-square-foot studio—you couldn’t beat the scenery. The kitchen was quaint with its miniature range, fridge, and microwave, and a two-person table nestled next to it. The rest of the space had been made cozy, with room for a comfy couch, a TV mounted on the wall above a tiny fireplace, and a nook for her bed.

  No, she couldn’t beat the accommodations. She just wished they were warmer.

  Charlotte danced from foot to foot until the bathroom heater started overcoming the chill, then slipped into the blessedly steaming shower. If she was honest, it wasn’t the cold that had kept her tossing and turning most of the night. No—add one nightmare about turning up to the MCAT an hour late with intrusive thoughts about what Luke looked like under all his ski gear, and you had the recipe for crappy sleep.