And there he was, wearing a new black and green coat, goggles, and—thank God—a helmet. He looked loose, but focused—the exact opposite of how Luke looked. He looked good.
The crowd went crazy. Certifiably. Two girls down the line from Zoey blew him kisses, and all the boarders turned their attention up to the starting gate, expressions rapt. Even Luke, who wore a bewildered expression at his little brother’s welcome at the starting gate.
“Is there something I should know?” Zoey asked, feeling dizzy. She wiped a shaking hand across her forehead. “Is he a rock star up here and he failed to tell me?”
Shawn gripped Zoey’s arms, grinning. “Something like that.”
The announcer came back on: “Parker Madison, dropping in.”
Zoey held her breath. Parker slid back and forth a few times, then started down the course. Everything seemed to slow down as he approached the first rail. He took the jump onto the middle rail—the longest—twisted his board 50-50, sliding across without so much as a wobble. At the end, he rotated in the air, and landed facing opposite direction.
“Nice. 270, landing switch. That’s good for points,” Shawn said.
Zoey nodded. Her stomach was in knots, but her heart was on fire as Parker approached the second rail. Again, he took the more difficult ride, riding the down-flat-down rail like it was a nice little jaunt on a blue trail. He made a quick grab coming off and landed easily.
“Here we go!” Shawn yelled.
Zoey wrapped her arms around her middle. Not surprisingly, Parker was heading for the middle jump—the thirty-footer. Up he went, corkscrewing through the air like gravity was optional. She squeaked as he came down, but she shouldn’t have worried. His knees jarred a little, but he was already on the move for the last jump.
“Backside double cork,” Shawn said, eyes gleaming. “Pros do a triple. He’s close to nailing that, too. Saw him almost hit one last week.”
The crowd was screaming his name as he ran up the last ramp. Up, up, up he went, flying off the edge like a cannon ball, twisting his body before his board came off the hill. He grabbed the front of his board, and made two-and-a-half turns in the air, before landing farther down the back side than anyone else had, yet. It was a gorgeous trick, perfectly executed.
“Was that good?” Zoey whispered, her heart in her throat. “I think it was good, right?”
Parker skidded to a stop and threw his hands in the air. By the crowd’s reaction, it had to be, and Shawn was jumping up and down. “Girl, that was a switch-backside-900. Hell yes, it was good!”
It was more than good. It was beautiful.
He was beautiful.
Zoey sucked in a sharp breath. When had it gone from his skill was beautiful, to the whole boy?
Her cheeks burned. That line she’d tried not to cross? She was standing on it. No, stomping on it in her favorite pair of cowboy boots. This was her best friend—falling for him shouldn’t be on the menu. Except…it was.
Zoey let out a ragged breath. She felt the truth of it down to her core. Parker was beautiful, inside and out. She’d wondered if they were playing a game the night of the sleigh ride, that it might be something she could somehow take back, to convince her heart it was only the starlight talking. But now? Now, her chest was tight, and she had to clench her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking.
“Hey, something wrong?” Shawn asked.
“I…don’t know.”
This was too much, too big to process. Tears filled Zoey’s eyes. She was so proud of Parker, but she kind of wanted to punch him a little, especially when the two girls down the line lifted their shirts to flash him. The weight on her heart had lifted, enough to make her jealous.
She let out a soft surprised laugh. Parker was a bigger deal on the mountain today that Luke ever could be. God…and she’d had no idea. On top of it, she was so relieved they both survived that her head started to hurt out of sheer stress.
“Final scores are in,” the announcer said. “In third place, Jack Bowen, with an eight-five point two.” After polite applause, he continued. “In second place, Balthazar Moore with eight-seven point six.”
One of The Guys. The one who’d spoken to her first. That made Zoey smile. It was a shaky smile, but she was waiting on the last announcement.
“And, in first place…” The announcer laughed. “Oh, hell, you know who it is. Parker Madison, with a score of ninety-one point one.”
The applause was deafening, and Parker waved at everyone. Luke had come out onto the course and flung an arm around his shoulders. Luke looked genuinely proud of his brother, and it hit her right in the heart. She took a couple of deep breaths, hoping to calm down a little and enjoy the show. Instead, she started shaking. She hadn’t noticed the cold before, but now it was all she felt.
Shawn frowned. “You don’t look so good.”
“Overwhelmed, I think.” She blinked back a few tears, and her head started to pound. Yeah, overwhelmed was a darn good word for it. “I was going to ride home with the boys, but I’m not feeling so hot. Could you take me?”
“Yeah, you bet.” Shawn took her arm and waved to someone in the crowd. A tall, strongly built girl with a kind face forced her way through. “Mandy, this is one of P. Mad’s friends. She’s not feeling great, and I said we’d give her a lift.”
Mandy looked Zoey over, then took her other arm. “Come on, sweetheart. You need to go home.”
Zoey peeked over her shoulder toward the boys one last time, and they were both smiling.
So worth the trip.
Chapter Twenty-One
Parker
To say this was the greatest moment of his life probably wasn’t an overstatement. The cheers, the pats on the back, and the handshakes were great. But the best part was the proud, puffed up way Luke dragged him around the group, showing him off. He was truly excited about the win, even if Parker could tell Luke’s ego hurt a little.
A guy in his thirties—a classic surfer/skater/snowboarder type with long hair and an expensive, well-worn board—stopped them.
“Brah, you’re sick up there. My card.” He held out a business card and Parker’s eyebrows shot up—this guy didn’t look like the type to carry those. He looked more likely to carry a joint. “I scope talent for an agent who books boarders for appearances and gets them into competitions. Even X-Games. Give me a call if you’re interested in blowing minds for a living.”
Parker took the card with the tips of his fingers. “Uh, yeah, thanks. I’ll, um, think it over.”
“Boss. Oh, and I can hook you up with the best coaches in the business, just sayin’.”
The talent scout—or whatever you’d call him—nodded politely at Luke, then grabbed his gear and started for the lifts.
Luke plucked the card out of Parker’s fingers and whistled. “Wait a minute. Mick Forester Agency—I know that name. He reps some of the guys I know. Kid, this is legit.”
Parker shoved the card into the front pocket of his jacket. “I’ll just file this under ‘things I never saw coming’ and call it a day.”
“But don’t you want to call them?” Luke raised an eyebrow. “This is a big deal.”
He sighed. “I know it is, but I’m happy with my life the way it is. I want to study architecture and design ski resorts and snowboard parks for a living. Running the circuit is a hard way to go, and I’d risk getting hurt all the time. It’s just not for me.”
Luke shook his head, smiling. “That’s so you. Humble to the end.”
“Boarding is my Zen. I’m not interested in giving it up. Not really humility, but whatever.” He paused, looking around. “Have you seen Zoey?”
Now that the nerves from the competition were over, he really wanted to see her. Her opinion on how his run went mattered to him a lot more than a shaggy-haired agent’s rep. He felt like they were on the edge of their normal relationship, and it could tip either way. He meant to make it tip toward him… he just wasn’t sure what else to do. He’d prac
tically stripped for her, and had no idea what she thought about it.
Luke stood up tall and scanned the crowd. “I thought I spotted her earlier, but no. I don’t see her.”
Some of his joy evaporated. Was she upset with him? Had he embarrassed her last night so much that she decided to stay home? God, had he read everything wrong?
His parents raced through the crowd to give them both hugs. “We’re so proud of you, honey,” Mom said, beaming. “You, too, Luke. You scared me to death with that fall, though.”
“I was wearing a helmet just like my mother told me.” Luke gave her a half smile. “Have either of you seen Zoey?”
“She came with us, but she left already.” Dad pulled his phone out of his pocket. “She texted us to say she wasn’t feeling well and went home. I think your friend Shawn took her, Parker.”
He knew being disappointed was kind of selfish if she didn’t feel well, but he wished she was here. He wanted her by his side for every best day, and every worst day. The problem was—he wasn’t sure how to tell that. Or if he even could. Hell, she’d been holding Luke’s hand yesterday, after she’d almost let him kiss her the night before that. That either meant his strong play was working, or she didn’t have any idea what she wanted.
The awards ceremony started, and Parker took his spot on the first place podium, waving at the crowd. A couple of girls blew him kisses and gave him smiles usually reserved for Luke: “Come and get it, big boy.”
He made sure to look elsewhere for the rest of ceremony.
As soon as he got home, he showered, intentionally leaving the blinds open again to see if Zoey was watching. Her blinds were closed.
Fine, then he’d take the party to her, so they could spend the afternoon figuring stuff out.
Mom looked up from her perch on the living room sofa when he bounded downstairs. She’d already changed into yoga pants and a sweatshirt, her uniform for a long afternoon inside. “You going out?”
“I want to see if Miller’s okay.”
She laid her book on the arm of the sofa. “Good. I’m worried about her. Is something going on with you two?”
A hard seed of fear lodged in his throat. “I don’t think so. Why would you think that?”
“She was really quiet on the way up to Snowmass.” Mom bit back a suspicious looking smile. “Something had her bothered. Not sure what, though.”
Oh, crap. Why had he goofed around last night? Why? He’d played his hand too far, and now she was upset, and…
“Parker, whatever you’re thinking, she’s not mad at you.” Mom chuckled softly. “She seemed really eager to watch you compete. She had a lot on her mind, was all.”
“She did?”
Mom didn’t bother to hide her smile this time. She rose and put her hands on his shoulders. “She did. Question is, son, what are you going to do about it?”
He took a step back. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” She settled back onto the sofa. “You won the competition today. Don’t let that be the only thing you win instead of Luke.” She hummed as she picked up her book and rifled through it. “Oh, look. Happy ending. I love those, don’t you?”
For a second, he couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. What did she know? Had Zoey said something to her? “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Mom started reading again. “See you at dinner.”
Parker tumbled out the front door onto the slushy sidewalk, reeling like a truck had hit him head on. Was this it? Was this the chance he’d been looking for?
He hurried over to her house, slipping and sliding in his rush. If anyone was watching, they’d likely scoff at the idea that he was today’s slopestyle champ. Dude can’t even stand up on an icy sidewalk, how can he jump?
The answer, my friend, is love makes you crazy.
Her parents’ car was in the drive when he went to ring the bell, so he wasn’t surprised when Jen answered. Like his mom, she was wearing yoga pants and a hoodie. Must be a dress code. “Is Zoey here? My mom said she wasn’t feeling so well.”
Jen glanced at the staircase behind her. “She’s sleeping, Parker. Said she had a headache and wanted a nap before Luke took her dancing.”
Before Luke took her dancing? “Oh. I’m going with them, too.”
“Of course you are.” Her mom’s eyes twinkled. “I told her I’d wake her up in time to get ready. She said you were leaving at nine. See you then?”
“Yeah, sure.” He turned to walk down to the driveway, his feet a dead weight. Zoey said Luke was taking her dancing? That was true, but he’d hoped…shit, it didn’t matter what he hoped. What mattered was how hard he would work to make this night about the two of them, and not about his brother. He had to shake this off, hope that Zoey simply meant that Luke was driving her to the club. Because if she danced with Luke all night, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to live with it.
“And Parker? I heard you won today,” Jen called. “Congratulations!”
He managed a smile over his shoulder. “Thanks.”
It was tempting to slump his shoulders on the walk back home, wallow a bit. But he wasn’t going to. This was his day to shine, and he was going to damn well do it. Luke better watch his back.
Parker wasn’t here to play.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zoey
“Honey?” A hand shook her shoulder. “Weren’t you going out tonight? Shouldn’t you be up?”
Zoey sat up, confused as to where she was. The grey afternoon light had turned dark, and the clock read seven. “Why is it so late? I only laid down for a second.”
Mom frowned and snapped on the bedside lamp before pressing the back of her hand to Zoey’s forehead. “You’re burning up.”
“I probably got hot sleeping. Too many covers.” She struggled out of bed, putting a hand on the wall when the room lurched to the right. “The boys are coming over to take me dancing soon. A shower will sort me out.”
Mom crossed her arms. “Maybe you should stay home.”
“I’m fine. Really.” She forced a smile, even though her temples throbbed in time to her heartbeat. That wouldn’t stop her, though. She wasn’t going to miss her chance to corner Parker alone, and up close, at the club. “I’ll be down to eat in a bit.”
Mom didn’t look the least bit convinced, but she left Zoey alone. Okay, a few ibuprofen and a hot shower first, then she’d tackle a night at the club. She’d be fine. And if the room spun a little, that might be a bonus. If she got dizzy, she had an excuse to stumble into Parker without it looking weird. And totally natural for him to hold her up.
She checked her phone before heading to the bathroom. Two Snapchats from Luke, both pictures of him. Both telling her how much he was looking forward to going dancing with her. Zoey grimaced. This was going to be a complicated night.
She shivered when she climbed into the shower. The hot water made her feel cold instead of warm and the hairs on her arms stood up with goose bumps. Mom might be right, but it didn’t matter. She needed to test her heart, and be sure she was ready to ask some tough questions about her relationship with Parker. Right now, she was sure, but she had to be doubly so.
What if he didn’t feel the same way?
She sank down and sat in the bathtub, the hot water pounding her back, and wrapped her arms around her knees. If he didn’t…it would break her heart. Could she still be friends with him? Probably, but could he be friends with her?
This was so confusing. Or maybe that was because she was seeing double. Groaning, she pulled herself upright and got out of the shower. It took two tries to plug in her hairdryer, but she wasn’t going to let that—or the headache, or the new tickle at the back of her throat—stop her.
By the time the Madisons came over to play Apples to Apples with her parents, she was feeling better. She even ate a slice of pizza. She felt strangely full afterwards, even though she should’ve been starving after a long day without eating much. Now it was nice to sit by the fire, wrapped up in a
hoodie and jeans, and listen to the silly combos the parents came up with. In twenty years, that could be her…with Parker.
Funny how a dream could change in a few days when you finally opened your eyes.
“Hey, anybody home?” Luke called, banging through her front door like he owned the place. Parker followed in behind. She stood to meet them, but stopped short. Oh, my God, they looked good. Luke had on dark jeans, a black button-down, and a wool jacket. He looked like a stockbroker out for a night in Manhattan. Parker hadn’t done so badly, either, in jeans, a crisp white button down and a pair of brown leather boots she couldn’t believe he even owned. Except they fit him…and were a little worn.
He’d even done something with his hair that didn’t involve a ski cap. It was gelled into a gloriously perfect mess, and she nodded in appreciation, as a flush crept up her chest. “You two clean up nice.”
“Always,” Luke said, grinning. “We still going dancing, gorgeous?”
Behind him, Parker scowled. Zoey wished she could tell him not to worry, that she wasn’t falling for Luke’s obvious flirting, but all four parents were watching them with amusement. So she went for blasé, and shrugged. “If you still want to.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Luke’s eyes blazed with mischief. “Not to sound rude, though, but word around town is the bouncer’s a real piece of work. Could you change into something that’ll catch his attention?”
Parker’s expression went from irritation to outrage. “She’s not a Barbie doll, dumbass.”
Luke held up his hands. “Hey, I’m asking her to wear something with flash, not a see-through dress.”
“I don’t approve of this plan, either,” Dad said. “She’ll wear a wool dress that covers her from shoulders to knees. And tights.”
“Tights?” Zoey groaned, and her head started hurting again. “Dad…”
“Yes, tights, and a pair of those little shoes with the straps. The ones little girls wear?”
“Mary Janes?” Tina chuckled. “You want her to wear a wool dress and Mary Janes? To go dancing at a nightclub?”
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