Discovering You (Miller Lodge Romance Book 1)

by Jadelynn Asher

  Lisa snagged a pair of white mittens. Those would be useful even if she never went skiing again, at least. She looked at the display and the dizzying claims of what gloves should be used for what activity and temperature. Who knew winter clothing was this complicated?

  “So what’s he lacking?”

  “Huh?”

  “Jason. What are you looking for that he doesn’t have?”

  Lisa tried a pair of white gloves and immediately pulled them back off. She couldn’t even wiggle her fingers in those. “Are we really going to have this conversation?”

  “Uh huh.” Beth grinned and pulled down another pair of gloves, tossing them at Lisa. “You’re my best friend and he’s my brother—I won’t go as far as saying my favorite brother, but it’s a pretty tight race. You can’t blame me for wanting to see sparks there, can you?”

  Lisa sighed and played with the gloves, rubbing her finger along a smooth leather inset across the palm. She sighed. “He’s great, Beth, he really is, but he graduates in April and has no idea what he’s going to do after that. The other day he was pondering being a ski instructor, and I can totally see where he’d like that, but is it really a career? It doesn’t even use his degree or his abilities. He’s smart, like really really smart, and he could be good at anything he wants to, but he just doesn’t seem to want…anything. He’s content letting life just come to him instead of going out to meet it.”

  Beth started digging through a clearance bin, nodding as she listened. “I think that’s called being easygoing. It’s usually seen as a good thing.” She waved at the gloves. “Put those on. If you don’t like them you can try these blue ones or… Oooh. Rainbow!”

  “I am not wearing rainbow gloves.” Lisa slipped the gloves on. She opened and closed her fingers, admiring the fit. How did Beth do that? “And easygoing is great as far as someone to hang out with, but how do you create a future with that? I don’t want to end up with someone who is content to sit on the couch and play video games while I do everything to support us, ya know? And I want to travel and see things, and I want someone who wants to come with me and eat gumbo in New Orleans and pastries in Paris. I want someone who is as driven as I am and won’t resent the costs of having goals.”

  Beth tried on the rainbow gloves, glancing at the price tag before adding them to her pile. “Okay, I kinda see that, but…” She paused, her brow furrowing as she decided what to say. “I guess I wouldn’t say Jason isn’t driven. When he decides he’s really passionate about something he pulls out all the stops. He just takes his time deciding where his passions are instead of planning them all out in advance, ya know? You maybe just aren’t seeing it because it’s not the kind of drive you think you want.” She paused and laughed. “And now I’m going too far. Sorry. Where are we going to get lunch? I’m starving!”

  Lisa took the gloves off, piling them with everything else in her arms. The clothing represented a good chunk of cash, and she hoped she’d get more than one random skiing trip out of it. Beth’s observations swirled around Lisa’s mind, but she didn’t know what more she should say about it. Charles had been too driven, so intent on himself and his goals that he hadn’t had any time for her. Jason was so easygoing it didn’t seem like he had drive for anything except wandering around in the wilderness and goofing off, and that wasn’t going to work either. She couldn’t drag a guy through life, even if Jason was really nice and good looking and smart and…no, she needed more, dammit. A little voice inside her head said she wasn’t being entirely fair, but she ignored it. Mister Perfect was out there somewhere…she just hadn’t found him yet.

  “Earth to Lisa!”

  Lisa blinked. “Huh?”

  “I was suggesting we go to the smoothie place across the parking lot. They have a piña colada smoothie that will make you feel like you’re in Florida.”

  “Yeah.” Lisa angled toward the cashier, pushing away thoughts about her future guy. There would be time for all of that later. “That’d be good.”

  11

  “Dude, look at those slopes shine.” Connor’s voice was filled with glee as he pulled supplies out of the back of Jason’s truck. “I’ve been dying to get up here all season, but work has been a beeyatch.”

  Jason laughed. As far as he knew, Connor was self-employed clearing driveways for little old ladies, which didn’t sound that taxing, but he guessed any job had parts that sucked. “Glad you could make it.” He turned away from the truck, looking out over the snow covered slopes and taking in a deep breath. The mountain air was cold and crisp with a hint of moisture in it. It smelled like winter, which was impossible to explain to someone who didn’t love the season. It was really a perfect day.

  “So where’s Beth and…what did you say her name was?”

  “Lisa. They should be here any minute. Beth was going to drive them up so they weren’t crowded in the truck with you lot.”

  Connor snorted and lifted his bag over his shoulder. “They probably had a good idea there.”

  Ed grabbed his own bag from the pile and merrily flipped Connor off. “Breakfast burrito, Dude. I’m headed up. Cya at the lodge at 6.”

  Jason waved acknowledgement and Ed took off with Steve in his wake, leaving Jason and Connor behind.

  Connor leaned on the truck. “So tell me more about Lisa.”

  Jason tore his gaze away from the mountains, the request catching him by surprise. “What’s to tell? She’s Beth’s best friend. They used to be roommates, but aren’t any more, and she’s in my astronomy class.”

  “That’s really helpful, Dude. Is she hot?”

  Jason thought about the question for a minute, picturing Lisa: the way her hair fell around her face and over her shoulders, the way her eyes lit up when he challenged her favorite books and television shows, the way she chewed her pen during class, the smile she got when he brought tiny marshmallows for her hot chocolate. Oh yeah… she was hot, and she was only coming to his mountains because he’d tricked her into it. Dammit. He was aware Connor was waiting for an answer and shrugged. “She’s okay, I guess.”

  Connor rolled his eyes. “I’d punch you, but I’m comfortable.” He looked like he was going to say more, but stopped when Beth’s beater truck pulled up, rumbling and rattling as she threw it into park. Beth popped out of the cab, a bright spot of various colors against the faded vehicle. She pushed her sunglasses on before jogging over and throwing herself at Connor for a hug.

  “Hey! You made it.”

  He grinned, bearing the hug before Beth moved on to Jason.

  “Hi, Loser.”

  Jason mussed her hair, happy to see her despite the childhood taunt. “Hi, Brat. We were starting to wonder if you were going to make it.”

  “Oh, yeah. Us and the wonder truck are good.”

  Lisa came around the side of the truck at that moment, and Jason couldn’t stop himself from staring. Her hair was caught up in a high pony tail, a fuzzy headband keeping her ears warm. Her cheeks were already touched with pink from the cold and sunglasses rode over her eyes to protect them from the glare. For all that she was wearing appropriate skiing gear, which meant plenty of fabric and poof, the way she wore it caught his attention. She looked over and flashed them a grin and he felt himself grinning back without thinking. He’d been able to firmly keep her in mind as a friend until Connor and his stupid question, and he reminded himself that he liked things the way they were. Yeah, she was hot, but she was stubborn and challenging and would never be the kind of girl he could take on a long hike. She’d probably have an aneurysm if she knew how much he’d spent on his boots and skis this year alone.

  Connor pushed away from the truck as Beth ran to help Lisa and nudged Jason in the ribs. “Just okay? You sure you don’t need glasses?”

  “Shut up.”

  “If you’re not chasing that, will you punch me if I do?”

  Jason hesitated, knowing he had no right to stop Connor, but he was going to. It didn’t matter that he had no right to dictate Lisa’
s dating life. He didn’t want his cousin pursuing her. The thought that he didn’t want anyone pursuing her crossed his mind, and he ruthlessly squashed it. Connor just wasn’t her kind of guy. He was helping them both out by nipping this in the bud, and when a guy good enough for her came along, he’d make way. He mock-punched Connor in the shoulder before picking up his gear. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

  The skis were going too fast! Lisa’s hands tightened on her poles and it took everything she had not to close her eyes and scream. This was awful! How had she let herself get talked into this? She was going to murder Jason for getting her out here!

  A shout drew her attention and she realized she was headed right toward a group of kids and their instructor. He was the one shouting at her and waving at the trail she was supposed to be on. Somewhere in her moment of inattention she’d swung off of it again. Where were the others? They were supposed to be helping her.

  She pushed with her knees and managed to steer herself away from the kids, but she wasn’t slowing down. She remembered the first run of the morning when she’d been allowed to hang on to a moving rope and wished she was still there. She tried desperately to bring her skis around into the snowplow position everyone else seemed to achieve so easily. Her tips crossed and her skiing turned into a skid and then a tumble as her legs went out from under her. All the advice about a graceful fall gave way to covering her head and squeezing her eyes shut as she went down in a mesh of limbs and equipment. It took a few horrible moments of skidding along before she came to a stop.

  Reluctantly Lisa opened her eyes, trying to take stock of her position. She was lying on her back, looking up at a blue sky made even more blue by the polarized glasses she was wearing. To her surprise she didn’t think she was actually hurt. She shifted and her hip twinged. So maybe she was a little hurt, but she definitely wasn’t broken anywhere.

  The sound of someone skiing up next to her turned Lisa’s attention and she stared up, and up, at Jason. He pulled his goggles up on his forehead and peered down at her.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I fell down the mountain.”

  Jason laughed, shaking his head and leaning forward on his ski poles. “You fell like two feet, girl, three at the most.”

  Lisa shook her head, though she let amusement creep into her voice. “Uh huh…the whole mountain. Stupid skis are trying to kill me. I want a hot chocolate, a warm chair, and a book now.”

  Jason’s smile stayed on, the dimple catching her gaze again. He was clean shaven today and really was very handsome. The thought caught her by surprise, and she blamed it on Beth’s questions about breakfast. Jason was her friend and she liked it that way. All these other thoughts were distractions…or a sign she really needed an actual boyfriend.

  He braced his skis and offered her his hand. “Come on, then. Let’s get you on your feet and I’ll help you get down to the lodge.”

  It took some doing to get her upright and back on her skis, Jason arguing that it would be far too slow to walk the rest of the way down, but they managed. He stayed close but out of crashing range as they went, murmuring encouragement and instruction the rest of the way down the hill. By the time they reached the bottom Lisa had to admit he was a really good teacher, more so without Beth zooming along the way she had earlier. It was almost enough to tempt Lisa to try the hill one more time, but in the end the desire to relax somewhere warm won.

  She watched him as he started back toward the slopes, the sun glinting off his skis. He stopped several feet away and turned around, and for a moment Lisa wondered if he was going to give up going back on the slopes and join her. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to or not.

  He lowered his goggles and that grin she knew so well crossed his lips.

  “Hey, Lisa?”

  “Yes?”

  “Kirk could totally take a black diamond run and not fall on his ass.”

  12

  Jason stood at the top of the run, looking out over the snowbound hill with satisfaction. The afternoon was nearly shot and his stomach, along with his watch, was telling him this would be his last run of the day. Another skier slid to a neat stop a few feet away, turning his attention.

  The woman grinned when he looked her way, earning herself a longer look. Blonde hair tumbled loose around her face and down her back, held back by a pair of black earmuffs that matched her jacket and snow pants. A patch on her shoulder declared that she was a Snow Boulder Ski instructor. He couldn’t see the rest of her face beyond her snow goggles, but he had the impression she was beautiful.

  “Hey, you gonna drop in or not?”

  Jason blinked and glanced at the run with a chuckle. “Just taking in the view before I went down again.”

  Her eyebrows raised and Jason realized just how flirty he’d sounded. Then again, why not? It wasn’t like he was dating anyone, and she was cute and a skier. Wasn’t that just what he wanted?

  She laughed, interrupting his thoughts and turned her skis downhill. “Well, in that case… race you to the bottom!”

  She pushed away and Jason responded to the challenge, pulling in behind her and tucking his body to get the best possible speed. The wind carried laughter back to him, his challenger taking the bumps and curves of the difficult run with undeniable speed and grace. He couldn’t stop grinning, turning his attention to the next section of the run. If he cut across the powder he could get in front of her, or crash out in spectacular fashion.

  He adjusted his angle, tucking his poles close to his body. If this didn’t work it was going to hurt like hell.

  Jason hit the powder and felt his skis sink, but he’d accelerated enough to plow through and over the fluff, flying back onto the run and in front of the mystery woman. Now he was the one laughing like a maniac, covered in fluffy snow. He wondered for a moment what Lisa would say if she could see him, a thought that was brushed away by the need to concentrate on the bumps at the bottom of the course so he didn’t take out his knees.

  He pushed to a stop at the bottom of the hill a couple minutes faster than his competition, flush with adrenaline. What a way to end a day!

  The blonde turned into the stop and then eased over to him. “Beautiful form. And your skiing is pretty impressive too.” She offered her hand. “I’m Stacey Clifford.”

  Jason took her hand, always a strange feeling when both parties were wearing ski gloves. “Jason Miller.”

  “You’re good on a pair of skis, Jason Miller.” She pulled her goggles down, revealing pretty blue eyes and a smattering of freckles. “Ever thought about being an instructor?”

  It took Jason a minute to process the question. Not because he didn’t know the answer, but because he was surprised to hear it. “Yeah. Lots of times.”

  “Well, what are you doing for dinner? ’Cause I know we’re hiring and we’re going to have a BBQ with the other instructors and the bosses. I could totally introduce you.”

  Jason hesitated, but only for an instant. A BBQ with a pretty girl and a chance to line up a job he wanted was too good to pass up. He grinned. “I need to tell my sister I’ll be staying late, then I’d be happy to come along.”

  Stacey stepped out of her skis, picking them up and giving him a nod. “Sounds good. I’ll go get changed into something a little more dinner worthy and meet you at the front desk—say, twenty minutes?”

  Jason nodded, watching her walk away. Now he just had to tell the others he was staying.

  Lisa stretched and blinked, realizing she had no idea what she had just read. The overstuffed couch with its big fluffy blankets was so comfortable that taking a nap was more than a little tempting, and the hot chocolate she’d had was amazing. It might have been totally worth a morning playing around on the mountain to have an afternoon relaxing. Though she could admit, privately, it might have been a little lonely and she couldn’t help but wonder what Jason would have done if she’d invited him to come hang out with her. But he looked so happy out there and she didn’t want to take away from that.


  She sighed and extended her legs, which were stiff from being curled up under her. Friendships were complex. She glanced at the window where the light was dimming and evening coming on and wondered where Jason and the others were. As though summoned by her thoughts, the bright coat that marked Beth’s passing came bobbing into view. Her cousin, Connor, walked by her side, the two of them chatting and laughing.

  Lisa looked beyond them, surprised not to see Jason following, but maybe he was taking something to the trucks. She found her bookmark where it’d fallen on the cushions and tucked it between the pages of her new book. She’d finished the Sanderson and got a mystery novel by Rex Stout that Jason had suggested. She was surprised at how much she was enjoying it. She tucked the book away as Beth and Connor approached.

  Beth grinned, glancing at Lisa’s stocking-footed toes. “You look comfy.”

  “Very. I could get used to this skiing thing.”

  Beth snorted, snagging the last cookie from Lisa’s snack plate. “Uh huh. You ready to go, or you want to sleep ski some more?”

  Lisa snickered and pushed to her feet, feeling Connor watching her. His gaze was admiring and not sleazy, so she decided she didn’t mind. It was kind of nice to be admired. “I’m ready. Where’s Jason?”

  Beth hesitated, and Lisa saw the uncertainty on her friend’s face.

  “What?”

  “Um…Jason isn’t coming down with us. He met some ski instructor woman who invited him to come and meet her bosses. You know he’s been looking for a job, and he thinks this is a good chance to make a good impression.”

  Lisa considered the information and nodded. While she was disappointed that he wouldn’t be joining them, it was good for him to be moving forward with his goals. He’d been a great instructor with her. Other people should see his skills, too.