“I’m supposed to do what?” Maurie said, staring down at the long, narrow skis on her feet as she stood next to Grant at the bottom of the bunny hill.
Grant took hold of her arm. “Jab the boot of your toe into the clip, then step back, hard.”
Maurie tried, but the ski boot was heavy and awkward, and the boot slipped off the ski. The ski slid away, marking a path along the snow-packed ground. Grant made a move to grab the ski.
“Here.” He knelt next to her and grasped her calf to guide her boot into the clip. “Now put all your weight on your heel and push down.”
Maurie did so, and miraculously the boot clipped into the ski. If it was this hard to get the skis on in the first place, what would the actual skiing be like? In another moment, she was clipped into both skis.
“Okay, here are your poles,” Grant said. “Use them to balance while we get on the magic carpet.”
“Magic carpet?”
Grant pointed to a moving thing that looked like a conveyor belt.
“Umm,” Maurie hedged.
Grant only laughed. “I won’t let you fall off. I don’t think it’s possible to fall off, but just in case, I’ll be right behind you.”
She watched kids who couldn’t be more than four years old sidestep onto the conveyor thingy and ride up the bunny hill. If a little kid could do it, she could too, right? “All right.” She gripped the ski poles probably a little too tightly.
Grant kept his hand on her elbow, and she walked-slash-glided toward the magic carpet.
“Keep your knees slightly bent,” he said. “It’s sort of like roller skating or ice skating.”
Maurie kept her mouth shut because she hadn’t done either. Had her childhood really been so void of the regular things that all kids seemed to do? Yes.
True to his word, Grant got her onto the magic carpet without her falling, and as the conveyor took them up the slope, Maurie watched other beginner skiers navigate the bunny hill. Some crashed. One kid was crying. But overall, the skiers were enjoying themselves. An older lady was skiing as slow as molasses. So apparently Maurie wouldn’t be the only adult woman skiing for the first time.
“We’re almost there,” Grant said behind her. “Step off like you’re getting off an escalator, but remember you have long skis attached to your feet, so try not to cross them.”
“Okay,” Maurie said in a faint voice as she gazed at the end of the magic carpet. She could do this. No one had fallen in front of her, and Grant was right behind her. She held her breath and stepped off, first her right foot, then her left. The ground was relatively flat, or so she thought. She started to slide backward, and she dug her poles into the ground, which only rooted her hands. Her skis were still moving.
Grant put his arm around her waist. “Easy there,” he said in that deep voice of his.
Maurie would have enjoyed his closeness if it weren’t for the fact she was on skis, with the potential of falling on her rear at any moment.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Bend your knees more, and push against the snow as if you’re the one in command,” Grant said. “Let’s get you turned around.”
Maurie only wobbled a couple of times as she turned. She was pretty sure her thigh muscles were going to be plenty sore after this.
“Now,” Grant said, “we’re going to learn the pizza.”
“What?” She must have sounded thoroughly confused, because Grant laughed.
“Put the tips of your skis together while keeping the backs spread apart.” He moved away from her and demonstrated. “Like a pizza.”
She watched him. How did he look so great in ski clothes? She looked like the Abominable Snowman in his sister’s coat and ski pants. “So, a triangle?”
He grinned. “Exactly. But kids like the pizza version best. See those kids over there? They’re doing the pizza.”
Maurie followed his gaze. Sure enough. Two kids, probably five and eight, were moving down the hill, their skis in a triangle shape. They weren’t going that fast, and they weren’t falling either.
“Ready?” Grant asked.
Maurie took a deep breath. Supposedly this was fun, or it would become fun. She was ready. Moving forward with the aid of the ski poles, she focused on keeping her skis in a triangle shape. She went slow, and pretty much everyone passed her by, even a kid who was probably three years old at the most.
“You’re doing great,” Grant said, and Maurie wondered how painful this was for him.
But she only saw warmth in those blue eyes of his. By the time she reached the bottom of the bunny hill, she was going a little faster and was feeling more comfortable.
“You did great,” Grant said. “Ready to go up again?”
“Sure.” Maurie felt a bit breathless, but mostly from the fact that she’d actually skied down a mountain. Well, a bunny slope, but still.
By the third time down the bunny hill, Grant had taught her how to turn and how to stop.
And Maurie could admit that she was having fun. As long as Grant didn’t try to talk her into getting onto a ski lift and coming down the higher slopes. Maybe she could forever ski the bunny hill.
Darkness had set in, and the slopes were lit by massive lights. Surprisingly, Maurie wasn’t cold.
“Do you need a break?” Grant asked when they’d reached the bottom of the bunny hill for about the fifth time.
“No, I’m good,” Maurie said.
“Okay, I think I need to teach you how to fall and how to get back up.”
“There’s a way to fall?” she asked.
“Yeah, so you, uh, don’t break anything.”
Maurie stared at him. “Like my bones or my skis?”
“Either,” Grant said. “Come on. Let’s get back on the magic carpet.”
So she did, and Grant showed her how to let her body relax when she fell, and how to position her skis perpendicular to the slope in order to get them back on.
“I think this is the hardest part of skiing,” Maurie said. “Getting these dang skis on.”
Grant chuckled. “You’ll get the hang of it. Just think of how far you’ve come in only a couple of hours.”
It was true.
“Let’s get drinks at the lodge,” he said.
Maurie decided not to turn him down. She could only imagine how sore she’d be tomorrow. They left their skis on one of the racks, then walked into the lodge like a Big Foot couple. Clomping around in such giant boots felt awkward, but everyone else was wearing them too.
Grant unzipped his coat and hung it on a long rack by the door, where other coats hung. A ringing phone sounded, and Maurie said, “It’s coming from your coat.”
Grant unzipped the inside pocket and took out his phone. He sent the call to voicemail, then slipped it into his pants pocket.
Maurie peeled off her gloves and hung up her coat as well.
“Want to grab a table,” Grant said, “and I’ll get the drinks?”
There were only a couple of empty tables, so Maurie snagged one. She watched Grant order drinks and couldn’t help but admire him. Her admiration was more than physical though; he was so different from Brandon and had been since she first knew Grant. Some people never changed, and that was a good thing for Grant.
When Grant reached the table with the drinks, his phone was ringing again.
“You can get that,” Maurie said. “I don’t mind.”
“I probably should,” he said. “Joy might be calling about Trent.”
He answered his phone, and Maurie sipped at the hot chocolate. It was nice and steamy, although it could use a little more flavor. She tried not to listen in on Grant’s conversation with his ex, but it was hard not to since he was sitting across from her.
“Of course I have no problem getting him, but will Trent be okay with that?” Grant said.
A few moments later he was off the phone, his brow furrowed.
“Is everything okay?”
Grant rubbed a hand down over his jaw. “Trent has strep throat, and tomorrow is Stone’s company retreat. They were going to take him, since there’s stuff for kids to do. But now he’ll be miserable and probably still contagious if they take him.”
“Poor kid,” Maurie said.
“Yeah,” Grant said. “And Joy wants him picked up tonight since she doesn’t want to be dealing with taking care of him when she finishes packing in the morning.”
Maurie nodded. “We should go then.”
“I’m really sorry,” he said, standing.
“No worries,” Maurie said, standing as well. “Trent needs his dad right now.”
“Well, I’m glad I get to see him, but not because he’s sick,” Grant said. “And I appreciate your understanding.”
She smiled. “You’re doing the right thing.”
Grant paused by their coats. “Hey, do you want to ride with me to pick him up? It’s about an hour drive each way.”
Maurie was surprised by the offer, and she was even more surprised at her response. “Sure.”
“Really?” His eyes were warm upon hers.
“Yeah, really.” She didn’t know why her heart was racing. Maybe it was because Grant had basically invited her to meet his son. Or maybe it was because she was curious about seeing Joy—of course, Maurie might not see her at all. She didn’t know how Grant handled picking up his kid.
“Great.” He handed over her coat.
He grasped her hand, and they left the lodge and headed toward his SUV. He loaded his skis, then said, “I’ll go check yours back in. See you in a minute.”
“Okay,” Maurie said before he shut the hatch of the SUV, and she was left to herself in the warming air. She estimated that she had at least ten minutes before Grant returned, so she called Taffy to give her an update.
“Wow, that’s definitely the next step,” Taffy said. “Are you sure you want to be this involved in his life?”
This was the most serious that Maurie had heard Taffy be toward Grant. “He asked, and I said yes. I was surprised myself.”
Taffy laughed. “I’m not surprised.” She lowered her voice. “If you’re good with all of this, then I’m good. Know that I have your back.”
“I know,” Maurie said. “You always do. He’s so different than Brandon, and I just feel ... comfortable around Grant. Like we’ve known each other forever. Which we have in a way.”
“I get it,” Taffy said. “Remember, Pine Valley is a really small town, so, you know, if things go south...”
“True.” Maurie saw Grant coming out of the lodge. “I’ve got to go.” She hung up with Taffy and watched Grant approach. He looked worried, and Maurie wondered if he was thinking about Trent.
When he climbed in the truck, Maurie said, “Everything okay?”
Grant glanced over at her. “Fine,” he said. “I have to gear myself up for seeing Joy. Usually I need a little more notice.”