Pulse: Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 6) by Violet Vaughn Page A
Authors: Violet Vaughn
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so quickly.”
Gretchen was an Olympic hopeful for snowboarding before a terrible accident left her unable to compete. She and her fiancé, Dannika’s brother, moved back east to go to graduate school last year, which has to be a huge adjustment after seasons of skiing almost every day possible. I ask, “Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes. But Derrick and I did get out almost every weekend this winter.” She turns to me, and I take in her appearance. She used to bleach her hair white blond, but it’s now light brown with golden highlights. It softens her appearance. She says, “There’s a great big world out there beyond ski resorts. You’d be surprised how happy you can be without wearing a helmet.”
I smile at her joke and ask, “Did you hear I’m leaving?”
“I did. Why didn’t you ask Nick to go with you?”
Not one person I’ve told has asked me that, and her bluntness makes me share the truth. “Because I can’t ask him to leave all of this for me.”
“Don’t you think that should be his decision?”
I frown at her. “No. Why would I push for something that won’t make him happy?”
Her mouth opens a little, and she lets out a small huff as if I said something stupid. “Because as awesome as this place is, if you’re not with the one you’ll always love, nothing else seems to matter.” She nods her head at Nick. He approaches us with two beers in his hand.
I reach for the bottle he offers, and it’s cold in my hand when I grab it. I look into Nick’s eyes. No. I study the dark-brown color with flecks of gold that hint at the treasure before me. His brow knits before he cuts his gaze to Gretchen. She scans his body and licks her lips. “You’d look good in a suit.”
She wiggles her fingers at us and strolls off. Nick asks, “What did I miss?”
“Nothing. Yet.”
Chapter 10
T he day after Casey’s wedding, Nick has to go to work. But the last week of ski school is slow, and it is easy for him to get out early, especially since Rick knows I am leaving tomorrow. Nick arrives home to me loading the car. I toss a bag in the open hatch, and it thumps against the other two. With my skis and bike on the roof rack, there’s extra room in my Subaru. Room for him.
I shake my head at my wishful thinking. Water is dripping from icicles on the roof of the apartment building and landing on the pavement in a chaotic beat that matches my heart as I ask, “Hey, how about steaks on the grill tonight?”
He holds up a canvas sack. “Already got them. And a nice red too.”
I smile because for our first date Nick grilled rib eye. But I’m not going to be crying today. I have thirty hours in the car to do that.
Nick must have brought home a few things from his locker in preparation for the end of the season. He has a bag on his shoulder, and his skis clap when he pulls them off of his car to snap them together. My trunk thuds shut, and I take the grocery bag from him as we walk toward the stairs.
He asks, “What else do you have to do before you leave tomorrow?”
“Nothing other than pick up my last paycheck from Rhinestone Cowgirl and say goodbye to Dannika. I was about to go do that. Want to come?”
His arm muscles flex below the short sleeve of his T-shirt as he holds his skis and climbs the steps. “No. I have a birthday cake to make.”
Nick glances over his shoulder at me, and his teeth gleam in the smile that won me over the first time I saw it. I say, “I was hoping you would. I love Nick cake.”
I do. Each year on my birthday he gives me a slice with a cup of coffee for breakfast. But I’ll be eating it on the road this year. He says, “I’ll pack you whatever we don’t eat so you can have it in Ohio.”
Nick holds the door open for me as my smile fades. He isn’t having any sadness either and asks, “Want your present early?”
“Of course. What did you get me?”
He chuckles. “Hang on, I’ll go get it.”
I go sit on the couch, and the throw pillow of
Gretchen was an Olympic hopeful for snowboarding before a terrible accident left her unable to compete. She and her fiancé, Dannika’s brother, moved back east to go to graduate school last year, which has to be a huge adjustment after seasons of skiing almost every day possible. I ask, “Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes. But Derrick and I did get out almost every weekend this winter.” She turns to me, and I take in her appearance. She used to bleach her hair white blond, but it’s now light brown with golden highlights. It softens her appearance. She says, “There’s a great big world out there beyond ski resorts. You’d be surprised how happy you can be without wearing a helmet.”
I smile at her joke and ask, “Did you hear I’m leaving?”
“I did. Why didn’t you ask Nick to go with you?”
Not one person I’ve told has asked me that, and her bluntness makes me share the truth. “Because I can’t ask him to leave all of this for me.”
“Don’t you think that should be his decision?”
I frown at her. “No. Why would I push for something that won’t make him happy?”
Her mouth opens a little, and she lets out a small huff as if I said something stupid. “Because as awesome as this place is, if you’re not with the one you’ll always love, nothing else seems to matter.” She nods her head at Nick. He approaches us with two beers in his hand.
I reach for the bottle he offers, and it’s cold in my hand when I grab it. I look into Nick’s eyes. No. I study the dark-brown color with flecks of gold that hint at the treasure before me. His brow knits before he cuts his gaze to Gretchen. She scans his body and licks her lips. “You’d look good in a suit.”
She wiggles her fingers at us and strolls off. Nick asks, “What did I miss?”
“Nothing. Yet.”
Chapter 10
T he day after Casey’s wedding, Nick has to go to work. But the last week of ski school is slow, and it is easy for him to get out early, especially since Rick knows I am leaving tomorrow. Nick arrives home to me loading the car. I toss a bag in the open hatch, and it thumps against the other two. With my skis and bike on the roof rack, there’s extra room in my Subaru. Room for him.
I shake my head at my wishful thinking. Water is dripping from icicles on the roof of the apartment building and landing on the pavement in a chaotic beat that matches my heart as I ask, “Hey, how about steaks on the grill tonight?”
He holds up a canvas sack. “Already got them. And a nice red too.”
I smile because for our first date Nick grilled rib eye. But I’m not going to be crying today. I have thirty hours in the car to do that.
Nick must have brought home a few things from his locker in preparation for the end of the season. He has a bag on his shoulder, and his skis clap when he pulls them off of his car to snap them together. My trunk thuds shut, and I take the grocery bag from him as we walk toward the stairs.
He asks, “What else do you have to do before you leave tomorrow?”
“Nothing other than pick up my last paycheck from Rhinestone Cowgirl and say goodbye to Dannika. I was about to go do that. Want to come?”
His arm muscles flex below the short sleeve of his T-shirt as he holds his skis and climbs the steps. “No. I have a birthday cake to make.”
Nick glances over his shoulder at me, and his teeth gleam in the smile that won me over the first time I saw it. I say, “I was hoping you would. I love Nick cake.”
I do. Each year on my birthday he gives me a slice with a cup of coffee for breakfast. But I’ll be eating it on the road this year. He says, “I’ll pack you whatever we don’t eat so you can have it in Ohio.”
Nick holds the door open for me as my smile fades. He isn’t having any sadness either and asks, “Want your present early?”
“Of course. What did you get me?”
He chuckles. “Hang on, I’ll go get it.”
I go sit on the couch, and the throw pillow of
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