“He’s coming,” I said under my breath.
“Perfect,” she whispered. “Just be your amazing self. You will do great.”
I looked up in panic as Hailey picked up her mug and walked off, Cameron getting closer by the second. I could feel the sweat in my palms start to rain down, and I grasped my mug with two hands, turning back toward the bar. What was I supposed to even do? I hadn’t talked to another man in three years, let alone in a situation where we were probably going to be flirting. I took in a deep breath as he walked up next to me, the smell of his cologne seeping into my brain and making me hazy.
“May I sit down?”
“Sure,” I said, looking and smiling.
“You are Bea, from my class, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied, swallowing a drink of my coffee. “It was a really great class. I think I might pick up skiing when I get back home.”
“Well, you seem like a complete natural,” he replied with a smile. “I am glad I could give you the confidence to actually get on the slopes. I’ve been skiing for a very long time, and I couldn’t imagine my life without being able to escape to the snow.”
“So, you have been instructing for a long time?”
“Since I was about nineteen, back at home in Vermont,” he said. “I started skiing when I was a little kid and just really caught the bug for it. I competed, I trained, and then I realized how much I loved it when there wasn’t any pressure on me to be the best. So, I quit competitions and started teaching. My buddy Glen and I created our freelance company, so we pretty much get to ski almost every week of the year.”
“That’s awesome,” I replied. “I stay at home all the time in my home office. I wish I had chosen to travel more. I mean, with my job, I can do it anywhere in the world that has internet. For some reason, though, I decided to settle down in my own home town.”
“Well, I am sure you are amazing at your craft,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with settling down. I’m sure the Mister is happy to have you home.”
“Oh.” I laughed. “There is no Mister. just me.”
“I see,” he said, smiling.
“How about you?”
“No.” He chuckled. “It’s just me and my skis, and Glen, of course, but he’s my best friend, so I don’t mind having him with me.”
“Hailey has been my best friend for many years,” I said. “She is the whole reason that I am here for the Christmas holiday.”
“Nice, you took a girls’ trip,” he replied.
“Kind of,” I said. “My boyfriend of three years and I broke up, and she thought I needed a vacation.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said kindly.
“It was for the best, trust me,” I said, laughing awkwardly. “We were not really meant for each other, and he was a big douche bag.”
“No one likes a douche bag.” He laughed.
Cameron was really sweet, and I couldn’t help but notice that he actually paid attention to me when I was talking. He actually acted like he was interested in what I was saying, and that, in itself, was a completely new experience for me. Not to mention the fact that he was incredibly handsome, which made it a lot easier to sit there and stare into his gorgeous eyes. We continued to talk until it was dark outside.
“Well, I think I’m going to head upstairs and get changed so Hailey and I can lounge around and feast on room service,” I said, smiling.
“May I walk you upstairs to your room?”
“That would be nice, thank you,” I said, handing my mug to the bartender and grabbing my coat off the back of the chair.
Hailey had already gone upstairs, and the bar was starting to fill up, so I figured it was the perfect time to make my exit for the evening. We walked slowly across the marble floor and over to the elevators, talking about the time he spent in Denali teaching safety to the adventurous skiers out there. I thought about the bunny slope I had just been down and couldn’t even start to imagine just randomly skiing down something like that. However, the thought of seeing such an amazing place made me a little jealous.
“I would love to travel,” I said. “Alaska has always been on my list.”
“It truly is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been,” he said as we climbed into the elevator.
“Floor five,” I said, watching as he leaned over and pressed the button, the muscles in his arm tensing and then releasing.