Once Upon a Snow Day (Meet Cute Romance 1)

Leah glanced at her in apparent surprise. “Oh, sorry.”

“Hi,” said Isabelle into the awkward silence.

Grant seemed to clue in that she was with Leah. “And this is…?”

Isabelle offered her hand and a smile. “The witness. Isabelle Lawson.”

Grant shot an amused look at Leah as he took it. “Sensible.” He gestured back toward the parking lot. “Would you like to snap a picture of my license plate?”

Leah’s cheeks pinked. “Sorry. I had a bad experience. One restraining order a year is my limit.”

The humor vanished. “Oh geez.” Grant held up his hand in a Boy Scout salute. “I swear I’m truly single, no criminal record, one of three children, born and raised within spitting distance of Yosemite. I’ve held a steady job since I got out of medical school and have never had a restraining order taken out against me or been charged with any crime.”

“Then you’re already ahead by leaps and bounds,” said Isabelle.

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; “Will you join us on the slopes?” he asked.

Points for not sounding reluctant about that, she thought. “I think I’ll pass.”

“You don’t ski?” asked Grant.

“I’m from Florida. We don’t ski except on water. Give me eighty degrees and a wakeboard, I’m your girl. This,” she waved to encompass the mountains behind them, “is not my bag.”

“I keep saying I’ll teach her,” said Leah, “but she keeps turning me down.”

“Yeah, we both know how that turned out the last time I let you try. Your version of the bunny slopes leaves me quaking in my metaphoric boots. You go enjoy your black diamond runs and leave me to the hot chocolate.”

“Black diamond, huh?” asked Grant with interest. “I was all set to take it easy on you.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Leah crooned, “but you can eat my powder.”

“I like a confident woman,” he said. “Let’s get your gear.”

Hiding a smile, Isabelle pulled out her phone to check her email as she fell into step behind them. There was one from the cover artist for one of the debut authors. As Grant and Leah kept up a steady banter on the way to the car, Isabelle quickly responded with tweaks to the design. The next acquisitions meeting had been pushed back a week. While they unloaded Leah’s skis and poles, Isabelle updated her calendar and made additional notes about what needed to be added to the agenda. By the time they’d strapped Leah into boots, and made their way back to the path up to the lift, she and Grant had obviously all but forgotten Isabelle.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and called after them, “Have fun!”

Still deep in conversation with Grant, Leah lifted a hand in a wave but didn’t turn around. Isabelle stood watching them while they snapped into their skis and made their way to the lift. By all appearances, they were well-matched, and Leah would have a good date, with a positive forecast for more in the future. After the long line of stinkers, she totally deserved it.

“And my work here is done,” murmured Isabelle. Smiling and ready to get back to work, she trudged through the snowpack back to Leah’s Subaru. Only when she reached into her pocket and found it empty but for her phone did she realize she’d never gotten the keys from Leah.

“Crap!” She spun back toward the lift in time to see the lime green of Leah’s jacket being carried away.

It would be fine. She’d call Leah and get the keys when they made it to the bottom of their first run. She’d just grab a cup of cocoa and—

Isabelle turned back to the car, spying her purse in the floorboard of the passenger side. On the off chance that Leah had forgotten to lock it during her flirtation, Isabelle checked all the doors. No dice. And of course there was no hide-a-key in the wheel well.

“Awesome.”

Finger hovering over the speed dial, she paused. Maybe she shouldn’t actually call while they were on the lift. Surely wiggling around digging for a phone while a zillion feet in the air was a bad idea. Leah might drop the phone. Or worse. No, she’d send a text. Leah was good about checking.

You still have the car keys. Find me when you get to the bottom of your run.

Isabelle hit Send.

Now what?