Chloe wasn't seeing someone and Brian being overly sensitive about it was simply his way of watching out for me. I would just clear things up and get on with trying to win the beautiful girl.
* * * *
By the time I met her at the Wolf Lodge on the east side of town, I was pissy and convinced that she was still taken by some guy back home. Why wouldn't a girl as beautiful and talented as her be?
She was obviously an incredible catch, and by the way she kissed and petted at me all night, she knew how to turn a man on. There was no way someone like her was single. That meant she was just getting out of a relationship.
Wait, didn't she tell me that? She was just getting out of a relationship and didn't want to date anyone else right now? Or was that another girl I'd been involved with?
The conversations seemed to run together. I grumbled under my breath and parked the truck before getting out, pulling my board out of the back and walking toward them.
She was in ski pants and a long sleeve shirt that fit her incredibly well. She smiled and her whole face lit up. She was happy to see me, and here I was, planning to light into her.
Guilty before proven innocent, huh?
I let out a long, slow breath as I approached them and forced a smile.
"Finn, this is my brother Parker. Parker, my friend Finn."
Parker stuck out his hand and gave me a goofy grin. "Hey. Nice to meet you."
"You, too. I heard you got some skills." I nodded toward his board.
"Some, but I'm always up for learning something new." Parker glanced toward Chloe. "I'm going to go wax my board in the lodge. I'll meet you guys by the lift."
&n
bsp; "Alright. See you up there." She turned to me and smiled. "You look good."
"Yeah? Same man I was yesterday, I think." I shrugged and turned to walk after her brother. "You coming?"
She moved up beside me and I could tell from the tension in her shoulders that she was reading into my comments.
"What's the matter?" She pulled me to a stop and forced me to face her.
"I'm tired. I worked my ass off all day and tried to hurry, which left me a little more put out than I thought it would." I shrugged and looked around her, not sure why I felt the need to be a dick, but I did. "It's all good."
"Okay," she mumbled as she fell in behind me.
I should have stayed at home after talking to Brian. I couldn't shake the thought of her being with someone else and yet to ask her would have me looking needy and childish. She'd already mentioned that her life wasn't going to be in Colorado and that we were strictly going to remain friends. I just needed to lean on that and stop pushing in the other direction.
Parker turned as I walked up beside him and smiled. "Hurry up and scoot over. I haven't waxed mine, either."
Chloe walked past us and left the building, moving toward the lift with her skis in her hands.
"What's that about? She okay?" Parker glanced from Chloe to me.
"Yeah, absolutely." I shrugged and worked on getting my board ready.
"Don't hurt my sister. I know you're the big shit around here, which is totally cool, but she's not just another notch on your belt. Understood?" I had to give the kid the respect he deserved for having the balls to stand up to me like that. I would have done it for my sister, too, if I had one.
"Hell, yeah. I hear you loud and clear." I winked and turned back to the task at hand. "Question for you, you know, in the hopes of not having my heart crushed...she got a boyfriend?”
Parker looked like he was thinking about whether to be truthful or not. "Why does it matter?"
"Because it does." I stood to my full height and looked down at him.
"Yeah, she does. They've been dating forever. He's headed to the NFL next year." He shrugged, took his board and headed for the door. "She's just a friend to you, right?"