“Showoff.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Giselle, who stood with Shay just outside the containment fencing. “Did Kason beat me down?” I asked facetiously.
Giselle smirked. “I was talking about you. Was that an 1800?”
“Not sure.”
“It totally was,” Jesse gushed, approaching on his board with his phone extended. “You’re a rock star.”
“You fucking crushed that,” Kason said, coming to a sharp stop and bro hugging me.
“Crushed it,” Jesse agreed.
“Welcome back, Thayer Caruthers,” Giselle said.
“I never left,” I assured her.
Over lunch in the lodge, I sat on the opposite end of the table from Giselle. I wanted to give her space since she’d been the one who left her bedroom first this morning. But it didn’t stop me from staring at her or remembering what her body felt like wrapped up with mine. Jesse and Kason spent lunch glazing me, and, if I bought into the hype, I might’ve actually believed I had a shot at a medaling in Steamboat…and then maybe Switzerland.
“Where are we getting wasted tonight?” Jesse asked us.
We laughed, but a night out after tearing up the mountain sounded like a damn good idea.
12
GISELLE
I evened my line of vision with the bullseye in the center of the dartboard. The shots the guys had been buying all night had gone to my head, and things were a little less clear than I would’ve liked. Despite recent celebrations, I was not a heavy drinker. But tonight was about letting loose. And I’d say I was entitled to. I’d been through hell, and now I was surrounded by people I could trust, as well. I released the dart. It sailed through the air before missing the board and sticking right into the wooden wall paneling.
“And that right there is why she’s your partner, Thayer, and not mine,” Kason called to Thayer, who was at the bar getting more drinks.
“If I wasn’t so drunk, I’d be insulted,” I said to Shay who smiled.
“You’re better off,” she admitted. “Your brother’s way too competitive.”
I looked across the bar at Thayer waiting for our drinks. His pronounced jawline with just a hint of stubble and his shaggy hair were such a contrast. At twenty-one, he was still part-teenager but part-man. He was part-snow rat and part-gentleman. He was part-wild and part-calm. His eyes cut to mine and I froze, completely caught staring at him. His mouth pulled up in one corner, and something about the smug grin melted my insides.
What was I doing?
One minute, I was all in with Gino. The next, I was in bed with my brother’s best friend. I just felt so damn confused about everything. But, I’d like to believe, after everything that happened to me—my life flashing before my eyes—I was entitled to feel that way.
“Giselle?”
I turned to find Kason holding out my three darts.
“Your turn,” he said.
“Will it matter? You’re single-handedly kicking our ass. Sorry, Shay,” I added, realizing I might’ve insulted her.
“No worries,” she assured me. “He’s totally carrying us.”
We shared a laugh as Thayer walked back to us with our drinks. Everyone took theirs, but since I was up to throw, he placed mine on the high-top table to our right.
I evened up my throw and released the dart. This one actually hit the board.
“Woot woot,” Shay called.
“Shay,” Kason admonished. “She’s the competition.”