“It’s that easy,” I assured him.
He stared into my eyes, as if he’d asked a question and was awaiting my response. The problem was he hadn’t, and his gaze was filled with something unfamiliar. Something making my insides all fluttery.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head, and his attention snagged on my brother dancing around the pool table.
“I’ll be there,” I said.
Thayer looked back at me. “Where?”
“Wherever you compete.”
He looked surprised. “You will?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
I sipped my drink, letting the liquor dictate my words. “Because I know you need me there.”
He laughed, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d amused him. Angered? Yes. Annoyed? Oh, yeah. But not amused. “Do I?” he asked.
“I think you do.” I really liked the way he was smiling at me.
“You think you’re my lucky charm or something?” he asked, a slight chuckle in his voice.
I shook my head. “No. I’m just one of your biggest fans.”
His eyes lingered on mine again, but this time his look was less flutter-inducing and more tortured. “Come with us tomorrow.”
“Snowboarding?” I asked incredulously.
He nodded.
“I haven’t been on a board in years.”
“Isn’t that a shame?”
“Not really. I’m terrible.”
“Now see? That’s where we disagree. I think you used to be rad. You just stopped going out there.”
I rolled my eyes, knowing he was being more than generous in his appraisal. I’d snowboarded maybe five times a season. I was in no way good.
“You just need the right teacher to get you back into it.”
“Oh, and let me guess. You could be my teacher?” I asked.
“If you want me to be,” he said, his voice dropping to a lower tenor.
Holy shit. Whether it was my drunken haze or not, it felt a lot like Thayer was flirting with me, and I was all for it.
“What are you two huddled up over here talking about?” Kason interrupted us.
“We’re not huddled up,” I protested, shaking off the trance Thayer had held me in for a minute there.
“We were just reminiscing about our victory over you,” Thayer said.