Chapter Eighteen
Zoey
Parker looked so serious, like he really wanted to know what she was thinking. He was probably the only person other than Paige who did. But how could she talk to him about this? Especially when her own heart was such a tangle?
I’m not sure, she’d said. And she meant it. Luke was definitely flirting, and maybe interested. That’s why she was so pissed off at Two Creeks. She wasn’t jealous exactly, but she’d felt dismissed. Like his interest in her could only hold so long before it caught on someone else—particularly a someone with double-Ds. But when he looked at her, she felt like the only girl in the room. Could she cure him of his relationship ADD, or would it be impossible?
They were walking down the snow-covered sidewalk toward Parker’s car, and her feet felt heavy with each step. Nothing was going as planned this week. Luke was at best intrigued, but that was all so far, and she had no idea what she needed to do to really get through to him. Deep down, she feared he only saw her looks, despite knowing her forever…or maybe because he’d known her forever. Worse, the sight of Parker on his snowboard had set off fireworks in her brain, and she kept flashing back to their almost kiss in the sleigh. He was her best friend…but she was completely confused now.
Why couldn’t this be easy?
Parker cleared his throat and she realized he’d been waiting for an answer. “It’s probably nothing. You know how Luke is.”
“I do.”
On a whim, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Parker on the cheek. “Thank you.”
His eyes were guarded, cautious. “For what?”
She smiled. “Being you.”
“I am kind of awesome.” His smile came slowly, but when it did, it took over his entire face. Did he have any idea how cute he was? Probably not, since his brother hogged the attention.
“Now, now, cocky is Luke’s thing.” She checked her watch. “Almost dinner time. You need to get a good night’s sleep, too. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
“We’ll see.” He sounded doubtful, and the smile disappeared.
She started walking briskly toward the car. “No. It will be. You’re good, Parker. It’s time for you to take a big step out of Luke’s shadow and win this thing. Show him, and everyone else, that there’s more than one snowboarding king in the Madison household.”
“Will you cheer for me?”
The question was soft, uncertain. “Loudly. And obnoxiously. I’ll make up stupid cheers for you.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay, then. This could work.”
She squeezed his arm. “It will. I believe it.”
That night, after dinner and a good long text with Paige, Zoey lay on her stomach, reading. Another thing she couldn’t admit at school: she was addicted to romance novels—the sappier, the better. HEAs were the only way to go in life. So what if she hadn’t figured out how to get there herself? She had to believe she would, because the alternative was depressing.
Still, she hadn’t faced the force of her feelings from this afternoon, or last night. It was so much to process, and she didn’t want to burden Parker with any questions until the competition was over. Especially since she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted: her best friend as more, or her longtime crush forever?
Luke was safe—she wouldn’t be risking an amazing friendship searching for something that might not even be there. Did she take a risk for a potentially big reward? Or did she keep doing what she was doing by going after Luke, and keep her friendship intact? Because if she made a move and Parker freaked out, they’d never get past it. Never.
God, working this out was going to take a while.
The light in the window across the way went on. Parker was in his room. Zoey glanced up, then gulped.
Holy. Shit.
Parker had forgotten to close his blinds. And he was wearing a towel. Only a towel. Their houses were close enough together that she could see his hair was damp from a shower. So was…the rest of him. Oh, Jesus.
Her entire body flushed white-hot. No, no, she really shouldn’t be gawking like this. It was invasion of privacy. Except—she’d seen him in swimsuits their entire lives, so what was the problem?
The problem was that the towel was coming off any second.
Her will power wasn’t working all that well, though, especially after the last few days, and she didn’t think she could look away if she tried. Her curiosity was way too strong right now.
The other problem was those abs. And his shoulders. God almighty—had he been lifting? He wasn’t as solid as Luke, but everything was well defined. He’d gone from lean to shredded since July. Like, paid-to-model-underwear shredded. Her mind snagged on the way his biceps flexed when he reached for something on his dresser.
Parker looked up suddenly, meeting her wide-eyed stare. For a minute, neither of them moved, then he laughed, sauntered to the window, and put a hand on the towel.
Zoey’s breath froze in her lungs. Oh, God, oh, God, he was going to take it off. She put a hand over her eyes, but spread her fingers apart so she could peek. Still laughing, Parker loosened the towel. It started sliding off, showing that spot on a guy’s hip that made smart girls do stupid, stupid things…
Then the blinds snapped shut.
She fell on her bed, giggling, arms wrapped around her aching middle. He’d done a half-Magic Mike in her window. Seriously, all he needed was a cowboy hat and slinky music, and women would pay serious money for that kind of show. What kind of best friend did a strip-tease for you?
She sat up suddenly. That was a really good question.
What kind of best friend did that?
Did he…could he…?
He’d almost kissed her last night. Today, he’d chewed out his brother for taking her to Snowmass without him. He’d introduced her to his friends—friends who said they knew all about her.
This was adding up to something way too big for her to process on her own. Because if she was right, she had the answers she needed.
She fumbled for her phone. Parker hadn’t texted her, presumably to let his actions speak for themselves. It was just as well—she needed her other best friend right now.
Zoey sighed in appreciation. Ben’s mother owned a small bakery and her cookies were divine. Like honest-to-God-blessed-by-angels good. Save some for me?
Zoey went to close her own blinds, not sure she could look Parker in the eye for the next few hours, then paced until her phone rang.
“Zoey? You okay?”
Paige sounded worried, probably because she’d asked to talk live instead of texting. Zoey hadn’t meant to scare her, but she did need her best friend’s advice. “I’m…okay. But I need your help deciphering something.”
“Like what?”
Zoey took a deep breath, and finally told Paige about her life in Aspen. She admitted that she loved it here, told her about the snowboarding and, most importantly, confessed her feelings about the boys next door.
Paige listened quietly for a while, finally interrupting with, “So you were in love with the older brother, but now you think you have feelings for the younger one, too? Parker?”
It sounded so simple, the way Paige said it. And a little shallow. If Zoey hated anything, it was feeling shallow, since most people assumed she was. “I don’t think what I feel for Luke is love, exactly. Puppy love, maybe. A severe crush. Hell, it might’ve been pure lust.” She put her head in her hand. “Okay, okay, it was probably the last one.”
Paige laughed. “I’m going to need pictures to figure this out, you know.” After Zoey texted her a photo of both brothers on the mountain, Paige whistled. “Hot damn. I think I understand the dilemma here.”
“I know, I know. But, Parker, though…he’s my very best guy friend. I don’t want to risk our friendship—I’d be devastated if it didn’t work out and I lost that. Most of my best memories have been with him. We’ve been a team since we were toddlers. I didn’t even see it coming. The feeling hit out of nowhere. We went on a sleigh ride, and I suddenly wanted him to kiss me. Maybe it was the setting, but I don’t think it was, because I can’t get him out of my mind. He’s really fun to be with, too. And he takes care of me.”
“That doesn’t sound so awful to me.” Paige’s tone was suspicious. “Why did you call me in a panic?”
“Um…” Zoey rolled her eyes at how tongue-tied she was. She normally said exactly what she meant, even if she did filter her words a little at school. “Our bedrooms are directly across from each other…the windows, too. His light came on, and there he was, wearing nothing but a towel. I about died.”
“But you didn’t close your eyes, did you?” Paige asked with sly understanding. “You looked.”
“I totally looked. And he, uh, caught me watching and pretended to take off the towel, then snapped the blinds closed. Girl, I was gawking, and I was so busted.”
“Why does this sound familiar?” Paige started to laugh. “Oh, yeah. I seem to remember Ben stripping off his shirt to wash a car to impress you.”
“Hey!” Ben called, nearby. “I was trying to impress you.”
Paige giggled harder. “And he sure did.”
Zoey snorted. “I remember thinking your jaw was going to fall off.”
“Speaking of Ben, I’m pretty sure he wants to say hi. He’s lurking.”
“I’m waiting patiently,” Ben said, closer now.
“Put him on,” Zoey said.
“Hey, Zoey. What’s up?” Ben asked.
Happiness oozed through the phone, almost more than she could handle, and a lump formed in her throat. “Not much. Snowboarding a little. Angsting over a guy.”
“Really?” He sounded intrigued. “There’s a guy out there who meets your high standards? That’s a statistical improbability.”
“You could probably use that as your math thesis—the statistical improbability of a guy meeting my standards.” They laughed. “But, yeah. There is.”
“Whoever he is, he sounds like a guy I need to meet. I’ll give you back to Paige, now.”
“I think he misses you,” she said after a pause long enough for a quick kiss.
“Oh, maybe a little.” A pang hit Zoey right above the heart. She missed them, too. “But I think his world’s complete right there in his mom’s kitchen.”
Paige’s blush was audible. “Probably so. I know mine is. But, enough about me. What are you going to do?”
“He has that contest tomorrow. They both do. I don’t think I should distract him before then. Or Luke, for that matter. They’re doing some pretty extreme tricks and jumping off ramps taller than my house. I don’t want Parker breaking a leg because I dumped my feelings on him.”
“What if he says something to you? About the window, or the sleigh ride?”
Zoey rubbed her temples. “I’ll be honest.”
“Good for you.” Paige paused. “And, Zoey? Don’t worry so much about what people think. Honestly, if the StuCo found out you snowboard, they’d love it. Beautiful, badass Zoey—that’s what they’d say. Plus, you deserve a guy who thinks you’re amazing on the inside, not just the outside. Because you are.”
Tears welled up in Zoey’s eyes. Damn it—that was three times today. Choked, she said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Paige made a kissy noise over the phone. “Now, go land that man!”
Zoey laugh-cried, sure her nose was running, but she didn’t care. “I’ll do my best.”
But which one? The safe one she might only have for a little while? Or the risky one who already knew how to make her dreams come true? She knew what her heart wanted, but her head had decided to make her work for it.
She set her phone on the nightstand and turned off the lamp, hazarding a look at her blinds. They were closed, making her feel raw and shy, unsure of what tomorrow would be.
A faint light seeped through her window—Parker was still awake.
She couldn’t go on like this. She had to figure out where she stood with Parker, and with Luke, and she’d decide.
Tomorrow.