2. Destiny

2

DESTINY

I f he tells me to make a pizza wedge with my skis one more time…

“Remember, pizza wedge!” Griffin calls out from behind me.

I roll my eyes and exhale, watching my breath swirl around like smoke before evaporating in the frigid mountain air. An hour into my private lesson and all I’ve learned so far is pizza wedge to stop and French fries to move. I’m no better at skiing than when I started and now I’m just hungry.

I angle my feet in an attempt to come to a rolling stop. Instead, my skis cross each other and I take a tumble for the tenth time since starting this lesson. What was I thinking? Skiing? Me? I’m cold and wet and every muscle aches. My knees and ankles are screaming at me and despite the chill in my bones, I’m still sweating underneath all of these layers.

“I’ve got you,” Griffin says, smoothly and effortlessly skiing up next to me and offering his hand.

“Maybe I should just stay down here and save myself from another fall,” I say with an exasperated sigh.

Griffin locks eyes with me, his striking green irises making me feel all sorts of things I’m not sure how to handle. He surprised me yesterday with his greeting in the lodge, and again when he came back later and made me hot chocolate.

The man is stunning. Six feet of muscle, messy dark blond hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and bright green eyes that make me light up like a Christmas tree. Plus, Griffin is probably at least a decade older than me with a career and a stable life.

So, what the hell is he doing spending his day off with someone like me? I’m chubby, awkward, shy, and have no idea what I’m doing half the time. I’m sure I’m just a charity case. There’s really no other explanation.

When I don’t take Griffin’s hand, he simply grins, pops off his skis, and then flops down in the snow next to me. “Snow angels it is,” he says as he flaps his arms to make an indentation of wings in the snow.

I giggle at his silliness and then join him, thankful that he’s willing to be so nice to me.

“What inspired this trip?” he asks, catching me off-guard. It’s an innocent question but I’m not sure I know how to answer. “I’m guessing it wasn’t the incredible skiing we have up here,” he jokes.

“Not exactly. I mean, kind of. It’s… it’s complicated.” I finish my rambling sentence and look away from him, not wanting him to see the tears I’m barely holding back.

“I’m sure I can follow along,” Griffin says softly.

His tone is so gentle I have no choice but to look over at him. I’m still on my back in the snow, but Griffin has moved so he’s sitting up, slightly leaning over me. Those green eyes capture mine, something in them persuading me to give him a little piece of my story. He showed up here on his day off to give me a lesson in futility - I mean, a lesson in skiing . He deserves to know why I wasted both of our time.

“I was raised mostly by my grandma,” I start, looking down at my gloves. “She is this beautiful free spirit who is always encouraging me to step outside of my comfort zone. Wait, I…” I squeeze my eyes closed and take a shuddering breath. “I mean… What I mean to say is she was a beautiful free spirit who was always encouraging me. I’m still not used to talking about her in the past tense.”

"I'm so sorry, Destiny," Griffin whispers. One of his large hands covers both of mine and though we're both wearing gloves, I can feel the warmth emanating from his skin. "I've always been close with my Gram. It would wreck me if anything ever happened to her."

I nod, trying not to cry. “The funeral was six weeks ago today,” I murmur.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Griffin whispers, squeezing my hands. “You’ve barely had time to grieve. No wonder you looked so sad by the fire last night.”

I look up at him, tilting my head to the side. He seemed to say that last part more to himself than to me, but I heard it nonetheless. Griffin noticed I was sad? Am I really that pitiful? Of course, I am. I was right - this is nothing more than a charity lesson. He’s just being a good employee and ensuring every guest has a good time.

“That’s me,” I mutter as I pull my soggy, cold self up into a sitting position. “Sad and pathetic. I thought this trip would be the first step in finally having that adventure my grandma always wanted for me, but–”

“Hey, I’m not giving up on you,” he says, cutting me off. “And you’re not pathetic, Destiny. Far from it. That’s not at all what I meant.”

I shrug and look away from him, unable to stop the tears from falling. I scoot back slightly to give myself more room to stand. Griffin must take the hint that it’s all too much, and he hops to his feet before offering me his hand. I almost don’t take it, but the only thing more embarrassing than this sexy, funny, kind ski instructor seeing me cry is if I fell on my ass in front of him. Again .

Griffin pulls me up, steadying me with a hand on my hip when my feet slip from under me. “Look at me,” he murmurs. My head automatically tilts up at his command, almost without my permission. “Don’t cry, sweet girl,” he says, taking one of his gloves off. Griffin gently wipes my tears away with the pad of his thumb. “We can’t have these tears freezing to your beautiful face.”

I shake my head, not believing his words. He’s just being nice. Don’t make a fool out of yourself.

“I should go,” I sniffle out, completely mortified that I’m having a breakdown in front of this man.

“Wait, please,” he calls out, placing a hand on my arm. “At least let me walk you to your room. I understand if you want to be alone, but I need to know you’re safe in your cabin.”

“I know I’m not a terrific skier, but I’m pretty decent at walking,” I try to joke. My voice is too shaky to pull it off.

“It’s not about you being competent, Destiny,” Griffin says as he falls into step beside me. He has both sets of skis tucked under his arm and we’re walking toward the lodge in just our boots. “I just… I can’t really explain it and I don’t know how to not sound like a creep, but… I care about you. I feel… I feel… Shit, I don’t usually get tongue-tied,” he mutters.

Griffin wipes a hand down his face and tugs at his beard. I pause, mid-stride, and look over at him. Raising an eyebrow and tilting my head to the side, I try to guess what he’s trying to communicate.

“You feel obligated to ensure my safety?”

“Well, yes, but–”

“You feel sorry for me and my sob story?”

“No. I mean, I do feel bad about your grandma, but it’s more than that.”

I blink at him a few times while he stares up into the sky as if praying for the right words to fall from the heavens. Eventually, he tips his head down, those green eyes locking onto mine.

“I don’t just feel protective and empathetic,” he says in a low voice that captures my attention. I swear I feel it tickle my nerves and down my spine, leaving an unfamiliar and delicious sensation in its wake. “I feel like we’re connected already. Like I know you, somehow. It sounds cheesy and cliche as hell but when I saw you for the first time from across the room, I knew you were going to be an important person in my life.”

I don’t know what to make of his confession. He seems to be genuine, and so far, his actions have shown nothing but respect and kindness. Still, I’m not as naive as my grandmother may have thought. I’m shy and inexperienced, sure, but I know men who look like Griffin don’t fall head-over-heels in love with women who look like me, especially love at first sight.

“You’re right,” I tell him. “That’s pretty cheesy and cliche.” This earns me a smile from Griffin, but I’m ignoring how it makes me feel. The sudden warmth in my chest could just be from the fact that we’re walking back toward the cabins and I’m excited to not be outside anymore.

We come to a stop in front of my door and Griffin leans our skis against the side of the cabin before facing me. “I’ll have to work on some original thoughts to explain to you what I felt when I first saw you,” he murmurs. The way he’s looking down at me with such adoration has me believing the man might just give me my first kiss.

I shouldn’t want that, but here I am, swaying closer, closer, closer…

Griffin leans down and brushes his lips against my cheek in the lightest kiss. His breath tickles the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Thank you for trusting me today, angel.”

I gasp softly and watch as Griffin stands up straight again and gives me that charming smile of his. My mouth opens but no words come out. He’s thanking me? I trusted him with… ski lessons? No, it’s more than that. I trusted him with my reason for coming up here in the first place. He knew how difficult it was for me to talk about and he made me feel safe and seen the entire time.

Dang it. I think I’m going to need another private lesson to see if Prince Charming is as incredible as he seems. My back is already protesting, but other parts of me are just starting to wake up. They like the idea of spending more time with the chiseled ski instructor who has mesmerizing green eyes and a beard that I want to tug at.

One adventure at a time, Destiny, I tell myself. I have little to no experience with men, and I’m not sure this is a great time to start. I should just forget about him and this whole morning. Even as the thought passes through my mind, I know I’ll be dreaming about Griffin all night.