“We had the right of way, Regina. She should have slowed down.”“You think I didn’t?” I sit up slowly and gingerly move my limbs. Nothing seems broken, but I feel like I’ve been slammed into a wall. “You should have watched where you were going. Do you think you own the slopes or something?”The girl looks uncomfortable, and I momentarily feel bad for shouting at her. She seems genuinely remorseful. But her father snorts rudely.“Maybe you shouldn’t careen down the hill,” he growls.“We’re on the red slope. You think you should be fooling around at the bottom of the advanced slope?”“If it’s advanced, you should be able to stop in time.”I’m not going to get him to back down. I reach down and fumble to take my skis off, my fingers struggling through the gloves.“Let me.” The girl takes off her gloves and unsnaps my boots from the skis. “Can you stand?”“I think so.” I give her a small smile as I take off my goggles. “You okay?”“I’m fine. You didn’t hit me. But you did scare me.” She

Turning away quickly, I hurry after Caleb and Regina. I can’t be caught staring at her like that. It will make me look like an idiot.But even as I sit with my daughter and pick up the menu, I can’t help but look over at her table. She’s not looking at me, but I can see her clearly. She seems more relaxed now as if she’s forgotten about me.Somehow, I don’t want her to forget me.Lucia“Cheers!”Aliyah declares as we clink glasses. “Happy birthday to me!”I mumble in response and sip my drink. It’s already my third lemonade and lime, and I feel it going to my bladder. I’m going to need to take a bathroom break soon. At least that will soothe my ears with the pulsating beat pumping in my head. I have no idea why the bar has to have the music up this loud.“How are you feeling, Lucia?” Aliyah asks as she leans towards me, her voice loud over the noise. “Are you still sore from earlier?”“A little bit. I’m probably going to be worse tomorrow.” I shrug. “Nothing I can’t handle. I’ve had wo

MichealWith Regina on her iPad and doing her own thing, I thought it would be a good idea to have some time to myself. The bar, though, is really loud. Either someone is having a party, or the staff has turned on the music to keep everyone else entertained. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.I am about to leave, not wanting to blast my ears out with that noise, when I see the woman from earlier in the hall ahead of me. She’s with a young man near her age with blond hair who looks like he lifts weights for a living. He’s trying to talk to her, but she’s clearly furious. Her body language says she wants to be away from him.What’s going on? Is she having a drunken argument? I should leave them to it, but I find myself approaching them. If she’s drunk and this guy is harassing her…The relief in her eyes is palpable as she looks at me.“Everything’s fine,” she said stiffly. “Nathan was just going back to the party.”“I’m not going anywhere,” the guy says defiantly. “We need to talk, and

Aliyah looks uncomfortable as she sips her drink.“Nathan really regrets what he did. I believe him. He’s a genuine person,Lucia, and I know he means it.”“If he’s genuine, he wouldn’t have cheated on me!” I snap back. I gulp my milk and put the glass down with a thud on the table. “I can’t believe you condone cheating.”“I don’t!”“Then why did you do this? I told Nathan no, and he’s being as stubborn as a mule. If you want me to disrespect myself and get back with him, carry on as you want. Just don’t expect me to be at the end of the phone if you need any help from me from now on.”“What?”I don’t answer, storming out of the dining room. I don’t want to speak longer than I have to when I’m sure Nathan might turn up and I get cornered by both of them. That is a scene I don’t want to have in front of everyone. This is too embarrassing.Especially after it happened in front of that grumpy but strikingly handsome dad whom I’ve had the misfortune to encounter hot as he is, I know he’s f

“Thank you.” I swallow. “How fast do you think they’ll be?”“Depends on how quickly they can get the helicopter here. She’s more than likely going to be airlifted out of here.”“Airlifted?” I glance at Regina, who whimpers. “Regina’s scared of heights. She gets sick.”“The paramedics will deal with that. They will take care of her.”“Will Dad be able to come up with me?” Regina asks.Lucia hesitates.“You’ll have to ask them. If not, your father’s going to have to drive over to the hospital.”Regina starts to sob again. I touch my fingers to her cheek and shake my head.“I’m not going anywhere without my daughter. I can’t leave her.”“It won’t be for long. You’ll meet her at the hospital.” Regina says and then squeezes my shoulder. “They’ll look after her, and you’ll be with her as soon as possible. She’s going to be fine.”“She might have broken her arm and might have a concussion!” I snap. “What’s fine about that?”Lucia nods at Regina, and I wish I could understand the look that pa