Kiss and Don't Tell(56)

“What are you talking about? Hey, hold up,” I say while grabbing her hand and stopping her before she gets in line for the gondola to head back down the mountain. “What’s happening?”

“Realized I’m acting like a fool.” She lets out a deep breath. “Yes, Pacey, I like you. It’s obvious, I can’t hide it, but there’s no point in doing anything past today. I’ll be leaving soon. My car could be towed tomorrow if it doesn’t rain tonight.”

“But you don’t have to leave right away. You can stay longer.”

“It’s not your house. You can’t decide that. It’s already awkward with Silas. I don’t want to make it even more awkward by staying when I don’t have to.”

“But where are you going to go? You don’t have any lodging.” Panic starts to consume me. She’s a flight risk. Once she gets her car back, I have a feeling she’ll up and leave, because she’ll feel as if it’s the right time for her to go. And, yes, she said she wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, but I don’t want her to think she needs to leave, not yet.

“I’ll figure it out.” She heads toward the short line for the gondola again, and I follow her. Even though I want to pull her out of line and stay on the mountain longer, people have begun to recognize me and are pointing me out to their companions, and I don’t want to cause a scene.

Instead, once our turn comes, we get into a gondola. After the door closes and we’re on our way, I turn to face her head-on and ask, “Why don’t you let me help you?”

“Help me with what?”

“Find out what you should be doing, what your next chapter is.”

“Why would you do that?” she asks, her hands gripping the bench tightly as the gondola rocks. I want to pull her into my embrace again, but I also want to talk to her, see her facial reactions, let her see how serious I am.

“Because . . .” I say, the words on the tip of my tongue, but my nerves are shaking from the abrupt one-eighty of our conversation.

“Because why?” she asks.

I pull on the back of my neck. “Because I’m not ready to say goodbye.” I look her in the eyes. “I like you, Winnie. I like hanging out with you. You have nothing pressing to get back to, and you’re trying to figure out what you’re going to do now. Instead of running back home, why don’t you find yourself in the place your mom was born? And let me help you, because despite what you might think, I’m invested now, and I’m not going to let you just walk away as if the last few days haven’t been special.” I scoot forward on the bench and reach for her hand. “I’m telling you right now—I don’t feel this kind of connection with people, but the moment I saw you, I knew there was something special about you and I needed to find out what it is.” When she looks down, I force her to look at me again. “I’m not ready to say goodbye, and I hope you’re not ready either.”

Her teeth roll over her bottom lip as she shakes her head. “I’m not.”

Relief floods me. I can’t be sure why this girl seems so special to me, so important, or why our connection is so strong, but what I do know is that I need more time to figure it all out.

“So, then you’ll stay?”

“Silas—”

“Let me worry about him, okay?” She stays silent, so I add, “He’s going through a rough time. Who knows—maybe you can help him.”

She perks up. “Could you imagine? Wouldn’t that be a turn of events?”

“One I’d be interested in watching.”

“How much longer are you here for?” Winnie asks.

“I was set for a month, but I can come and go as I please. Taters really doesn’t care, even though he likes to act like he does.”

“I think Katherine and Max would kill me if I was gone that long.”

“I’m not saying you have to stay for a month, just . . . stay a little longer. From what you’ve said, it sounds as though you’ve been carrying a heavy heart for a long time. Maybe you take this time to just breathe. To take a second for yourself. We all need those breaks. It’s why we come up here, to just step away and recharge.”

She nods. “I like that. Recharge.”

“Recharge in the place where your mom was born. Reconnect. And who knows?” I smirk. “Maybe you hang out with a hot hockey player while you do it.”

“I do enjoy Eli’s company.” She can’t hold back her smile as her eyes meet mine.

“Such a fucking ball-buster.”

She laughs and I pull her over to my bench. I drape my arm over her shoulder and keep her close. She rests her head against my chest and we travel down the mountain together like this.

I have no idea what’s going to happen, but at least I have the knowledge that this girl isn’t going anywhere any time soon. And for the first time in a week, I don’t feel the same pressing pain at being knocked out of the playoffs. I feel a purpose. Because maybe Winnie Berlin needs someone to help her not only recharge, but move toward her final destination. And maybe that destination will include me.





Chapter Fourteen





WINNIE





“Don’t laugh at me,” I say while pointing my finger at Pacey, who’s carrying our bags.