Snow Angel (36 page)

He shoved off, and she prepared to do the same. From behind her came the sound of someone shouting, and she turned her head at the last minute to look back at the lift operator. The woman waved her arms, as though urging them back to the lift, but it was too late. Melinda had already tipped forward. Her weight shifted, sending her plowing down the slope after Jacob, who was already nothing but a black blur through the snow, though he wasn’t too far ahead yet.

The last thing she heard as she dropped over the edge was, “Mountain closed!”

Crap.

If they’d closed the mountain, that meant only one thing. Visibility had gotten so bad that it was now dangerous to ski, which she could have told them herself. The unexpected storm had become a blizzard.

Trying to stay calm, to focus on Jacob and the terrain, Melinda fought her footing, fought the rising panic. New winds seemed to have sprung up from nowhere, far stronger than any they’d experienced all week, and with no particular direction or pattern. They buffeted her first on one side, then the other, until it was a struggle to remain upright.

The narrow trail boxed her in to such an extent that she could barely turn to control her speed, and the snow flew past faster and faster. Yet no matter how fast she skied, Jacob seemed to get farther and farther ahead, until he was only an indistinct speck at the edge of her vision.

“Okay,” she said aloud, her words whipped away by the winds, “okay, okay, okay. Focus, Mel.”

She talked herself forward, though she didn’t know the trail, didn’t know the terrain. Moguls took her by surprise. So did jumps. She fell once, but managed to stay in her skis by some miracle, and at least the fall slowed her down a bit. With the mountain closed, she didn’t have to worry about anyone crashing into her from behind, either.

It was a small relief.

Her skis caught air down a particularly steep section, and once again she managed to keep her feet upon landing. Just barely. Her depth perception was all screwed up thanks to the snow and the darkened day.

Then the slope narrowed even further, until it became a single-person trail, mountain on one side, trees and a dangerous drop-off on the other. She was going too fast, but there was no way to slow down, no place to stop, no cover. She tucked into her skis to ride it out, body as protected as she could make it, and shot down the path at a breakneck pace, her heart rate matching her headlong flight.

This was insane. Far more than she’d bargained for. The euphoria of the first slopes had long since faded.

Now she simply wanted to survive the mountain.

Melinda flew out of the end of the narrow path. The slope widened out again, and there, finally, was Jacob, waiting for her off to the side. In the driving snow, she might have missed him altogether but for his shout and the waving of his ski poles at the periphery of her vision.

“Thank God,” she said to herself, and plowed to his side of the trail and a bit below him, pulling up short on a tiny strip between two soaring trees. She couldn’t see their tops in the storm.

“Hell of a ride, right?” Jacob said cheerfully, stepping sideways down the mountain to get to her side.

“Right,” she managed. “They closed the mountain.”

“Really? How do you know?”

She told him about the lift operator, and he shrugged.

“I’m not surprised in this weather,” he said. “This might be the worst conditions we’ve ever skied in.”

“I think so,” she said dryly.

“Come here,” he said, and pulled his scarf and several layers down.

More than willing, Melinda freed her own mouth and leaned in for his kiss. It warmed her right down to her toes and up to the top of her head.

“That might hold me ‘til later,” he said an inch from her lips. “Better have one more to be sure.”

She laughed at him, but wrapped her arms around his neck and sank in, disregarding the snow piling up on them both.

“All right,” Jacob said, muffling his face again. “I think we’re close to the level of the first lift, so we’re almost halfway down. You ready?”

Only halfway? Her muscles already quivered with fatigue.

Resigned, Melinda nodded and shoved off after him. At least the lower part of the slope would be somewhat familiar, even if she couldn’t see it.

They shot past the exit for the lower lift a few minutes later. The turnabout tower hulked in the storm, already deserted, eerie looking in the dim light and meager visibility. Security lights glowed above but illuminated nothing through the snow.

The whole trip, from top to bottom, seemed to take hours.

Finally, finally, they made it to the end of the run.

The ski patrol was out in force, checking people in as they came off the various slopes, making sure everyone who’d been out when the storm broke was accounted for. Melinda wanted nothing more than to collapse in a heap at their feet.

Instead, she followed Jacob around to the lodge and headed into the women’s locker room to drag off her outer layers and put on her after-snow boots, which were lovely and toasty on her half-frozen feet.

Staring at herself in the mirror as she tended to her hair, she couldn’t help grinning at her reflection. She’d done it. She’d taken that mountain, had done even more than she’d anticipated, and checked one huge fear mostly off her list today. Maybe her heights phobia wasn’t magically cured, but she’d beaten another level.

Pride swam through her system, along with a surprising jolt of purely sexual energy that made her want to find Jacob and throw him down on the ground to have her way with him right that minute.

Down, girl
, she told herself, though her grin in the mirror stayed sharp and wicked.

Conquering the mountain left only her relationship with Jacob remaining on the list of major fears to tackle.

Surely one a day was sufficient.

Once they got home, away from the party atmosphere of vacation and the nonstop togetherness with so many people, they’d have time to be together, alone, and figure everything out.

She hoped.

Finished fussing, Melinda met Jacob in the main room. She sat beside him on the edge of the fireplace, waving to the rest of their group, who were crammed together over several tables and inter-mixed with strangers.

All of the tables and chairs were already full of skiers waiting to see if the storm would pass by, but she didn’t mind. The closer they sat to the fire, the better, at least until her frozen muscles thawed.

Jacob had already ordered hot tea for them both and handed her a large, red ceramic mug with the lodge’s logo on the side. She breathed in the steam, then drank deep, relishing the heat as the liquid spread its warm glow through her belly.

“Thanks,” she said, trying not to visibly shiver when he sneakily danced his hand over her knee.

“Welcome,” he said, and grinned roguishly.

Who needed tea or fire when Jacob was around? One touch, and her whole body went volcanic.

Jacob’s eyes twinkled as he studied her over the rim of his own mug. He knew exactly what he was doing to her with his playful fingers.

“So…” he said, giving her knee one more squeeze, then removing his hand so she could breathe normally. “What did you think?”

Melinda took a very deliberate breath to settle the butterflies he’d set winging around her belly with a simple stroke.

“I think I kicked that phobia’s ass,” she said, and clinked mugs with him when Jacob cheered her. “And I think I’ll wait to tackle those expert runs again on a clear day.”

He laughed. “Sounds reasonable.”

“Jacob?” A small, elderly woman interrupted them, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Neta!” Jacob said in surprise, and jumped up to kiss the woman on her wrinkled cheek. Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, he turned to Melinda. “Neta, this is Melinda Honeywell. Melinda, Neta Smalls. She’s the woman I, uh—”

“Bowled over with his charm,” Neta broke in smoothly, casting an amused glance at Jacob, who flushed. “It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Honeywell.” She smiled at Melinda, then turned her bright eyes on Jacob. “Is she the one, young man?”

“Yes, ma’am, she is,” he said.

“The one what?” Melinda asked.

Neta merely smiled again at Jacob. “Excellent choice,” she said. “I do hope you’ll keep in touch and let me know how things are going. You have my email?”

“I do.”

“Good, good. I’d hoped to see you once more before leaving.” She lifted a cheek imperiously for him to kiss again. “Clyde and I are heading out tomorrow morning, and I wanted to say goodbye, and not to worry. You’re going to go far, I know it.”

“Thank you, Neta. It was great, um, meeting you,” Jacob said a bit awkwardly, no doubt thinking of the way he’d met her, crash landing on the slope.

“It was a real pleasure,” she answered with a saucy grin. “It’s not every day a handsome young man knocks me on my ass.”

Jacob coughed explosively to cover his shocked snicker. Neta merely patted his arm.

“Now, enjoy the rest of your time,” she said, “and take good care of this young lady.”

She winked and was gone, before Jacob could say, “I will.”

“Wow,” Melinda said. “She doesn’t mess around, does she?”

“I told you she was a spitfire,” Jacob said with a chuckle. “Lucky for me.”

Melinda looked at him, seeing the shame and worry lurking in the backs of his eyes, despite his smile.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

He stared at her for a long minute before nodding his head. “I do, actually, but not now. When we get home, okay? I have a few things to work out, and I’d like your input.”

“Okay,” she said. That wasn’t the response she’d been expecting, but he seemed all right, so she let it go for now.

“Thanks.”

“So now what?” she asked. “Will they open the lifts again, do you think?”

“They’re still saying this storm’s going to blow through. I don’t know. It looks pretty fierce out there.”

“Felt pretty fierce out there.”

“Too right,” he agreed. “You know what else feels pretty fierce?”

Her eyes caught by the flames dancing in his, Melinda shook her head.

Jacob leaned closer so he could whisper in her ear, making her shiver. “This need I have to kiss you until you melt. Right here, right now.”

Her breath caught on a tiny moan. “Jake…”

He laughed again and stroked a hand down her freshly-braided hair. “The first chance I get,” he said, and his eyes made it a promise.

“The first chance
I
get,” she corrected him.

She smiled when the flames in his eyes flared brighter.

CHAPTER THIRTY

As it turned out, the storm did not blow through, and after having an early lunch at the lodge and waiting through conflicting weather reports, their group agreed to call it good, head back to the condo, and start packing for their departure the next day.

Just as well, Melinda decided. Her muscles still quivered with the stress and exertion of that last run.

Luckily, they’d chowed most of their food items, as usual, so there wouldn’t be much to organize in the kitchen once they got through the last day’s snacks, dinner, and breakfast the next morning.

She and Jacob escaped the chaos of the rest of the condo to pack up their belongings in the loft.

They engaged in idle chatter, perhaps threaded with a little nervous laughter. Perhaps flirting a bit more than usual, and maybe a bit more meaningfully. It was all essentially normal, though the underlying, deeply sexual tension kept her pulse rate deliciously high.

They snuck in a few quick kisses, too, when they were sure no one would come up and discover them. There was so much going on that they didn’t risk it often.

Once they were finished packing, they headed back downstairs to help everyone else finish up. With all of them pitching in, it didn’t take long to load what could be pre-loaded into the cars and to set the two condos to rights, with everything ready for a quick escape in the morning.

Just before dinner, Melinda took a final armload downstairs. She stretched her hand forward to pull the door into the garage all the way open, as someone had left it ajar, but stopped when she heard her name.

“Rick said Mel seemed worried about it,” a masculine voice said from the other side of the door. Danny, she thought.

“Worried? Why?” Eddie’s voice, sounding surprised.

“What happens if they break up and blah blah,” Danny answered. “With the families and everything.”

“Girls,” said Gabe with a snort, and she could hear the eye roll in his voice.

“Well,” Eddie said in his reflective way, “it makes sense. It’s a big change, and not only for them. What did Rick say?”

“The same thing I’m going to tell her the next time I get her by herself,” Danny answered. “We’ll deal. We’re all family, Jake included, and if they don’t work out, they don’t work out. Family doesn’t change.”

“I don’t think it’s gonna be an issue,” Gabe said. “I didn’t see it initially, but…”

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “They’ll be good together, as long as…”

“As long as what?” Gabe asked when Eddie broke off.

“Hm?” Eddie asked. “Oh, nothing. Nothing.”

From her spot behind the door, Melinda frowned, but the guys were still speaking.

“Besides, if Jake hurts her the way that dickhead Mitch did—” Danny began.

“—they’ll never find his body,” Gabe finished.

Eddie snorted. “He won’t.”

“Well, girls, now that Mel’s love life is settled…” Gabe trailed off and there came the sound of a trunk slamming. “I’m ready for a beer. You?”

Amused, touched, comforted, Melinda made a production of opening the door before they could get there and catch her eavesdropping.

Handing over the last bag, she beamed a smile at each of them, and when they came upstairs, she had their beers already open and waiting.

Following recent, sad tradition, once the chores were done, everyone gathered around the kitchen table in a loose circle prior to their final evening meal of the trip. Karen, Lois, and Nancy poured drinks and passed them around. Once they each had a glass, Bill cleared his throat and drew everyone’s attention his way, as it was his turn to give the toast.

“Tonight is January second,” he began. “In a perfect world, we’d be celebrating a twenty-first birthday right now. A bright young man would be having his first taste of alcohol—or his first legal one, at least.”

Bill paused to allow the low chuckles and a few sniffles to subside. “He should be here. Making our lives, and so many others, better because of his company. Instead, here we are, missing him, as we have every day since his passing. Wishing more than anything that he were still here with us, instead of looking out for us from above. A moment of silence, please.”

Bowing her head along with everyone else’s, Melinda sought blindly for Jacob’s hand, comforted when his fingers clasped hers, strong and steady and warm, though they both sniffed deeply to hold back tears.

When the moment had passed, Bill said, “Thank you,” and everyone raised their heads, all eyes a touch brighter than they’d been. “Raise your glasses.”

Around the circle, every glass lifted, and they moved closer to each other instinctively, free arms around each other so that everyone was joined, a unit.

“To Seth,” Bill said, raising his glass yet higher. “May he ever dance with the angels and keep the Lord laughing with all his best jokes.”

“To Seth,” they echoed, and clinked glasses all around before drinking to their friend’s memory.

Parents hugged children, and children hugged friends and cousins. Someone turned the music on, and gradually everyone began talking again.

As she always did, Melinda found a reason to lock herself in the bathroom for a quick, hard cry, and her own prayer for Seth. Then she fixed her makeup, smoothed her hair, and rejoined the group, with an extra hug for Jacob.

Uncle Allan brought out his deck of cards and performed a few new magic tricks he’d learned over Christmas—one of his favorite activities—and had them all exclaiming over his sleight of hand.

The guys went with their fallback conversation, arguing over sports, and the noise level rose back to normal, if a bit subdued.

Though the week had been a lot of fun overall, and she was in no particular hurry to get back to real life, Melinda’s heart lifted at the thought of going home. With their friends and family all around, the strain of concealing her feelings for Jacob wore continually on her nerves.

She wanted normalcy and privacy to clear her mind and heart, and she wanted real time alone with Jacob. The best she could hope for at the moment was a quick snuggle and a lengthy kiss before bed.

Their final night of vacation could not come to a close soon enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dinner consisted of leftovers and snacks, but nobody complained. Jacob scrounged enough cold cuts to make a decent hero sandwich, shared a last bag of chips with Melinda, and let her talk him into splitting a brownie, too, since Eddie snagged the next-to-last one before Melinda could hold him off with her fiercely-wielded fork.

Afterward, they sprawled over the condo floor and furniture to watch a movie—
Twister
this time, in honor of the day’s blizzard.

When the credits rolled, bodies shifted and stretched in preparation for heading to bed.

Jacob waggled his eyebrows at Melinda behind her dad’s back and made her blush. He grinned at her reddening cheeks, hoping their desires were well aligned, because he knew exactly what he wanted to do as soon as they got up to the loft.

“Hey, I forgot,” Wendell said to the room at large, “do we have dates for camping yet? My mom called earlier. My cousin’s getting married in Connecticut at the end of June, and I have to go.”

“We’re looking at a couple options,” Melinda’s Uncle Allan said, mid-stretch so that his voice went up three octaves at the end. “Everyone’s calendars get trickier every year, but sometime in July, most likely.”

“July?” Eddie said. “Won’t Jake be gone al—”

Jacob slanted Eddie a fierce look, cutting him off mid-word.

“Uh, that is…” Eddie tried to change tack, apology all over his face.

Too late.

Lois looked between the two of them, her eyebrows raised into her hairline. Jacob hunched his shoulders, dreaming of a hasty retreat as his mom pinned him in place with her patented Shrink Stare. But it was the look in Melinda’s eyes, the sudden stillness of her body, that made his feet feel rooted to the spot.

“Gone?” Lois said. “Gone where? Why? What’s going on?”

Shit, shit, shit.

So much for telling Melinda in private. So much for telling her
first
, so she didn’t hear about it this way, in front of the entire freaking group. For a usually quiet guy, Eddie had sure picked a winning moment to flap some loose lips.

Goddamn it.

Sighing, Jacob ran a hand through his hair. There was nothing to do now but toss his cards down and hope it didn’t cost him the jackpot.

Low voiced, Eddie said, “Hey, sorry, man. I didn’t mean to—”

Jacob jumped up from the couch and clapped Eddie on the shoulder.

“It’s all right,” Jacob said. “I should’ve said something before now.”

Moving in front of the TV, he clasped his hands in front of himself, bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet while he tried to think of the right words to say. The weight of every eye in the room seemed to press down on his shoulders.

“Okay,” he began. “I have sort of an announcement to make.”

Melinda raised her eyebrows at him, but he couldn’t quite meet her gaze. He stared at a spot beyond her left temple instead.

The rest of their party glanced around at each other and at him again before settling back into their places, faces lifted to his expectantly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

What was going on? Was this the secret he’d been keeping? Melinda’s stomach plunged to her toes. She frowned at him and opened her mouth to say something, she had no idea what, but Jacob finally caught her eye and gave a small hand gesture, waving her quiet.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she dropped back into her seat. She crossed her legs, too, for good measure, then realized she was bouncing them the way Jacob did when he was stressed and forced herself to stop.

“Jacob?” Lois said, staring at her son when he remained silent, frowning at his hands.

Finally, he lifted his head and looked straight at his mother, as though no one else was in the room, though he addressed them all.

“I’ve been sitting on some news,” he began. “I wanted to wait until after the trip, but this is just as well. It’s probably the last time we’ll all be in one spot for a while, and I wanted to tell everyone together, anyway. So…”

Melinda tensed as though waiting for an axe to slice her heart in two. What was this secret and why had he been hiding it for so long?

“I’ve been talking with some people at UC Irvine over the past six months or so,” he said, “and they encouraged me to apply for a couple of new opportunities—some internships and stuff.”

Frowning, Melinda stared at him, more confused than ever. School stuff? Why did he seem so nervous?

Jacob cleared his throat. “I got accepted to all of them—”

“Oh, Jake, that’s fantastic, congratulations!” Lois said.

All signs of maternal concern had vanished. She clapped her hands, beaming around at them all in delight. Jacob held up a hand.

“The first thing is—well, if it’s okay with you guys,” he said, looking at his parents, “I know it’s more money, but if we can swing it, I’ll be transferring to Irvine in the fall.”

Melinda gasped, but Bill and Lois’s exclamations of pleasure and pride in their son buried the sound. He wasn’t going back to Fullerton for their senior year?

Irvine wasn’t that far, really, but…

He wouldn’t be on campus.

Or in the local coffee shops.

She wouldn’t see him every day, or be able to pop into his place whenever she wanted.

And he was doing this
now
, just when they were… were…

God.

Her throat felt tight, like she couldn’t quite swallow past the lump inside. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from crying, she stared hard at Jacob’s face, ignoring the looks Christian and Rick tossed her way. She had a feeling Jacob’s opening words were only the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s sort of late to transfer, isn’t it?” Danny asked.

Gabe said, “Won’t you lose credits?”

Waggling his head from side to side, Jacob said, “Not exactly. I mean, yes, but that’s where the rest comes in. They’re really mixing things up over there, very forward thinking, trying new ways of educating their premed and medical students, turning out doctors with a lot of extra experience and training.”

“Dude, that’s so cool,” Wendell put in.

Melinda glanced once at Eddie, but he only frowned at the tip of his foot where it dug a pattern into the carpet, clearly regretting opening his mouth.

“What’s the rest?” Uncle Allan wanted to know.

“The internships. One this summer, one next, plus a short one over break next Christmas. They’re taking really small groups of premed students overseas, in teams, to shadow their top doctors. We’ll get field experience in hospitals all over the globe and in clinics in remote areas that are medically underserved.”