Page 1 of It’s Me, but Different (Merriweather Sisters #3)

Sloane

“I wouldn't ask if it wasn't absolutely necessary,” Anika insists, shrugging her shoulders.

“You really want me to believe there's not a single ski instructor available to teach this lesson?” I protest, shaking my head before taking another sip of coffee.

“Nobody, all busy or sick,” my sister River rushes to answer, maybe too quickly. “Besides, do you have something important to do that you can't teach the lesson?”

“I run the ski school and only teach advanced lessons. I don't teach little kids,” I remind her.

For a moment, I'm convinced they'll leave me alone.

They stay silent, but there's such obvious complicity between them that it makes me smile.

A few months ago, both of them were going through a crisis in their lives.

Anika had just separated from her ex, sold her company, and was immersed in a very complicated divorce.

And River... River started realizing she wanted something more in her life. Now, they practically shine with happiness every time they're together.

“Okay, can you explain what you're plotting?” I complain when I see them starting to whisper to each other.

“Plotting? Us?” River tries to act innocent, but this is starting to be too obvious.

“Really, Sloane, you have to teach that new guest's kids. It's very important,” Anika insists.

I arch an eyebrow.

“A guest? You're acting very suspicious.”

River glances sideways, as if looking for support from Anika.

“We offered her a special promotional package and...”

“A promotional package that I don't think includes ski lessons with me, right? Besides, we usually make those offers for big corporate clients or newlyweds. A woman with two kids doesn't seem usual. And why are you two handling this? Shouldn't this be Penny's job in sales?”

“Come on, Sloane, after all the trouble it took us to find her,” River says, immediately receiving an elbow to the ribs from her girlfriend.

“Okay, that's enough, damn it. I want you to tell me what's happening once and for all or get out of here and let me drink my coffee in peace,” I demand, giving a small slap on the table.

“Very well, very well, what a temper...” Anika nods. “Do you remember all those nights we talked about regrets? You always tell me there's someone you can't forget and you regret letting her go.”

I let out a long sigh. That happened a long time ago, but it still hurts every day.

“Yeah, I remember it well.”

My sister River seems both excited and regretful.

“I might have asked in some Facebook groups of alumni from your university, trying to locate her,” she admits with a sigh.

“Find her? Find who?”

“Look, don't get angry, because we did this for your own good. I know it might sound a bit crazy, but we located her contact information. We presented Silver Peaks as the perfect vacation place. We sent photos, reviews, and a ridiculously good price.”

“Absolutely, ridiculously good,” Anika confirms.

I stay quiet for a few moments, trying to process what these two are trying to explain to me.

“Are you telling me you found Esme Torres and invited her here? I don't believe it. She would never accept an invitation signed by a Merriweather. And she knows you well, Anika; you were the one who introduced her to me in college.”

My sister simply shrugs.

“Julie signed the offer. Don't get like that; we thought maybe she could use a break. That girl has been through a lot, Sloane. Two years ago, she lost her husband in a climbing accident.”

I almost drop my coffee cup when I hear her words.

“She lost her husband?”

“Yes. She has eight-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. This vacation could be perfect for those kids. She doesn't know you'll be here, or that the resort belongs to our family.”

“That's why Julie signed the offer,” Anika clarifies.

“But look, if you don't feel like seeing her, that's fine, we understand.

This place is very big; maybe you won't run into each other at any point.

Of course, then I don't want you coming around like a lost soul, complaining that you let her escape eleven years ago.

If you're not willing to do anything to get her back now, I don't want to hear it,” she adds with a snort.

I blink rapidly, trying to take in the whole situation. Esme, now widowed with two small children, accepting a special offer to come to Silver Peaks, not knowing I'm part of the package.

“You've lost your minds. And you're also idiots,” I protest, putting my hands to my head.

Before they can defend themselves, I shift my gaze toward the equipment rental area and see a dark-haired woman kneeling in the snow.

She's trying to steady two small children who are wobbling on skis.

The girl beside her laughs. She looks a lot like Esme.

The same big brown eyes, the same high cheekbones.

The boy looks like someone else. Like a life she built without me.

I struggle to keep my eyes from filling with tears as I remember that sophomore student Anika introduced me to in college.

I was the star of the ski team, with my dorm shelves fuller of trophies than books and an Olympic dream burning strong in my heart. We spent two wonderful years until one night, under the stars, she admitted she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me, and I got too nervous.

Besides, I had an Olympic medal to win.

I regret that decision so much…

Without saying a single word, I get up and walk toward them. The boy leans to one side and falls to the ground with a sharp cry. Before I know it, I'm kneeling beside him.

“Easy there, champ, you'll see how soon you'll be gliding down the slopes effortlessly,” I assure him.

He looks at me with wide eyes, his cheeks red from the cold.

“I… I lost my balance,” he confesses, almost embarrassed.

“That happens to the best of us. By the way, I'll be your ski instructor from now on.”

Then I hear her voice.

“Theo, are you okay?” she asks with concern.

She still has that soft Texas accent that drove me crazy when we were in college. She kneels next to her son without noticing my presence until she makes sure the little one hasn't hurt himself.

“Sloane?” she sighs suddenly.

“Hi, Esme,” I greet, not really knowing what to say, and my heart beats so hard I'm almost sure she can hear it.

She gets up slowly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She's just as beautiful as I remembered. More mature, of course, the faint lines near her eyes speak of laughter and tears, but she's the Esme I remember. The one I'm still in love with.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she growls, putting her arms on her hips.

The boy stands up, brushing snow off his pants, and looks at me curiously.

“Mom?”

Esme looks away from me, focusing on her son.

“This is Miss Merriweather. She… We met in college.”

Her chosen words hurt me.

“Are you going to tell me what the hell you're doing here?” she insists, addressing me again.

“It's one of my family's hotels,” I admit in a whisper.

“Yeah, right. I should have figured. An offer too good to refuse.

You've sunk pretty low this time, Sloane.

You must be very proud of taking advantage of my financial needs to bring me here with a special offer.

Insisting on activities for the kids was too cruel a blow.

You knew that after everything they've been through with their father, I couldn't deny them a few days of vacation, right? I expected anything from you, but I never thought you could go this far,” she spits, giving me a look full of hate.

“I swear I had nothing to do with that,” I confess, lowering my voice when I see her anger.

“Now you're a liar too? We're leaving, kids. We're going home,” she orders, and my heart breaks when I see the little ones' faces when they hear her words.