Page 83 of Rise After Fall

“It must be hard to separate yourself from your past when it follows you around like that,” he notes.

“You have no idea,” I admit.

“How about you and I blow everyone off and sneak away early?” he suggests.

I laugh. “How would we manage that?” I ask.

He thinks for a moment.

“I could cause a distraction while you make your way down to the game room. I’ll meet you down there, and we’ll go out the side door that leads to the garage. Garrett has snowmobiles in there. We’ll snag one and take off down the mountain. They’ll never be able to catch us.”

I glance over my shoulder to see Tobias watching us closely.

“Tempting,” I whisper.

He moves in and wraps his arms around me from behind, and I stiffen.

“Just say the word,” he mutters into my hair.

I shrug him off and turn. I smile up at him. “Maybe we can take a ride through the snow when they leave?”

“Anything you want,” he agrees.

I lay my hand on his chest for a brief moment, absorbing his strength, and then I walk back over to rejoin the group.

He follows.

We say our good-byes, and Hilton, Morris’s dad, loads us into his truck and drops us off at the hotel.

“Zoey, would you please stay the night with us? We have plenty of room,” Mom pleads.

“I’ll stay for a while, but I need to get back home and go over the school schedule for the weekend,” I say.

“Surely, it can wait until tomorrow,” Tobias says.

My gaze snaps to him. “No, it can’t. It’s an important weekend for Langford. I want to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be a success,” Dad says as he comes and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Come, and I’ll open a bottle of wine. We’ll have a nightcap, and I’ll walk you home.”

We have a drink, and Mom talks about the possibility of them and Patrick coming to Tennessee the week of Christmas.

I inform them of Garrett’s wedding and the fact that the entire hotel has been rented for his guests.

“Oh, maybe we should come the week before Christmas,” she suggests.

“I’ll be so busy,” I say.

Her face falls.

I reach over and take her hand.

“I’m still coming home for New Year’s. It’s only two more weeks of waiting,” I remind her.

She gives me a tight smile. “I kind of wanted to spend some more time with the Tuttles. Is that weird?”

“Not at all. They are infectious,” I say.

Once our glasses are empty, I stand. “I’m going to go. I’ll see you all on the slopes in the morning. I have lift tickets for you all. Just swing by my office to pick them up.”