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He very, very slowly moved toward me—

  Stephanie opened her door and I jerked back so fast that I nearly gave myself whiplash. Until that moment I hadn’t even realized that I’d moved toward Jude.

  “Oh, hey,” Stephanie said. “I thought I heard you.”

  What could she have heard? We’d been quiet, talking low.

  “I’m sorry. We were trying to be quiet.”

  “It wouldn’t have taken much. I can’t sleep.”

  She plopped down on the couch right between Jude and me—as though there was room between us for someone to sit.

  She released a burdensome sigh. “My best friend called tonight. She’s getting married.”

  “Isn’t that cause for celebration?” Jude asked.

  She scoffed. “You’d think. But she wants to get married in June and I wanted to go to Europe in June.”

  Over her head, Jude and I exchanged glances. She was losing sleep over this?

  “So…go in July,” I suggested.

  “I guess that would work. It’s just not what I was planning.”

  “You could skip the wedding.”

  She looked at me as though she wanted to ask what planet I came from. “I’m the maid of honor. And that’s another thing. The groom’s brother is going to be the best man. And he’s an old boyfriend, so that is going to be totally awkward.”

  She turned her attention to Jude. “What do you think I should do?”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure I see what the problem is.”

  “I thought you’d be different because you’re from Australia. But I guess guys everywhere are the same.”

  She sat there, staring at the turned-off TV, as though she had no plans of ever leaving, which left things up to me.

  I gave an exaggerated yawn. “Well, guess since this is Jude’s bed, and it’s after three in the morning, we should get to ours.”

  I got up. When she didn’t move, I nudged her shoulder. “Come on, Stephanie.”

  She got up, none too happily it appeared, and shuffled back to her bedroom. Then she waited in the doorway for me to make my exit.

  “Night, Jude,” I said.

  “G’night.”

  I walked to my bedroom, stood in the doorway, and looked at Stephanie. Like characters in a romantic comedy both after the same guy, we watched each other as we went into our rooms and closed the door.

  “What was that all about?” I murmured as I crawled into bed.

  I reached over and turned out the lamp.

  When I went to sleep, I dreamed that I was at the spa getting my massage. The massage therapist spoke with an Aussie accent. Probably because he wasn’t Hans.

  He was Jude.

  Chapter 7

  “Okay, so spill it. What is the real deal with you and the hot Aussie?”

  Mel’s question immediately destroyed the Zen state I’d achieved during the incredible massage that Levy—not Hans, not Jude—had delivered. Ladies with names that I forgot had handled the nail treatments and facials. After enjoying finger sandwiches, we were now in the sauna and I was beginning to think that I probably didn’t have any bones remaining in my body.

  Suddenly I went all stiff and sat up, surprised I didn’t pull a muscle. “What do you mean?”

  “Duh. The two of you last night? The kiss he gave you before he headed for the slopes?”

  “It was a kiss on the cheek. It’s what Aussies do.”

  “Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure. It’s only a matter of time before that kiss lands on your mouth—if it hasn’t already.”

  I adjusted the towel wrapped around me. I felt very exposed. “You think?”

  “I’m really not being judgmental here, but is it fair to Rick—”

  “We’re not together,” I blurted.

  “I know that. He’s in Australia, but that doesn’t mean—”

  “No, no.” I took a deep breath. “We sorta temporarily broke up.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, then reflected concern, as though she couldn’t figure out what she should be feeling or what her reaction should be. “When? Why? Why didn’t you say something? And what do you mean temporarily? You either broke up or you didn’t.”

  I shrugged, turned my back into the corner, and brought my feet up to the wooden bench, tucking the towel where it needed tucking to keep me from flashing anyone. Three other women were in the sauna but they were on the other side, far enough away not to hear our conversation.

  “It was right before finals. I didn’t say anything because honestly I felt like a failure. My parents met in middle school, have been together forever. Rick was my first boyfriend and I got it wrong. I’m starting to think I got it very badly wrong.”

  She angled her head thoughtfully. “He was never good enough for you anyway.”

  I groaned. “See. That’s another reason I didn’t want to say anything. Because we might get back together, and if you say stuff like that, it’ll make it awkward to hang out with you.”

  “Okay, I won’t say anything.” Silence resulted for all of three seconds. “I have to say, if you don’t mind me saying, that’s a half-assed breakup, and they never come to any good. You should make a clean break. Call him in Australia and tell him it’s over. Then you can concentrate on Jude.”

  Sighing, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, desperate to reclaim the calm.

  “There’s nothing wrong with a relationship not being forever,” Mel said quietly. “A lot can be said for a relationship that’s for now.”

  I opened my eyes. “Is that what you and Boomer have? A for-now thing?”

  “Probably not. I mean, I’m seriously nuts about the guy. But you and Jude…you like him, right?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “It’s obvious he likes you.”

  “But he doesn’t take anything seriously.”

  “Unlike you, who takes everything way too seriously.”

  I gave her a rueful grin. “He’s only here for a short time. It doesn’t make sense to get…involved. It just seems like he’s a heartbreak waiting to happen.”

  “So you’re just going to be his—what? Tour guide?”

  She said it as though it was a thought too disgusting to even contemplate.

  “I don’t know, Mel. I guess I’ve always expected to have what my parents had—you meet the guy and it’s forever.”

  “Nice fairy tale. And I’m not knocking it. It’s just that if the prince turns out to be a frog, it might be worth it to have a little while with another prince, just to keep things in perspective.”

  A little while was all we had time for since the three of us had to get to work that evening. Mel and I were sitting in front of the massive fireplace in the lodge lobby, roasting our toes, when the guys caught up with us.

  Jude dropped down on the coffee table in front of me. I wasn’t sure if his huge smile was a result of seeing me or a reflection of the fun he’d had on the slopes. Things between us weren’t awkward but there was an awareness now that I wasn’t quite sure how to handle. All morning we’d been surreptitiously glancing at each other as though we were fencing, waiting for the other person to make the first move.

  I smiled in response to his. “How’d it go?”

  “It totally rocked. You and I should give it a go sometime.”

  “He caught on really fast,” Boomer said, before I could respond. He was sitting on the arm of Mel’s chair, leaning toward her as though he really just wanted to curl around her.

  “Really?” I teased, making it sound like I thought it improbable. Anything to keep the conversation going while I tried to figure out my next move.

  “Oh yeah. It’s all about keeping your balance, isn’t it? Like surfing. Although actually, surfing is a little less dependable because you’re always at the mercy of the waves. You never know what they’ll do. Here you have a trail.”

  “I thought you only couch surfed,” I joked.

  “Nah, I’m all about catching the waves. Well, that and scuba diving. To be honest, anythi