“So really? You’ve never been snowboarding?” Bianca asked, forcing him to look back at her eyes as big and as inquisitive as ever.

Gio smiled. “Nope. The most I’ve ever done in the snow is tubing.” Incredibly, her eyes opened even wider and he was suddenly feeling nervous about snowboarding. Visions of him falling flat on his ass came to him and he was not looking forward to that. Not in front of Bianca. “Maybe snowboarding is not such a good idea.”

“Don’t be silly. I can teach you.” Her eyes were full of all kinds of excitement and as nervous as Gio was, he still couldn’t wipe the goofy smile off his face.

Amparo set his waffles down in front of him. Gio grabbed a banana from the fruit basket Amparo had set on the table earlier and sliced it over his waffles. He glanced up to see Bianca watching him. Their eyes met and she smiled. How could something as simple as a smile be so breathtaking?

“Yeah,” Ray said, setting his coffee cup down. “It’s a little tricky at first but once you get the hang of it you should be good. It’s addicting, actually.”

“You guys coming too?” Gio asked, glancing from Ray to Ignacio.

They both shook their heads immediately. “Not today,” Ray said. “We still have a lot of shoveling to do in the back. That part of the complex piles up the fastest and takes the longest to thaw out. With this storm not letting up we can’t let that go. The gym entrance will be buried shut before we know it.”

Gio frowned. “Then maybe I should stay and help, too.”

“Stop trying to get out of it, Gio,” Bianca’s smirk teased. “You’re going.”

Ignacio didn’t even try to hide his amused expression as if he agreed with Bianca’s assumption of why Gio was offering to help. “We got it, man. We use the plows, too. Piece of cake.”

After breakfast, Bianca instructed him on what he’d need to wear. Everything he needed was hanging in his closet for him. He even found a season pass to the ski lift they’d be going to in the pocket of his snow pants. With a sticky note stuck to it.

Get ready for the snow bunnies. =)

Gio smiled remembering the conversation he’d had with Felix when Gio called him to tell him he’d decided to take him on his offer. Felix told him he was looking forward to reconnecting with his best bud.

This was an easy one to figure out. While Felix had always said he’d done some of his best sparring with Gio, Felix didn’t really need him to train. He’d won a world championship without him; why would he need him now? And he most certainly didn’t need to be paying him. Felix acted like Gio was doing him a favor. Clearly, it was the other way around. Gio should be paying Felix for this two-month vacation. Here he was on day two of his job and he’d be spending the day on the slopes with a full season pass. He knew this was just the beginning too. Judging from his living arrangements and last night’s lavish dinner, not to mention this morning’s breakfast, the next two months he’d be living high on the hog. And all because his buddy was worried about him.

He thought of the annoyance he’d felt last night with Felix then as he walked out of his room and Bianca’s bright smile greeted him. Noah’s words rang loudly in his conscience. Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet.

Noah was right. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Felix had a good heart and he wasn’t stupid. There’s no way he could be taking someone like Bianca for granted.

As Bianca approached him, still sporting her beautifully fresh no-makeup look, he breathed in a little easier. She had to be the girl Felix had referred to as the one he could be falling for.

“The driveway is plowed and the driver is waiting for us outside,” she announced cheerfully. “You ready?”

Gio looked down at himself in his snowboarding gear and then back up at her. “I guess so.”

“You look good,” she smiled, looking him over.

Their eyes met and her cheery smile lost some of its brightness for just an instant then she was back. “Don’t worry. I promise to get you back here in one piece.”

“Who’s worried?” He laughed nervously which only made her giggle.

Great, the giggling was already starting and he hadn’t even stepped onto the snowboard.

~*~

Determined to make the best of another day of waiting for Felix, Bianca decided she’d be positive about this and try to enjoy herself. So far, Gio had been pleasant enough company, and he was certainly nice to look at. She giggled inwardly biting her lower lip and pretending the scenery out the window at that particular moment was especially interesting.

“They have beginner trails, right?”

Bianca turned back to see Gio’s nervous face, his green eyes momentarily veiled under a slow blink of long lashes. Geez, what she’d give to have lashes as heavy as his. She reached out and squeezed his arm. “Yes, they do. Don’t worry I’ll take it easy on you.” She smiled reassuringly. “Felix was the same way when he first started. Even with all the traveling he’d never really hit the slopes so he was just as nervous but after a few runs he got it.”

Gio returned the smile, nodding, but he didn’t seem completely convinced. When they reached the lift, Gio appeared even more apprehensive. His green eyes nearly went gray as he stared up at the massive mountain they’d be lifted up to.

The pensiveness Bianca had noticed on their drive there was now replaced with what could only be described as sheer panic. “We’re not going up there, are we?”