After the introductions Bianca’s mother signed something to Bianca pointing at her own eyes then at Gio. A shy smile spread across Bianca’s face. “She says you have beautiful eyes.”

“Thank you,” Gio nodded toward her mom. She smiled brightly and though her eyes weren’t nearly as big as Bianca’s, Gio could see where Bianca got her happy demeanor.

“So, where’s Felix?” her grandmother asked.

It was quick. Almost like a flinch and if Gio could stop gazing at her for even a second he might have missed it. But now Bianca hid the initial effect the question had on her. She spoke as casually as ever. “He’s stuck down the hill. The highway is closed off and the airport isn’t cleared for any landings.” She turned back to face Gio with a small smile. “He’s keeping me company in the meantime.”

Her grandmother peered at him over her glasses. “And how is she doing Gio? She showing you the sights of our little town?”

Gio nodded and was sure his smile came across much bigger than he first intended it to be. “Actually, I thought she was the one keeping me company. But yes, she’s showing me around and even though I’ve been up here a few times before I never realized how beautiful this little town is.”

Her grandmother smiled proudly, taking the glasses off and letting them hang from her neck. “It’s pretty all year round up here but this is when it’s almost magical. Something about the purity of freshly fallen snow does things to the soul and boy, did we get some last night.”

Bianca’s mom’s hands moved quickly signing something at her. Bianca spoke the words almost as if by habit, “The snow even has a healing power.”

“Yeah, that too,” her grandmother agreed. “It’s a very powerful thing.” She turned back to Bianca. “How long will Felix be? I’m not kidding about the allure fresh snow has on people. That boy is nuts leaving you to entertain such a good looking friend in this kind of weather.”

“Nana!” Both her grandmother and mother burst out laughing at the sight of Bianca’s immediately flushed face.

Gio had to smirk but only until he was caught in her grandmother’s twinkling but knowing eyes. What was it about grandmothers? He’d been in her sights under five minutes and already she knew what he’d been trying to suppress all day? Maybe he was that obvious or maybe she just knew how adorably irresistible her granddaughter was. Whatever it was, what she didn’t know was that even if Gio ever stood a chance with Bianca and God help him, as tempting as that would be, moving in on a friend’s girl was a line he knew he’d never cross.

He turned to look at Bianca’s still horrified expression. And here he thought there was nothing that wouldn’t make her crack up. Her grandmother’s laugh was down to a chuckle. “Oh, come on. You know I’m only playing.”

Gio glanced back in time to catch her grandmother wink at Bianca. He wasn’t sure what or if that meant anything and he certainly wasn’t asking. As curious as it made him, one thing he’d just realized was that he didn’t like seeing Bianca upset or even uncomfortable. She was born to be happy and carefree and at the moment she looked anything but. “So this is it, uh?” He looked around in an attempt to change the subject and to his relief that beautiful smile was back on Bianca’s face.

“Yeah, this is it. Our little shop. C’mon I’ll show you around.”

It was a cute little place. Exactly what he pictured with the exception of the corner of the shop she called the library. They had shelves full of books, a table with a couple of carafes of coffee and cups and a cheery sign that read ‘Help yourself!’ Then there were comfortable chairs and a sofa strategically placed to face the picturesque window. “We’re all insatiable readers.” Bianca explained. “My grandma thought it’d be nice to have a reading area for the customers to sit and read by the window. We actually have regulars that do just that. They come in, grab a cup of coffee and read for a couple of hours. And I’ve spent many an hour on that sofa myself reading away.”

That made her smile as if she’d just told him she had her own carousel. She was something else and he was probably thinking about it too hard. Because he was suddenly imagining himself with her on that reading sofa only what he was imagining doing to her wasn’t reading. Crossing the line.

Her laughter brought him out of indecent thoughts and he actually shook his head to snap out of it.

“You zone out a lot, you know that?” This obviously amused her.

Playing it off, he smiled back. “I got a lot on my mind I guess.”

“Well, you better not do that on the slopes. You’ll end up with broken bones.

“Ugh.” The slopes. “I’d almost forgotten about that.”

“You’re not getting out of it.” And with that giggle of hers, that he now couldn’t get enough of, she pulled him by the arm. “Let’s go.”

CHAPTER 8

For as much apprehension as Gio had about getting up on the slopes, he actually caught on much quicker than Bianca had imagined—even faster than Felix had when he first tried snowboarding. After just a few hours, he was getting fancy and speeding up so much at one point she had to warn him not to get too overconfident.

She watched as he flew by her while she’d stopped to take a breather. Shaking her head her eyes followed him. After spending the entire day with him, she could very easily understand how anyone could develop a major crush on this guy. Not only was he incredible to look at, he was turning out to be one of the sweetest guys she’d ever met. She felt terrible that he seemed so agonized about the tragedy in the ring.