it wasn’t as if she was looking for a long-term relationship. This might even work in her favor. If they did have sex, she could prove to herself that she could have a one-night stand without it necessarily evolving into something permanent. Wasn’t that what she was trying to avoid? Jack didn’t live in the area. He’d soon be heading home to Texas. Back to his team.
No strings. No unexpected visits. No occasional sightings, like she had with her ex.
But did she want a one-night stand? Was she built that way?
If not, she’d better figure out how to change her personal blueprint because unless she never wanted to have sex again she was going to have to play by a new set of rules. One that involved a quick roll in the sheets and kicking the man in question out on the other side of the bed the next morning.
No regrets. No heart involvement.
It was the perfect solution, which was why she’d made that toast on New Year’s Eve.
She glanced at her friend and took another—smaller—sip of her wine. “Don’t worry, Elle, I’m sticking with the program. I’m not getting hung up on him. I’m following the spirit of the bet. You said that I wouldn’t make it past Number Five. I never said I wouldn’t go out with any of them more than once.”
“Hmm...really? I understood that you would go out on a single date with twenty-five different men over the course of the year.”
Mira tried to think back to the exact wording of that resolution. Had she said only one date apiece? She decided to play dumb. “So are you suddenly going to go all legalistic on me? The queen of all things loose and free?”
“Touché. You know me way too well.” She sent Mira a grin and lifted her glass in salute before taking another drink of the dark red wine.
Relaxing onto one of the tall leather seats that surrounded the kidney-shaped bar, Mira swiveled around to face her friend. “Okay, so we’ll say intent, then.” She lifted her own glass. “Here’s to intent. That I intend to steer clear of serious male-female relationships.”
They clinked their glasses together. Ellory set her wine down on the polished wooden surface of the bar. “So let me get this straight. You’re going to have no serious relationships with males or females? Well, that’s a damn shame.”
Mira swatted her arm. “Very funny. You know what I mean.”
She laughed again. “Rats. Of course, I’ve sworn off men, too.” She sighed. “So you’re going to let man number five have another shot at getting this date thing right.”
“Yep, although there’s nothing to get right. We’re just going to hit the slopes one more time tomorrow and get a bite to eat afterwards. Then it’s done.” Maybe. That was if she didn’t fall into bed with the man right afterwards. A tingle of anticipation ran through her.
“Uh-oh. Speaking of hitting the slopes, ex-beau jerkwad at oh-three-hundred.”
Mira blinked before she realized what her friend meant. She glanced to the right and saw Robert nursing a beer far closer to them than she’d like. Their eyes met, and her ex lifted his glass to her. She just barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Was he worried she was going to run to Daddy and tattle about what he’d done? She should. Really she should, but she wanted nothing more to do with him. She was willing to let Robert save face to make that happen, although the creep didn’t deserve it.
She turned away and met her friend’s worried eyes.
“Did you take a good look at him?” Ellory asked.
“What?”
“Robert. I want you to memorize every last flaw that man has and imprint it on your memory.” She leaned over and squeezed her hand. “Don’t let someone do that to you again.”
“I won’t.”
Ellory was right. She needed to use Robert as a cautionary tale and not toss away one bad apple only to immediately pick up a second one. Even if at least one part of that apple tasted as sweet as honey. Because who knew what she’d find when she turned it around and looked at the other side?
Although she suspected the back side of Number Five would look just as crisp and tasty as the front. And that was the biggest problem of all.
SHE WAS LATE.
Jack wasn’t sure if he was happy about that or ticked. They’d agreed to ride up to the slopes together for another couple of lessons and then have dinner afterwards.
Propping his skis and poles against one of the heavy pillars that held up the wraparound porch, he inspected his snow boots for the fifth time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, all the laces were well tied and nothing dangled where it could trip him up. He’d leave that to the infuriating woman he’d almost mauled in the sleigh.
He hadn’t been able to get her out of his head all weekend, which had seemed to drag. It had been made worse by a phone call from his coach making sure he was resting and having plenty of “fun.”
As far as the resting went, it was hit and miss. He’d slept fairly well one night, only to wake up in a cold sweat the next.
But was he having fun?
A little too much, if you asked him. He’d had no business letting things get so out of hand on that ride through the snow. His only excuse was the same pathetic one he’d given himself each time he’d been around the woman. It had been far too long since he’d gotten any.
And how crude did that sound? Paula would be so proud of what he’d become.
Except he remembered her having a little bit of naughty wrapped up in her nice. Maybe that’s why Mira’s outrageous behavior had bothered him so much. It struck too close to those memories he’d done his best to bury.
Bury. Not a good word to use. Since he’d literally buried the woman he’d loved since high school. The woman he’d gone through medical school with.
Maybe he should just do what he’d said and go to bed with Mira. Be done with it. Except she hadn’t shown up yet, and she was now—he glanced at his watch—over a half-hour late. Even knowing she wasn’t coming didn’t stop him from waiting here like a pathetic loser, going over the thousand and one excuses she might have for standing him up.
None of them, except maybe her father becoming ill, held up. Especially since he’d just seen Mr. Dupris a few minutes earlier and had given him a half-wave as he’d strode through the entrance.
Well, nothing to do but go ahead on up and ski back down. He might as well get some use out of his rental fee. But somehow doing it alone held no appeal any more.
He grabbed his skis and poles and started toward the chairlifts that lay about fifty yards to his left.
“Jack, wait!”
A familiar voice sounded behind him. If he were smart, he’d just keep going and pretend he hadn’t heard her. But, of course, he didn’t. He turned around and all thoughts of leaving disappeared.
Mira, in the same all-white snow outfit she’d worn the other day, hurried toward him, equipment slung over her left shoulder, her hair streaming around her shoulders. “Sorry. I thought you’d be gone by now.”
Thought...or hoped?
“Sorry to disappoint you.” The words were more difficult to force out than they should be.
She frowned, falling in step beside him. “Disappoint me? I had a patient this morning and didn’t have your cell number. I tried calling your room, but you’d already left, evidently.”
His cell number. It hadn’t even dawned on him to give it to her. And he had left early that morning, deciding to go for a walk in the crisp air to clear his head and to try to talk himself out of actually sleeping with the