Page 11 of The Snowflake Effect

Either Raven’s pushing hit home, or she’s doing this for me. Whatever the reason, I rap my knuckles on the door and wait, every muscle tensed.

Singing drifts from a group of women as they traipse through the snow behind us, but the doorknob doesn’t twist. Determined, I knock again. As I’m about to pound my fist a third time, the door swings wide. And I nearly swallow my tongue.

“The Bitch,” says the guy from the doorway.

I curl my lip. “The Asshole.”

CHAPTER 5

KOLTON

Un-fucking-believable. An hour from this day finally being over, and this woman turns up. I don’t recognize the other two crammed in our doorway, but the reckless skier, with her full lips and confident air, is unforgettable. The way her eyes flare, snapping with irritation, it doesn’t look like she forgot me, either.

“You here to apologize?” I ask her. There are a slew of other things I should find out first, like her name or how the hell she found me, but today’s frustrations have festered into the evening, and I haven’t let go of her carelessness.

“Apologize? Okay. Sure. I’m very sorry you skied into me and nearly broke my tailbone. The guilt is all-consuming.” Each word drips with sarcasm, her annoyance clearly still as acute as mine.

“This is the Asshole? And you skied off?” says the dark-haired one beside her. Her thick bangs hang blunt over charcoal eyes.

The boys are up now, Sawyer leaning over my shoulder. “So this is the Bitch who knocked you on your ass. And didn’t we meet you ladies on the hill?”

I can’t see his face, but there’s no doubt he’s unleashed his Prince Charming smile. The way the pale blond blushes, I’d say it’s working.

“Call her the Bitch again, and you boys will be filming your own Hangover sequel,” says the dark-haired girl. “And, yeah, that was us. It was nice of you to help.”

Nico pushes by me and scans the area outside, his cop instincts on high alert. “Everything okay?”

“We’re fine. We were just heading to our condo and saw you gentlemen in here. Seemed a shame not to thank you for your efforts this afternoon. I’m Raven, this is Lily, and this”—she shoots daggers my way—“is Shay. Not sure if you’re alone, but…” Her charcoal eyes dance the length of Nico’s body.

Sawyer doesn’t miss a beat. “Absolutely. I’m Sawyer, the giant is Nico, and the ‘Asshole’ is Kolton. Although I’m open to the name change.”

Raven walks right in, Nico following her like he’s a compass and she’s due north.

Sawyer looks about to hit on Lily when she says, “I have a boyfriend.”

He stops short, then shrugs. “Since my boy and Shay have some unfinished business, you’re forced to hang with me just the same.”

She bites her lip and steps inside, leaving me with a stunning, slightly intimidating woman who is attempting to murder me with her eyes.

The two of us face off, not speaking. There’s no question she looked hot in her ski clothes, but her tight skirt combined with the fuck-me boots have me itching to unzip her bomber jacket and peek inside. And, man, that curly hair of hers is wild and begging to be tugged.

“Mind closing the door?” Nico calls.

“And not ogling me,” Shay says. I meet her gaze, and her eyes flare. “If you get out of the way, I can step inside.”

And here I thought my bad day was almost done.

Instead of biting back, I lean around her to close the door, then head to the kitchen, needing more than a beer to get through this night. Two fingers of amber liquid and an ice cube later, the women have shrugged off their coats. Nico and Raven are talking tattoos, while Sawyer goes on about Lily’s purse.

Shay leans against the counter, holding the glass of wine Nico offered. “She made that,” she tells Sawyer, gesturing to Lily’s purse. “Each one done by hand with recycled materials. She sells them to some indie stores.”

“Seriously?” Sawyer tilts his head and rubs his jaw, no doubt putting on his Moondog hat, seeing all the funky designs he can base on the concept. “What’d you use for the sides? Is that…” He turns the small bag over in his hands. “Is that from a skateboard?”

Lily leans forward. “Yeah. I mean, I know it’s been done before, but I cut the boards into small pieces and sand them down so they’re not too thick. I apply them in geometric patterns, you know, like a mosaic? But that’s on top of material I salvage from vintage leather jackets. That way, the purse and shoulder strap are soft. Flexible? The two materials are contradictory, but they work together. I like playing with the juxtaposition.” She sits straighter, eyes darting, as though she just remembered she has an audience. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ramble.”

Sawyer massages his jaw some more. “No, no. It’s interesting. I’ve never seen it done this way.”

He glances up at me and raises his eyebrows, silently asking if it’s okay to talk Moondog with these women. Not happening. The way Shay went Terminator on me earlier, I have no interest in giving her personal information.