Page 23

“Hi, guys,” Liv said, giving Sam a hug and flashing Cat a smile. The smile appeared gracious enough, but Maya could detect a tightening in Liv’s jaw as she performed the gesture.

“Look who’s back in town for the foreseeable,” Liv said as she put her arm around Maya’s waist and squeezed.

Maya had, of course, seen Sam and Cat in similar instances over the years, albeit refreshingly brief, plus few and far between. But this time it stung worse than in the past. Perhaps that was down to having her first proper conversation with Sam a couple of evenings previously, or maybe it was due to him being practically naked for a large proportion of that time. But mainly, it must have been a result of her dredging up the past over the last couple of days, plus the fact that she was going to be here for a while. There was no escape back to Glasgow after a few days.

Sam eyed her with that cool stare.

Maya avoided his gaze. She hadn’t mentioned to Liv that she’d run into him, because he’d asked her not to tell anyone. Though why she was cultivating his confidence she had no idea. Perhaps because I can’t say no.

She snuck a very quick glance at him and regretted it because he looked cute in his dark gray woolly hat and red ski jacket. How dare he be so handsome, with his lovely amber eyes and sexy sandy beard? And anyway, he could at least be nice to her. After all, she was keeping his secret.

Cat snapped her gaze onto Maya’s face, her eyes widening for a split second. “You’re moving back here for good?”

Maya plastered on a smile. “Maybe. For the medium term anyway.”

Cat stayed silent for a moment, keeping her gaze on Maya. “I don’t know why you’d want to come back to this dead-end dump, after the big-city life.”

Sam seemed to flinch.

Maya cleared her throat. “City life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’ve always preferred the small, ski town life, myself.”

Sam raised his eyebrows, and something about his expression made her skin tingle. Maya lifted her hand to catch her moon charm between her fingers, rubbing it.

Liv linked her arm with Maya’s, addressing Sam and Cat. “What’re you two up to today?”

“Bit of Christmas shopping,” Sam said, glancing at Maya.

“And you need to sort your car,” Cat said, shooting him a look. “We’re having to use my car all the time because Sam’s broke down again.”

Maya met Sam’s eyes, trying to fathom how much he’d told Cat.

He held her gaze for a second, and it seemed as if he were attempting to will her into not saying anything. As much as she didn’t like the guy, Maya would never drop him in it. She stayed silent, listening in order to detect exactly what page Cat was on.

“It’s been at the garage since Saturday morning,” Cat continued. “They need to get it sorted, bloody lazy gits.”

Maya glanced at Sam again. The car wasn’t at the garage, it was still outside Kirsty’s.

Sam seemed to shake his head almost imperceptibly, holding Maya’s gaze.

Liv was frowning. “I don’t think it’s lazy. It’s only been there since yesterday morning and today’s Sunday, so they’ll be closed. Give them a chance.”

Cat shrugged. “It’s just not good enough. They should’ve had it done by now.” She gave Sam a withering look. “I told you that you should’ve bought something more upmarket. Like Vicky’s boyfriend’s Audi.”

Liv squeezed Maya’s arm a little too hard, and Maya was just starting to worry that she was going to cut off her circulation when Liv released her to reach out and tug Sam’s sleeve. “Guess what? You’re going to have the pleasure of Maya’s company at the ski center. We’ve just been to see Ben, and she’s going to teach the kids’ classes until you get someone permanent. Make sure you act surprised when Ben tells you, though. I think he wanted to be the one to break the good news that you’re off the hook from covering Vicky’s classes.”

One thing was for sure, Sam wasn’t acting surprised right now. His eyes widened as he glanced at Maya, then back to Liv.

He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s . . . great.”

Cat shot him a disapproving look as he uttered the word great. She needn’t have worried, because it was clear that he hardly meant it.

“When do you start?” he asked, his voice slightly strained.

“This week,” Maya said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Ben seemed pretty desperate.” She nudged Liv, keen to get out of the excruciating situation. “We’d better head to the bookstore.”

“Hang on,” Liv said to Sam, ignoring Maya. “How’re you going to get to and from the resort this week, without a car?”

“Not quite figured that yet,” Sam said. “Cat needs hers for work. I’m getting a lift with Ben tomorrow, then I’ll see.”