Bianca brought her hand to her mouth to cover her smile. She wouldn’t laugh at him. At least she’d try not to. “Yes, but they have a lot of different trails—beginner’s trails. It’s not as daunting as it looks. I promise.”

Gio glanced back at her but said nothing. The movement of his Adam’s apple as he gulped said it all and now she had to laugh. “Will you trust me?”

Her laughter finally got a smirk out of him. “I do but…” He turned back to the mountain. “Damn!”

“C’mon,” she said, pulling him by his jacket. “I can show you some of the basics down here first.” A giggle escaped her. “Like how to stand on the board without falling.”

Gio peered at her but smiled. “I think I can manage standing.”

Bianca bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh. “We’ll see.” This was going to be just like when she taught Felix all over again. Felix—just the thought of him not making it up again was enough to nearly wipe the smile off her face.

They moved off to the side, took a seat on a bench and proceeded to strap their boots into their boards. Bianca finished and stood waiting as Gio struggled to strap his in. “Need help?”

“Nah, I got it.”

Bianca smirked watching him continue to struggle when she felt her phone buzz in her jacket pocket. She pulled off her glove, reached in for the phone and checked the screen —a text from Toni. That was odd. She’d spoken to Toni that morning. She’d needed to vent to someone about Felix still not being able to get up. Toni was part of the reason why she was trying so hard to keep her mind off Felix. Bianca had promised she’d do her best to enjoy today without sulking—which she planned on doing before talking to Toni.

Curiously, she clicked on the envelope.

I know you’re boarding today. But when you get a chance give me a call. No biggie. Just something about Felix I thought you should know.

The unease was immediate. Ever since last summer’s paparazzi photo, she’d made it a point to stay away from the tabloids. As much as she could anyway. Toni, on the other hand, was a tabloid nut but she had promised to not rile up Bianca unless it was something concrete. Bianca did not need to know about every sighting of him with another girl that wasn’t even confirmed. Many weren’t even recent and lots of them were doctored up.

When she first started dating Felix there were stories all over about him and other girls but many of them were old pictures—old news being revived for the sake of gossip. She refused to drive herself crazy because, as it turned out, every one of the stories she’d confronted him with had proved to have a valid explanation.

Toni hadn’t mentioned anything she’d read or heard in months. She glanced up at Gio thankful that he was being stubborn about her helping him and seeing that he was still doing it wrong took advantage of the delay. “I gotta make a quick call, okay?”

Gio nodded not even looking up. Bianca took a few steps away from Gio so he wouldn’t hear her and hit speed dial. Toni answered on the first ring.

“Sweetie, I didn’t mean to worry you. I even thought of just waiting until later but I was afraid I’d forget.”

Bianca took a deep breath. “What? What is it?”

Toni exhaled, obviously annoyed with herself but it was too late. Bianca was already worried. “I just thought you might want to know that the paparazzi have gotten wind of Felix coming up here. They’re headed up here as well and they’ll be on the lookout for his secret girlfriend. I wanted to give you a head’s up since I know you stay away from the gossip shows.” Bianca let out a slow relieved breath; hating that she still had to worry about this kind of crap. She wanted so badly to just trust him completely. “Any word yet on when he’ll be up?”

“Nothing yet.” Bianca chewed her pinky nail. “He’s supposed to call me a little later. He knows I’m spending the day boarding.”

“I know. I’m sorry I interrupted. You know normally I wouldn’t but…” she seemed hesitant and that alone put Bianca on edge.

“But what? Is there more?”

There was an unpleasant pause then Toni spoke up again. “No. No, there isn’t.”

“Are you sure?” Bianca glanced back and saw that Gio had both feet strapped into his board and was attempting to stand. Shit. She hurried back in his direction but still held the phone to her ear.

“I’m sure. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get spooked or anything by some eager photographer.”

Just as she reached Gio he nearly toppled over and she grabbed his arm with her free hand. “I gotta go,” was all she said to Toni before hanging up and sticking the phone in her pocket with her other hand then quickly reaching over to hold Gio up.

His arms came around her in a panic. “Holy shit!”

She couldn’t help giggling. “You weren’t supposed to strap both boots in yet. Just one.” She looked up at him; his face inches away from her. His minty breath so close to her face made her insides flutter but his confused expression had her smiling again in an instant. “I’m sorry I should’ve told you that first, right?”

“Yeah,” he smirked, trying to stand on his own again. “Maybe I wouldn’t have taken so embarrassingly long.”

She started to laugh but then stopped when she saw him wobble. “Don’t!” She grabbed his arm. “You’re gonna fall!” Even though she’d just had his big arms around her a moment ago it surprised her just how big and hard they really were now that she was squeezing them.