Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Jake, who considered himself the chef of the bunch, arranged the covered plates on the table and revealed them by lifting each lid and pausing as if to say, ‘ta-da!’ and because Ty laughed every time that Jake did it.
Jasmine emerged in gray sweatpants and a baggy shirt, her wet hair twisted back in a messy bun. I went and took her hands, kissed her cheek and searched her face for any sign of misgivings. She smiled and said, “I’m starving! What did we get?”
Jake took the opportunity to put the stainless-steel lid back on a plate just to whip it off with a flourish to show her the food. She giggled. “I feel like you should be pulling a rabbit out of your hat with that kind of showmanship,” she teased.
Jake grinned, “I can’t take credit for cooking it, but it never hurts to show off in front of a beautiful woman.”
We all settled in and ate, hungry from the travel and the morning’s exertions. “This sandwich is fantastic,” Jasmine said, indicating her avocado and egg on brioche. “The cheese is unreal, taste this.” She held her sandwich out to me and I obliged, taking a bite, nodding and muttering something about how good it was.
“My smoked salmon is great, want a bite?” I offered. She shook her head, mouth full of the bite that Eli had just given her from his salad that seemed to be made primarily of chicken and olives.
“Oh my God, that salad,” she said, “are those walnuts?”
“I don’t know, but it’s awesome,” Eli said, tucking back in to his meal.
“How’s yours, Ty?” I asked. He shrugged.
“Considering the magician style presentation we got from Jake, frankly I expected more from my burger. It’s good, but it’s not, ya know, magical,” he said mischievously. We all rolled our eyes at that, and Jake groaned.
“Not to change the subject from Ty’s crappy jokes, but we were looking at the outdoor activities around the resort. What were you thinking?” Eli asked Jasmine.
“I know we’re going skiing—I hope there’s a bunny slope because I’ve never been and I’m not sure I’m going to be any good at it. I played basketball one year in middle school but that’s it for me as far as being athletic.”
“Right, so if we need someone to dunk on the other team while we ski, you’re our girl,” Ty quipped.
“Nah, you go for the shot. I’ll guard you,” she fired back and we all grinned at her, even Ty.
“There’s tobogganing, where you slide down a chute and out across the frozen lake,” I said. “Although I should let you know that Ty thinks it’s kid stuff.”
“Like a water slide but with ice?” she said.
“And you’re not supposed to splash at the end,” I offered.
“So what you’re telling me is that I can go down a big slide and across a frozen lake on a sled and have the satisfaction of knowing that Ty here is scared to do it? Sign me up.”
“I’m not afraid of a kiddie slide,” he protested.
“Right, so you won’t be yelling ‘Shit!’ in like five languages while we do this?” she teased.
“Ha ha, very funny,” he grumbled.
“You are scared,” I said.
“I’m cautious,” he corrected.
“You?” I said in disbelief. “No, I’m cautious, Jake is super cautious. You’re not the careful one.”
“Whatever, I’m going skiing. You guys can sled or go ice skating or make snowmen or something with the other kids,” Ty said.
“I’d rather do some cross-country skiing than wait in line for the slide thing,” Eli said.
“We can split up, “Ty said. “We’ll meet back here for dinner.”
I shook my head. Jake took up the cause.
“Let’s stay together. If more people want to ski, we’ll go ski,” he said.
“I think Jasmine should get to decide since she’s the only one here who hasn’t had a chance to try most of this stuff before,” Eli said. I nodded.
“Don’t make me choose!” she said. “I mean, look at all of us, you can see how good I am at making decisions! No offense, but my first boyfriend was an abusive stalker. And my second boyfriend is all of you! Doesn’t say much for my skills at narrowing down the best options does it?”
“I don’t know about that. I personally like your decision-making skills,” I said.
My brothers nodded and chimed in.
“Yeah, I’m in favor of whatever you pick, Jas,” Eli said. “We can’t exactly complain about your taste since you like all of us.”
“Truth,” Ty said, knocking back the rest of his beer. “As much as I hate to say the words ‘Jake’s right,’ he is. We’ll stay together. Lady’s choice.”
“What’ll it be?” Jake asked, wisely choosing not to gloat.
“I want to try skiing. I hope the boots I brought are okay. They’re the furry ones I wear to the office sometimes.”
“The ones that look like you found a dead possum by the side of the road and skinned it?” I teased.